‘Fire burn you’ – Songo turns heat on Akufo-Addo

Sports journalist, Patrick Osei Agyeman, popularly known as Countryman Songo has described as “funny” President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s answer to a question regarding the implementation of recommendations in the White Paper, released after a probe into issues that marred Black Stars’ participation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 2014 White Paper was generated following a Commission of enquiry which was set up by former President John Mahama to investigate Ghana’s disastrous Brazil 2014 World Cup Campaign.

Headed by Justice Senyo Dzamefe, the Commission uncovered a number of issues, including several cases of alleged embezzlement of state funds as well as the reason behind the infamous airlifting of 3 million dollars to pay Black Stars players.

On June 12, 2015, government released a White Paper on the report of the Commission with the assurance of implementing the recommendations which had been accepted, as well as those accepted with modifications.

Curious about the readiness of the Akufo-Addo led administration to pay heed to the White Paper, Songo posed a question to President Akufo-Addo during a press encounter, Wednesday.

“Are you interested in the 2014 World Cup Commission of Enquiry Report?” he asked.

“Am I interested in the 2014 white paper? On these matters, truth is usually the best answer. To be honest, I’ve forgottten about the 2014 White Paper. But I have no doubt that my Minister of Sports is fully up to it and will advise in due course what should be the reaction of me and the government to it. But it has not been something that has been very much on my radar,” the President responded.

Reacting to the response on his ‘Fire for Fire’ show, Thursday, Songo, affectionately called ‘The Fire Man’ said, “To be honest, Mr President you goofed big time on this matter.”

“You should know better. You have forgotten about it for what reason? You were in this country when the taxpayer’s money was used to set up a commission and today you are saying to be honest you have forgotten about the report. Fire burn the president in a professional way. He never forgot about that commission when the NPP was looking for power. A very sensitive document like that, the sports minister cannot brief the president about it? Useless Sports Minister.

“If, indeed, the president is interested in corruption, then he must take the white paper seriously because we are talking about something that borders on corruption. This is funny.”