NCA shut down of radio Gold, XYZ politically motivated - Mahama cries out

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has courted the discontent of the former President John Dramani Mahama over its decision to shut down two main pro-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) radio stations in Accra.

The NCA last closed down two Accra-based Radio Gold and Radio XYZ known to be affiliated to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Though the regulator has explained that its actions were purely grounded on regulatory breaches on the part of the stations for failure to renew their broadcasting licenses, former President Mahama believes strongly the high handed decision to close down the two stations was politically motivated.

“I believe that the role of a regulator is to build and not to destroy. So if they haven’t renewed their license, it’s your duty to remind them that you haven’t renewed your license. And eventually you must even give them a notice and deadlines…say if you don’t renew them by this date we will shut you down” he said.

Mr. Mahama who was speaking in a questions and answers session on the sidelines of an address he gave at a Saïd Business School seminar in the UK Oxford University was emphatic that the NCA’s decision need not a special sense of discernment to see its political underpinnings.

He added that “the point is there are more than 300 radio stations in Ghana, why those two? Those are the leading opposition stations so you do not need to be a clairvoyant to know that definitely there were political reasons behind the closure of those stations”.