General News of Monday, 15 January 2018
Source: primenewsghana.com
2018-01-15
Director-General, GBC Dr. Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow
The Director General of GBC Dr. Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow has been asked to proceed on leave.
It is unclear what may have caused the decision of the Governing Board to ask the Director-General to proceed on leave. But it appears issues relating to the TV licence and it intended prosecution are reasons for the Board asking the Director-General to proceed on leave.
Gov’t blames GBC Director General for TV licence brouhaha
Before the GBC Director-General was asked to proceed on leave, Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid has accused him of being responsible for the public uproar that met an attempt to prosecute defaulters of the TV license.
According to the minister, GBC’s Dr. Kwame Akuffo Anoff-Ntow single-handedly took the decision to request the setting up of courts to prosecute persons who have not paid the annual tax without informing other stakeholders.
“The Attorney-General didn’t know, the National Media Commission [NMC] didn’t know, GBC Board didn’t know, the Ministry of information didn’t know.
GBC suspends prosecution of TV licence defaulters
The Governing Board of GBC has suspended all legal processes intended to prosecute defaulter of TV licence fees.
A statement issued by the Board and signed by its Chairman, Rev. Emmanuel Adow Obeng, said the Board at an emergency meeting on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, has recognised the challenges that had come in the wake of the implementation of the TV licence fee.
“The Board noted the outcry, anxieties and apprehensions expressed by the public with respect to the possible prosecution for non-payment.”
GBC should find innovative ways to collect TV license
The public has welcomed the suspension of attempts by the Ghana Broadcast Corporation, GBC, to prosecute TV license defaulters.
A section who spoke to PrimeNewsGhana said they are happy with the directive by the GBC Board to suspend the prosecution of TV licence defaulters and suggested better ways through which the state broadcaster could go about collecting the fee without incurring the wrath of society.
According to them, GBC should create a mechanism that will prevent defaulters from receiving their signals as one of the most effective ways.v