Oliver Barker Vormawor, leader of the Fix the Country Movement, has weighed in on the controversial $3.6 million African Games contract between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
Vormawor criticized the lack of transparency and questioned the rationale behind GBC’s agreement to a $3.6 million contract, from which they would derive less than 3% of the total amount.
He condemned the government and its agencies for their involvement in dubious and secretive agreements, arguing that these deals are causing significant financial losses for the country.
“97% goes to third parties who are not subcontractors of GBC. The Ministry pays those people directly. In fact, GBC had no hand in their appointment even. But we are told GBC was awarded a 3.6 million dollar contract”.
Oliver Barker Vormawor
Vormawor further questioned the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ motive, wondering why they would tout GBC’s contract as a success when, in reality, the broadcaster received a meager payment.
He expressed bewilderment over the government’s and Ministry’s persistent claim that GBC received $3.6 million, despite documentary evidence contradicting this assertion.
Vormawor observed that it’s not uncommon for the facts to be publicly available, but the government still proceeds to make baseless or incorrect conclusions.
He charged the Ministry of Youth and Sports with misusing its authority by exploiting GBC as a puppet entity to surreptitiously divert public funds to private interests with which it has cozy relationships.
Vormawor astutely observed that State capture often masquerades in plain sight, and he unequivocally identified this specific issue as a textbook example of State capture, where the lines between public interest and private gain are deliberately blurred.
He pointed out that such cases are frequently shrouded by complex processes and contracts that appear deceptively innocuous and legitimate on the surface, masquerading as routine and innocuous “legalistic” agreements.
“Because nothing protects the corrupt better than the law”. – Oliver Barker Vormawor
IMANI President Questions GBC Contractors’ Value
Furthermore, Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, raised a pertinent question regarding the role of PGS and Quality Media Productions, the private contractors involved in the GBC deal, wondering what tangible services they provided to justify their substantial payments.
Cudjoe raised questions about the selection process of PGS and Quality Media Productions, further inquiring about the identity of the owners behind these two companies, implying a potential conflict of interest or lack of transparency in their appointment.
“In fact who owns the rest in here and what constitutes GBC 24-hour channel support? We need the entire procurement document now. Please Asare Dennis let us write officially to the Sports Ministry and the PPA requesting these in one week”.
Franklin Cudjoe
He further pointed out that the government that recklessly plundered the savings of the elderly to fund a botched debt exchange program, after driving itself into a debt crisis through extravagant spending on dubious projects, has now reached a new low.
Franklin Cudjoe maintained that this same government is now prioritizing the allocation of millions to host and spectate sporting events like “high jump and shot put”, rather than addressing the plight of the elderly citizens whose savings were seized.
He further alleged that the government’s actions were even more egregious, as they had cunningly defrauded Ghanaians, compounding their woes.
Meanwhile, Stephen Kwaku Asare highlighted another instance of alleged mismanagement, stating that $2.9 million allocated for the African Games has mysteriously disappeared.
He stated that this disappearance joins the unaccounted ₵1.4 million worth of condoms and $2.5 million worth of condensate in an astonishing vanishing act, further underscoring the pervasive waste and inefficiency within the government.
Kwaku Asare commended Ghanaians for their persistence in seeking transparency, noting that the recent revelations would not have come to light if they had remained silent and waited patiently.
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