Akufo-Addo denies sacking radio presenter

The President, Nana Akufo-Addo says it is never true he played a role whether directly or indirectly in the alleged dismissal of Gh Mouthpiece, a radio presenter at Kingdom FM.

The popular and vocal presenter alleged on Neat 100.9 FM last week that her bosses at Kingdom FM sacked her from the job because President Akufo-Addo had personally complained to them that he was uncomfortable about a commentary the presenter had run about him.

“…I had reported to work, done my introduction and even  signed in and dropped my motivational message. 15 minutes into the live show, I saw our Manager had opened the door signaling me to come. I was confused because I was seated behind the console and speaking live. My producer told me that our Director had asked for me. Honestly, I become scared.

“When I got to his office, I wanted to sit but he told me to stand. He asked what happened yesterday, he showed me the video I had made together with the President’s chat and asked ‘what is this?’. The chat was with Ghana’s sitting president, Nana Addo.

“The President had sent my video to my Director. I told my Director that I was part of the ‘Fix The Country’ campaign. I was just expressing my opinion…my Director said I exposed the company I am working for. He said I claimed our salary can’t cater for our transportation…I defended myself and made it clear that my statement was the true state of the nation, the voices of Ghanaians,”  Gh Mouthpiece narrated to  Ola Michael on Neat FM and said that was why  and how she lost her job.

Nana Addo Denies

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is nothing but a fabricated, baseless lie, simple as that.”, was how the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin responded to the narrative from the allegedly dismissed radio presenter.

Mr. Arhin, on his Facebook wall wrote:

I have seen a story on Ghanaweb where a radio presenter, referred to as “Gh Mouthpiece”, claims she was dismissed from Kingdom FM on the orders of President Akufo-Addo. For the avoidance of doubt, this is nothing but a fabricated, baseless lie, simple as that.

According to her, “the President could not sleep throughout the night, and had texted him (Jonathan Amofah) at 1:00am. He (President Akufo-Addo) sent him the video I had recorded. My Director told me he was under pressure because of my video”

 Anyone who knows President Akufo-Addo knows that he is not on Whatsapp, neither does he send text messages to anyone, let alone stoop so low as to demand that a journalist be dismissed from her employment. Indeed, I have spoken to the CEO of Kingdom FM, Jonathan Kwame Amofah, who has stated categorically that he has never received a text message from the President before, has never received any directive from the President to dismiss anyone, and goes on to describe “Gh Mouthpiece” as peddling nothing but falsehoods.

 If this “journalist” wants to trend, she is free to do so, but she should be guided by the ethics of journalism, which are truth, accuracy and objectivity. As the President has always said, he prefers, on any day, the noisy, boisterous, sometimes scurrilous media of today to the monotonous, praise-singing, sycophantic one of yesteryear. He will not be the one to ask for the dismissal of a journalist who criticizes him.

Management and owners of the station where Gh Mouthpiece worked until her alleged dismissal are yet to speak on the development.