Pius Enam Hadzide
President Akufo-Addo has reinstated the suspended Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports and the Chairman for the National Sports Authority (NSA) to their respective positions.
Pius Enam Hadzide, the Deputy Minister and Kwadwo Baah Agyemang, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akyem North, who was the Board Chairman of NSA, were suspended following a visa scandal that rocked the nation during the 21st Commonwealth Games in Australia a couple of months ago.
Their suspension was to pave way for thorough investigations into the matter.
But the investigations have proven their innocence, hence the President’s decision to restore them to their postions.
He dropped the hint at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) congress held over the weekend in Koforidua and followed it up with an official letter yesterday.
In a statement, Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin said, “The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reinstated with immediate effect, the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Pius Enam Hadzide and the Chairperson of the Board of the National Sports Authority, Kwadwo Baah Agyemang following the completion of investigations into the ‘Australia Visa Scandal’ by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.”
According to him, “The report of the enquiry into the allegations, which was submitted to the President on Friday, 6th July 2018, contained no adverse findings against them.”
The fate of the then acting Director General of the NSA, Robert Sarfo Mensah, who was also affected by the suspension, is not yet clear.
Also affected by that decision were the President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Ben Nunoo Mensah and the Chef-de-Maison [the person in charge of the sporting team at the international event], in the person of Mohammed Sahnoon.
For now, their fate remains unknown.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent