Nana Agradaa's TV station shut down was not even a matter of content - Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has given details into what led to the arrest and shutdown of popular fetish priestess, Patricia Asiedu known widely as Nana Agradaa on Thursday, April 21.

Earlier, there were reports that the fetish priestess had been arrested as part of efforts by security agencies to clamp down on activities of ‘money doublers’, scammers and spiritualists who air their content on television.

Nana Agradaa’s two television stations, Thunder TV and Ice 1 TV were also shut down by state security with equipment and other assets seized.

But reacting to the development, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah explained on Metro News’ Good Afternoon Ghana that the fetish priestess was picked up for operating as a pirate station.

“…That is principally because it is operating without authorisation. It is not even a matter of content…

“That station or broadcast platform, according to the brief I have, was not even authorised in the first place to operate. So, it was a pirate station that was operating,” he intimated.

Nana Agradaa’s TV station was one of 49 media houses shut down for operating without licences in the country.

In a related development, however, Executive Director for Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has questioned the National Communication Authority’s (NCA) decision to shut down unlicensed media stations.

Taking to social media, Mr Braimah posited in a Facebook post that no media house requires a license to operate in Ghana.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Supreme Law of the land, (the 1992 Constitution) says under Article 162 (3) “There shall be no impediments to the establishment of private press or media; and in particular, there shall be no law requiring any person to obtain a license as a prerequisite to the establishment or operation of a newspaper, journal or other media for mass communication or information.”

“So, it is wrong to suggest that media organisations, broadcast or otherwise, require LICENSES to operate,” he added.