GJA expresses disappointment with Oppong Nkrumah’s wobbling condemnation of attack on UTV

According to the Association, the statement was wobbling and paled in the face of an earlier statement issued by the Minister when Dagbon FM was attacked by an NDC member.

Comparing both statements issued by the Minister, GJA noted the sharp contrast in tone and diction, suggesting that the Minister has not been even-handed in addressing the issues.

“In the second paragraph of the press statement, the Minister tries to justify the barbaric attack by holding that the hooligans entered UTV “allegedly without authorization” when he was the very person who reported to, and called in, the Police; in the fourth paragraph, the Minister avoids direct condemnation of the hooligans and conveniently makes his condemnation general, and, worst of all, in the last paragraph, the Minister imposes a burden on the media to promote national cohesion, regardless of the incessant attacks against them.

“The Minister’s press statement is in sharp contrast to another one issued by the PR Unit of his Ministry on May 4, 2023, in respect of the attack on a radio presenter on Dagbon FM in Tamale by a communicator of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“The Ministry’s May 2023 press statement was very direct: the Ministry described the attack as ASSAULT without any “allegedly” clothing; the Ministry condemned the act, specifically without giving it general direction; the Ministry called for “severe and speedy response from law enforcement agencies” to avoid future recurrence; the Minister had a telephone conversation with victim of assault, and the Minister “offered the support of the Ministry if he will require any”.

“Between the two cases – Dagbon FM and UTV, the Minister of Information and/or the Ministry of Information has or have not been even-handed in addressing the critical issues at stake, and we find that very worrying,” the GJA stated.