EDITORIAL: NPP Must Come Clean On Appiah Stadium

Last Wednesday, a known serial caller of the ruling government, who calls himself Appiah Stadium, revealed that the government had sponsored 150 party errand boys to the World Cup in Germany.

The serial caller, who was obviously peeved by his exclusion from the sponsored group thought that he had not been treated fairly.

It would not be wrong for one to argue that the serial caller was only trying to hit at the government because he was not included in the said sponsorship and for that matter his comments ought to be treated with contempt, as words coming from someone who is just up to some mischief.

But there are more issues that the serial caller raised, which ought to be looked at critically for Government ought to be questioned about its seriousness and commitment to the growth of our young democracy.

For now, one cannot doubt the credibility of the sponsorship allegation, because the 'Whistleblower,' is on record that he himself was sponsored to Egypt for the African Cup of Nations in the early part of the year.

In the first place, the people of Ghana ought to be told the grounds on which billions of money belonging to the state had to be spent on those 150 people to Germany. Unless the government comes out to deny the claims of the serial caller, there is the need for a justification for that expenditure, especially as the expenditure occurred at a time when our Doctors, paramedics and Polytechnic lecturers were on strike, asking for improvement in their conditions of service and government responding that there was not enough money.

Secondly, Appiah Stadium said the documents that he presented to the German Embassy were those that described him as a worker of the National Sports Council (NSC). Indeed, he said he went for the visa interview as a security personnel at the NSC.

It is important for Ghanaians to be told the circumstances under which a person, who is part of a local stadium security team, managed to secure such an introductory letter from the NSC and how many of his kind were sponsored to Egypt and Germany, for the Cup of Nations and World Cup tournaments respectively.

Additionally, in his attempt to praise his personal sponsors for his trip after he had been dumped by the government, Appiah Stadium indicted the Foreign Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. He told his interviewer that he secured a letter from the minister, which obviously facilitated his visa acquisition.

We need to know the conditions under which the Foreign Minister handed an official letter from his ministry to Appiah Stadium to help him acquire a visa for the trip. Could it be the personal benefits from the minister's office that now motivates the loud-mouthed semi-literate serial caller to have already initiated a campaign for his presidential bid?

The Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, who was also indicted in the whole sponsorship saga, says that Appiah Stadium is 'crazy' and should not be taken serious by anyone. Since when did Mr. Mpiani realise that Appiah Stadium was not a serious person?

The Chronicle would like to caution that the seat of Government ought to be revered. However, this can come about only if it is not turned into a place where 'crazy persons' become the advisors of the Chief Executive of Ghana Incorporated regarding who to fire from office and who should stay.

Does the Chief of Staff want us to take him serious when he goes on to tell us that he knows Appiah stadium and had interacted and assisted him on a number of times?

Is he telling Ghanaians that all along our Chief of Staff, whom Appiah stadium described as the third in command in the ruling government had been dealing with a person who qualifies to be described as mad and whose comments should not be taken serious?

It is the considered opinion of The Chronicle that there is more to Appiah Stadium's outbursts than meets the eye and the government and the ministers involved must come clean on the matter to save the image of the government and the nation as a whole.