Randy: Publication On Allocation Of Office To Veep’s Wife “Lacks Professionalism”

Spokesperson of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Randy Abbey, veered off from his typically associated field of expertise, football, and delved into another area where he is also equally resourceful, politics, as he put up a stout defence in support of the allocation of an office facility to the Second Lady, Mrs. Lordina Mahama, wife of the Vice President, John Dramani Mahama.

Speaking on "KOKROKOO", Mr. Abbey took the Editor of the “Daily Searchlight” newspaper, Ken Kuranchie, to the cleaners for its front page story published on Friday, December 18th, which Randy opined was “from an ill-informed position, baseless and a waste of the public’s ears.”

According to the story, “at a time when Ghanaians are being told to tighten their belts and to pray for better times in future, and the John Atta Mills-led social democrats are preaching austerity and cost-cutting measures, it has allocated and fully refurbished a bungalow at huge cost for the exclusive use of the Second Lady, Lordina Mahama, the first time such an allocation has been made in the history of Ghana! This did not happen even under the allegedly ostentatious regime New Patriotic Party (NPP)! The bungalow, located at House Number C2 at Cantonments in Accra, is believed to be one of the residences refurbished at a cost of ¢1.2 billion which went to parliament recently."

The Searchlight asserts Mrs. Lordina Mahama, 46, has been allocated the government bungalow with state of the art furnishing and a 24-hour police guard duties which she is using as an office.

But interestingly, as if to add salt to injury, the “Daily Searchlight” again highlighted on the story today, Monday, December 21, 2009, and this time, with more venom in its publication as it sought to link the story with the lack of provision of a similar edifice to Ex-President J.A. Kufuor.

In its publication on Monday, the paper claims that Ex-President Kufuor “has been denied all state facilities, including the use of state vehicles, his ex-gratia, pay for his staff and even the use of a public accommodation as an office!

It continued, “More than six months ago, he (Ex-President Kufuor) was chased out of the building that was renovated for his use as a former President with the excuse that the facility belongs to National Security! But whilst all that is happening, the government that has denied former President John Kufuor the use of an office has granted 2nd Lady, Lordina Mahama, wife of the Vice President, John Mahama, the use of a state building, fully refurbished and renovated, for use as an office for her private (NGO)!”

The Searchlight newspaper say “its checks reveal that even though the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was accused by the current ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of ostentation and profligate expenditure, it did not go to the level of granting the then 2nd Lady the use of a state bungalow as an office! The report added that, the building, located at House Number C2 at Cantonments in Accra, is believed to be one of the residences refurbished at ¢1.2billion which went to parliament recently, even though sources in the office of Vice President John Mahama insist that the renovation was done with the private funds of the Mahama family.”

Contributing to a panel discussion on PEACEFM's "KOKROKOO", Mr. Abbey who happens to be part of the media team for the 2nd Lady minced no words in describing the publication as bad Journalism. According to him, a double check on the story would have been in order, and could have added more credence to the publication.

“Now you expect the person to write a rejoinder then you publish it somewhere…why would you want to do that?” he asked.

He disclosed that the supposed state bungalow was furnished from carpet to curtains by the Second Lady.

“She also bought computers and everything apart from the ceiling fan which was already fixed in the building…he’s created the impression in the minds of the public that government resources was used for the refurbishment and furnishing for the office,” he stated.

Source: Alex Ofei/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana