Nana Bediatuo Asante
Nana Bediatuo Asante, Secretary to the President, has dismissed as preposterous and mendacious an allegation by a nameless woman that he has announced the selling of the Arts Centre in Accra.
The allegations contained in an audio recording have been distributed on social media, especially Whatsapp platforms.
The allegation suggested that at a meeting with some chiefs and elders in which she was part, the President’s had said the Art Centre has been sold.
She had added that at the meeting the President’s Secretary turned sideways to avoid eye contact with them, claiming also that he said the Art Centre was going for 500 million.
“I wish to put on record that I have never met this unnamed woman, unidentified woman or the elders and the chiefs she claims she brought to meet with me. It is interesting to note that she does not put out any details of the alleged meeting,” he stated.
Continuing, Nana Bediatuo said the woman does not state the date of the meeting, the place where the meeting took place and the names of the elders and chiefs who supposedly accompanied her.
This, he said, is because “the so-called meeting never took place, or at least, not with me. As is public knowledge, I am the Secretary to the President and not the President’s spokesperson.”
Reacting to the allegation that he was disrespectful to the chiefs during the so-called meeting, he said “anyone who knows me, knows how much reverence I accord to traditional authorities and their protocols.”
Regarding the substance of the allegation, he said “I have not had any conversation with anyone about the sale of the Arts Centre. Indeed, I have no authority to engage in such conversations as such matters must follow the laid down government processes as well as the processes spelt out in law. I am not aware that the Arts Centre has been sold or that there are any plans to sell it.”
Ordinarily, he pointed out that he would have ignored the allegation, and said but for some believing, he had to rebut the allegation.
“The allegations made in the audio recording have no iota of truth, are pure fabrications and are malicious, with the sole aim of courting public disaffection for me as a senior official of this government,” he said, adding, “I will entreat all persons to disregard the audio, stop circulating it, and treat it with the utter contempt it deserves.”
By A.R. Gomda & Charles Takyi-Boadu