Mahama is to blame for Ayariga’s “nonsense” –

General News of Saturday, 14 February 2015

Source: adomonline.com

Prof Richard Amoako Baah

Political Science lecturer, Dr. Richard Amoako Baah has challenged President John Mahama to show leadership by sacking Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga over his recent verbal lunge at journalists.

He is convinced the Minister showed gross disrespect to Ghanaians and journalists in particular because he [Ayariga] has the backing of President Mahama.

“Ayariga has the impunity to tell us this nonsense because he has the backing of the president” he fumed on Friday.

Speaking Thursday on Adom FM’s morning show Mahama Ayariga said journalists asking for details on the Black Stars budget for the recent African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatorial Guinea were asking “useless question.” The Minister, who is also a Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, stated that he will not waste his breath on answering questions from journalists who lack “knowledge about public administration.”

But on Asempa FM, Friday, a livid Amoako Baah, who is also the Head of Political Science Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said the Sports Minister is not to blame for his “arrogance”.

He explained: “President Mahama has empowered Ayariga and other government appointees to behave rudely to the citizenry. “We are not fools for them to do what they want; this is our country too” he exclaimed

Citing the reshuffling of former Minister Elvis Afriyie Ankrah to the presidency after the Brazil World Cup fiasco, Dr Amoako Baah said the presidency has become a dumping ground for ‘criminals’. “The president never done his job; he [Mahama] allows them [Ministers] to get away with crime with impunity”.

Dr. Amoako Baah said the only way President Mahama can exonerate himself is to “fire Mahama Ayariga” to serve as a deterrent to others.