AN INTERIM REPORT OF THE UPPER EAST REGION BRANCH OF THE GHANA JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION (GJA) ON ALLEGED EMPLOYMENT OF SOME MEDIA PRACTITIONERS AND JOURNALISTS UNDER THE NATIONAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMME (NYEP) IN THE UPPER EAST REGION. INTRODUCTION

This report has been necessitated by the fact that there were speculations by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) about engagement of some media practitioners working in the Upper East Region under the NYEP. A tall list of about 15 media practitioners including journalists and radio presenters was presented by the NPP at a press conference held in Accra. Earlier, the issue had received huge publicity by the same media with various media houses discussing it from different perspectives.
It would be recalled that last week, controversial names and recorded voices purported to be those of Mr. Baba Jamal, a Deputy Information Minister, Mr. Samuel Abaane, a reporter with the Enquirer Newspaper in the Upper East Region and Mr. Joseph Osei, the Upper East Regional correspondent for Joy FM and other media practitioners including journalists and broadcasters in the Upper East Region were published and aired nationwide in what has been purported to be an inducement package from government to selected media practitioners working in the Upper East Region to get them to support government win the 2012 election.
This speculation casts a slur on the reputation of the journalism profession in the country especially at a time when the media in the country has won huge reputation in the world and most especially in Africa as the light of democracy especially in Ghana.
As the fourth estate of the realm, there is no gainsaying that in spite of the speedy polarization of the media landscape in the country, it has played its key role as the watchdog of society credibly well, and therefore any attempt or suggestions to paint the image of journalism and journalists black to score political points should be countered.
The national headquarters of the Ghana Journalists Association therefore tasked its Upper East Region branch to investigate the matter and present a report to it as quickly as possible for study.
This report therefore looked into the matter in order to unravel the truths or otherwise of the alleged consideration of media practitioners by the government under the NYEP in the Upper East Region.
AREAS OF REFERENCE
Even though the GJA headquarters did not specifically give referencing points to this investigation, some key areas were immediately considered. These included assembling of those media practitioners who were mentioned in the alleged matter to hear their sides to the issue, giving the two key people, Messrs Joseph Osei (Upper East Regional correspondent of Joy FM) and Samuel Abaane ( the Upper East Regional correspondent of the Enquirer and a member of the NDC communications team in the region). The third factor was to allow any other person (Media) who might have credible information about the matter to speak out and the fourth was to get the side of some of the institutions mentioned.
Members at the fact-finding meeting were allowed to throw whatever questions they deemed necessary to unravel the truth to Messrs Abaane and Osei. The atmosphere which intermittently was charged as a result of unsuitable responses was perfectly managed.
A three-member committee was charged to write the report after the meeting chaired by the Upper East Regional chairman. They included:
- Mr. Eric Amoh- Chairman
- Mr. Isaac Asare- Member
-
Mr. Edward Adeti- Member

THE SIDE OF THOSE MENTIONED
Even though an invitation for the meeting was extended particularly to all the accused members, only 10 among them appeared in the 3-hour meeting. They are Mr. Abraham Dinmie (The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation— GBC), Dangmaa Felix Lambert (GBC), Osman Issah (Word FM), Fatima Anafo (GNA), Samuel Akapule (GNA), Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim (The Ghanaian Times), Alhandu Abdul-Hamid (The Daily Graphic), Joseph Osei (Joy FM), Gifty Amoshie (Radio A1) and Samuel Abaane (The Enquirer). All those who were mentioned in the issue by the NPP and attended the meeting refuted the allegations leveled against them. Other media practitioners who were also present bring the total number of people present and contributing to the discussions at the meeting to 18.
Indeed, some of them claimed they had heard speculations about letters from NYEP being circulated within the media cycle about a month ago, but did not know the beneficiaries. It therefore came to them as surprise when their names were mentioned. They challenged any person, persons or group to authenticate their involvement in the matter.
In fact, some of them said they heard the matter for the first time only when it was aired on radio. Those alleged to have been taped said they did not hold any meeting to discuss the outcome of a possible exposure of the matter by the NPP.

MR. SAMUEL ABAANE’S SIDE
Mr. Samuel Abaane, one of the people very much mentioned in the matter admitted giving out an appointment letter to one Abudulai Issaka, the Upper East Regional correspondent for Metro TV. According to Mr. Abaane, the former who had applied to be employed under the programme approached him to try and help him get the job with the NYEP. He said having known Mr. Issaka as a stringer with the Metro TV and he appreciated his conditions, he decided to work out to get him the job with the NYEP. He added that there were other two friends he had helped to get appointment with the NYEP but declined to mention their names. These friends, he stated, were not friends from the media.
Mr. Abaane vehemently refuted allegations that there was a meeting held in Mr. Osei’s house where he was purported to have addressed a group alleged to be beneficiaries of the NYEP programme, even though Mr. Osei insisted that such a meeting was held in his house.
MR. JOSEPH OSEI’S SIDE
Mr. Osei narrated the part of his involvement in the matter and indicated that some weeks ago he received a letter from Abaane offering him job with the NYEP. He said he travelled to Kumasi and while there he received a phone call from one Moses Afoko, an NPP member, to meet him in Accra at the Parliament House for a discussion. It was at this invitation that he (Osei) was introduced to Hon. Leo Kabah and Hon. Stephen Armstrong Yakubu, both Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Chiana-Paga and the Binduri constituencies respectively.
According to him, the MPs had gotten wind of the alleged attempt by the NDC Government to induce the media in the region and wanted to find out from him if he had any information about it. He said he told them he did not know anything about the alleged scandal and so he returned to Kumasi leaving the MPs disappointed. He revealed that he later received a call from his office (Joy FM) asking him to tell the truth to the media houses because his office had heard his voice (Joseph’s) in a supposed secret tape recording of what was believed to be an Abaane-led meeting being held on the media-NYEP jobs. He maintained that the alleged attempt to rope the media into the NYEP was Mr. Abaane’s own initiative (a statement Mr. Abaane conceded) because the latter had told him so while he was giving him the appointment letter. Osei told the meeting (GJA) that Mr. Abaane after a few days took the letter from him with the pretext that the opposition had had wind of the move and so he should release the letter which he obliged. He conceded that the voice on the alleged tape was his (Joseph’s) and insisted that there was a meeting of the alleged group which he hosted in his house— a statement those mentioned in the alleged scandal objected to be untrue.
THE NYEP
Information gathered by the committee from the NYEP indicated that the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) had officially applied to the NYEP for one of its interns to be placed under the programme. Mr. Abudullai Issaka, a stringer for the Metro TV, was also given an appointment letter for placement under the programme. The names of the two media practitioners were the only ones found to have been approved by the Regional Coordinator of the NYEP and signed by the National Coordinator.
ACCOUNT NUMBERS
Even though information was not forthcoming from the purported banks where the alleged beneficiaries of the NYEP were to draw their allowances, the committee managed to get some scanty but significant information.
From the Naara Rural Bank where some NYEP beneficiaries receive allowances, the account digits were only four (4) with a stroke and the year the account was created which was contrary to the nine (9) digits with a stroke and the year presented by the NPP. The source indicated that all beneficiaries of the programme have their specimen signatures and photographs on their cards and that it was highly difficult for an individual customer to have an account with the bank without providing these required information for the bank’s records.
THE BABA JAMAL TAPE
The GJA finds it difficult to decipher the connection of the purported tape with the official meeting held by Mr. Baba Jamal with the press in the region during his official visit to the region. It came out clear that the Deputy Minister for information did not make those statements during the official meeting of the press. The committee agreed that from the interactions with media practitioners at the meeting on the said date Mr. Baba Jamal touched on issues including rebranding of the country and especially the various regions through data collection and historic information as well as selling the various potentials in the regions to the outside world to woo investors to the region(s). He further said such move was to help upgrade the government of Ghana portal as part of efforts to sell the various districts in the country to the outside world.
What was raised about journalists welfare was a question asked about possible avenues for journalists in the region to access scholarships to do further studies because opportunities for improving and upgrading oneself did not exist in the north unlike those opportunities in southern Ghana.
The Deputy Minister explained at this point that it was government’s wish that journalists could improve themselves through education. He however indicated that the previous government had issued out several scholarships and that currently there were no vacancies and gave the assurance that should there be such opportunities government would not hesitate to award journalists’ scholarship to further study abroad. If there was any other meeting or meetings after the official meeting with any other group or groups the Deputy Minister might have held (which is possible and a normal practice to especially meet party faithfuls) the GJA cannot account for that.
CONCLUSION
OUTCOME OF THE MEETING
The following is the outcome of the meeting meant to develop a report to ascertain the truth about the matter on the alleged NYEP scandal:
1. It was the hope of the GJA in the region to unravel the ownership of the mysterious tapes being speculated in the various media houses. However, the two key people mentioned in the various tapes insisted on their grounds. Whereas Mr. Osei insisted that there was such a meeting with Abaane and others and that he was part of that meeting, Mr. Abaane on the other hand refuted the allegation and said he was not privy to that meeting. From the presentations of the two persons and the strict positions they held as well as considering the legal elements involved, the Committee’s conclusion on the tape was to present the matter as it is.
2. The Upper East Region branch of the GJA wishes to state categorically clear that, its investigations revealed that two media practitioners from the GBC and Metro TV were expected to be on the NYEP, and their appointments followed due processes in principle in accessing the opportunity.
3. That names of innocent journalists especially those in the public media houses were ignorantly published by the NPP for no reasons.
4. That the mere fact that names of two media practitioners were being processed by the NYEP to benefit from the programme did not grant any person, persons or group to make sweeping statements and conclusions to the effect that all were benefiting.
5. That the GJA agrees that it could not break through the group taping incident as the two key persons (Mr. Abaane and Mr. Osei) vehemently kept to their positions.
6. That Mr. Abaane admits that there was a letter from the NYEP he facilitated which was meant to engage Mr. Abubullai Issaka of Metro TV.
7. That the account numbers from one of the banks mentioned when cross-checked did not match the banks account code.
8. That the tape incriminating Mr. Baba Jamal, Deputy Information Minister, purported to have been said at the meeting with the press on his official duty tour to the region was not true, and that if there was any such interaction, it was done at a different occasion and not at the general meeting where most of the media practitioners were present.
RECOMMENDATIONS
I. It was observed that media practitioners working in deprived areas like the Upper East Region, particularly those who work with private media outlets with mouths to feed, are either on skimpy allowances or not paid at all.
II. This, the committee observed, breeds high possibility grounds for political parties and politicians to take advantage to induce journalists and other media practitioners to achieve their selfish interest.
III. In spite of these uncomfortable working conditions which is real, media practitioners in the region still offer their indispensable services of information dissemination, education and entertainment as well as keeping to their watchdog role in the wake of the alleged bribery attempt.
IV. Indeed, the GJA in the region wishes to suggest that if there is any intended support for journalists to improve upon their lives, such supports, be it from government or corporate institutions, are welcome; but they must necessarily follow due process. However, it is important to intimate that such support must intend benefit the generality of the inky fraternity and not a deliberate selection of a few.
V. In addition, the GJA concedes that some of the media practitioners in the region especially those working in private media houses do not have permanent employment with their houses and for that matter a programme such as the NYEP could engage them at the various public relations unit of the district assemblies and health facilities in the region to disseminate information on development projects and behavior change activities on health being pursued by these institutions. These would highly be to the advantage of the institutions involved once these media practitioners have access to communication medium, airtime and space to inform the public about the development activities at the institutions they are attached to.
VI. Even though most of the people mentioned do not belong to the GJA, it is generally held that once one works in the media, he or she belongs to the fraternity, and that is why the GJA is swallowing the bitter pills in the face of truths and untruths.
VII. Politics, the GJA believes, is a ballgame. However, caution must be taken by the team managers not to attempt to score foul goals to win the day, because such goals shall be disallowed by the referees.
VIII. Media practitioners should know by now that like the electorate, the politician would grow hunger in us in order to have absolute control to manipulate us at his own whims. Therefore, we as media persons need to hold on to the truth at all times. This promotes high-level integrity and respect as stakeholders in the management of this country.
IX. The GJA wishes to remind journalists and other media practitioners that the world is watching us with the expectation that we exempt ourselves from acts of corruption and indiscipline and demand accountability from duty bearers on behalf of the masses.
X. Let us all remember that we are not supposed to offer ourselves cheaply to selfish individuals by allowing them to use us as propaganda machinery for their interests.
XI. That is why the public exert shock when questionable information about journalists goes out to the public domain. On the other hand, journalists are also mandated to be well-focused on development issues, educating the public and entertaining, instead of turning themselves into instruments of blackmail, intimidation, tyranny and agents of confusion, conflicts, anarchy and chaos.
Report compiled and electronically signed by:
Mr. Eric Amoh- Chairman


Mr. Isaac Asare- Member

Mr. Edward Adeti- Member