Upper East: Presidential 'media team' stranded
Some journalists in the Upper East Region who were travelling from Bolgatanga to Bawku Thursday morning to cover President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's tour of the region were left stranded as their vehicle broke down in the middle of the road.
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After waiting for some hours, the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council organised for a pick up vehicle to transport them, but they arrived late and missed the assignment, reports Graphic Online's reporter, Abdul-Hamid Alhandu.
President Akufo-Addo was inspecting some irrigation projects in the Bawku area as part of his tour of Northern Ghana this week.
The journalists numbering eight were from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Graphic, Daily Guide and Joy FM, according to Alhandu.
The Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Hamid in a radio interview with Accra based Joy FM later on Thursday said the Director of Communications, Mr Eugene Arhin arranged for a vehicle, Hyundai H-1 to transport a team of journalists to cover the President's assignment in Bawku.
Unknowing to the Director of Communications, the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council Public Relations Officer, organised another vehicle, the one which broke down for another group of journalists to cover the same assignment.
Mr Hamid said he was not feeling very well Thursday morning so he went to the Bolgatanga Hospital to see a doctor and so he could not go with the Presidential convoy to Bawku.
Whilst on his way to Bawku later on, he came across the stranded journalists and was able to carry three of them along with him in his vehicle.
He said he rebuked the Regional PRO for organising another vehicle without the knowledge of the Director of Communications.
Listen to Mr Hamid's explanation in the Joy FM interview below
{mp3}information_minister_explains_bolga_press_vehicle_breakdown{/mp3}
Mr Hamid has also issued a statement responding to a report that he abandoned the journalists after he chanced on them.
Below is a copy of the statement
RE: INFORMATION MINISTER LEAVES JOURNALISTS STRANDED AFTER RICKETY BUS BREAKS DOWN
My attention has been drawn to a story with the above headline on Ghanaweb. I wish to make clear the following:
1. The vehicle that broke down was NOT the vehicle that was hired for journalists in the region by the Director of Communications at the Presidency. The Director of Communication has a dedicated corps of journalists in every region who cover presidential trips. In the Upper West Region, they were transported in a Nissan Coaster bus. In the Upper East Region they were given a Hyundai H1 bus.
2. The group of journalists who are said to have been stranded were not part of the official presidential press team. Apparently, the Public Relations Officer of the Regional Co-ordinating Council, Godwin Nkunu, hired this bus for some other journalists chosen by him and unknown to the Presidential Communication team.
3. The Minister for Information merely chanced upon their broken down vehicle because he attended hospital and, therefore, did not join the official convoy. They were in the company of Godwin Nkunu who was at that time making calls to get them another vehicle. Even so, the Minister stopped and also asked that a vehicle be procured from Bolga to pick them up. But, the journalists themselves said that it will be difficult to get any good vehicle in Bolga at the time. The Minister who had room in his vehicle for three people, picked three journalists and proceeded while instructing the PRO of the RCC (Godwin Nkunu) to stay and find a vehicle for them to catch up with the Presidential team.
4. Indeed, Godwin Nkunu found them another vehicle and they continued as scheduled.
……signed……
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid
Minister for Information
