Managing Director (MD) of Citi FM and Channel One TV, Samuel Atta Mensah alias Samens has questioned the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) demand for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over alleged financial irregularities surrounding the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
He argued that rather than concentrating on calls for the minister to resign, the Minority should provide verifiable evidence of evacuees who allegedly did not receive their full government-approved allowances.
Speaking on the South Africa evacuation controversy, Samens said he supported the government’s decision to evacuate Ghanaians who were facing xenophobic attacks and commended the additional financial assistance provided to help them resettle after returning home.
He said the GH¢5,500 package, comprising GH¢5,000 for reintegration and GH¢500 for transportation, was a significant intervention for people who might otherwise have returned to Ghana without financial resources.
Drawing from his personal experience of returning to Ghana from abroad, the journalist said he understood the difficulties associated with starting over after leaving another country.
“When we came back to Ghana, all I had with me was $100. That was all I had with me. So, I can put this in context. I can relate,” he said.
Samens, however, acknowledged that the Minority had a legitimate responsibility to demand accountability from the government over the reported GH¢49.72 million expenditure on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians.
He said it was appropriate for the opposition caucus to scrutinise public expenditure but insisted that its claims must be supported by evidence that could be independently examined.
He challenged the Minority to identify beneficiaries who allegedly received less than the approved amount and make their accounts available for public scrutiny.
“I think it’s in a good place that the Minority would demand accountability. Indeed, if you are a Minority in Parliament, and you are not the instrument to demand accountability, it leaves more questions around your relevance,” he said.
He added that the Minority should provide names and specific details of individuals who allegedly received less than GH¢5,500.
Samens says efforts to identify underpaid evacuees unsuccessful
The Citi FM journalist further revealed that attempts by his team to independently identify evacuees who allegedly received less than the approved allowance had so far proved unsuccessful.
He said the media needed specific information to establish the validity of the allegations rather than rely solely on claims made by politicians.
“So far, as far as I’m concerned, the ones that we’ve seen during the press conference are people who confirmed that they received the money,” he said.
Samens stressed that his team was prepared to investigate any credible information presented by the Minority but would not publish allegations without verification.
“We on our own have tried to fish out those who allegedly did not receive their money. We are yet to find one. Maybe we are not working hard enough,” he stated.
He maintained that the opposition should provide what he described as further and better particulars, including the identities of beneficiaries who claimed to have received reduced payments.
According to him, such information would enable journalists to contact the affected individuals, establish what they received and compare their accounts with the government’s records.
He also questioned the practice of making claims on behalf of unnamed beneficiaries without presenting sufficient details to substantiate them.
Samens argued that where politicians make allegations about people allegedly being underpaid, they must provide evidence to support those claims.
Questions calls for Ablakwa’s resignation
Beyond the demand for evidence, Samens expressed reservations about the Minority’s insistence that Ablakwa should resign over the controversy.
He argued that the focus should be on compelling the minister and officials involved in the evacuation exercise to account for the expenditure rather than making resignation the central demand.
“At times, I kind of find it a little bit discomforting when I hear he has to resign. And I’m asking, resign means what? Resign because they claim he’s unable to account for the 49.7 billion. No, push him to account for it,” he said.
He urged the Minority to use the parliamentary mechanisms available to ensure that the minister provides a detailed account of the GH¢49.72 million expenditure.
Samens further questioned the consistency of the NPP’s calls for public officials to resign over alleged wrongdoing, asking what precedent the party had established when it was in government.
“In any case, when you were in power, who resigned?” he asked.
He described the repeated calls for resignation as distracting from the substantive issues surrounding the evacuation expenditure.
According to him, the opposition should concentrate on establishing whether irregularities occurred, the amounts involved and the individuals responsible.
He insisted that the public deserved specific answers about the alleged payment discrepancies rather than a political contest centred on whether the minister should leave office.
The debate over the evacuation exercise intensified after the Minority raised concerns about payment records and supporting documentation obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while media investigations also reported alleged discrepancies involving some beneficiaries.
Ablakwa has maintained that all 1,964 evacuees received the approved GH¢5,500 package, while the returnees’ representatives have also publicly insisted that they received their full allowances.
Samens said the way forward was to establish the facts through credible evidence and ensure that everyone involved in the management of public funds was held accountable where necessary.
By Gifty Boateng