Information Minister Reacts To Critics

12-08-2011
The Information Minister, John Tia Akologo says the Information Ministry as a regulatory body is mandated to keep the public informed about government businesses and that the relevance of the ministry cannot be over emphasized. According to him some critics calling for the closure of the ministry are “ill informed” about the relevance and functions of the ministry, stating that calls on government to scrap off the ministry and its operational bodies including the Information Services Department (ISD) could only be described as a “misplaced agenda” which would not yield any positive results. Mr Akologo Tia was reacting to comments made by Professor Emmanuel Gyimah Boadi of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) and former Zebilla MP John Ndebugri who are of the view that the Information Ministry is being used as propaganda machinery for government rather than serving as the mouthpiece of the people at the grassroot level. Speaking to Radio Ghana's Isaac Asare at Bolgatanga, Mr. Akologo Tia reiterated that his ministry cannot be scrapped off since it is one of the important ministries to the government. The ministry, he added has not lost its relevance and referred to his critics as “greedy elites’ who are only interested in their ideologies without taken into account the illiteracy rate of Ghanaians, because they are fortunate to access information from all avenues of the mass media. He said even though there has been a proliferation of the mass media, many rural folks still finds it difficult to access information. The, situation, he observed has widened the communication gap between the urban rich and the rural poor. The Information ministry he further explained is therefore mandated by law to educate the populace to understand government’s programmes and policies and moreover bridge the information gap between the illiterate and the elite so that they can feel part of the society and also benefit when government is on track. The Information Ministry, Mr. Tia Akologo stressed is on track and would continue to deliver on its mandate.
GBC END IA