Minister goes berserk; calls journalists lazy and arm chair practitioners

The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio on Friday afternoon lost his cool when a Kumasi-based radio station, Fox FM, called him to speak to the caved mining pit at Nsuta-Prestea in the Western Region.

It is not clear if the minister had been infuriated by an unknown person prior to his answering the call for the live interview, but as soon as he was brought on air he started attacking journalists urging members of the inky fraternity to step out for first-hand information rather than to sit in the comfort of their studios and grant interviews.

“Stop your usual arm chair journalism and go round to seek solutions and answers for the galamsey menace”, the deputy minister also took a swipe at a radio presenter with the Kumasi-based Fox FM, Kwaku Kyeremanteng Nkansah.

“Journalists from BBC are the first to take their cameras reporting that people have been trapped in a galamsey pit at Nsuta- Prestea while journalists in this country are making calls to me “.

“Now you are sitting in your studio and calling me for the number of people alive and dead. …this is lazy journalism”, the minister fumed during the live telephone interview with the station.

“I cannot talk to lazy journalists on phone. …I am tired of the numerous telephone calls from journalists in Ghana. …I can’t even open my mouth any more,'' he told the host of “Eboboba”, an afternoon political talk show program.

“You should go out to dig for your own information. I am not obliged to speak to you. I have very important meetings with some white men now”, and then he dropped the call.