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The brouhaha surrounding President John Dramani Mahama’s announcement of the $25, 000 reward to the Black Stars on Tuesday has been defended by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mahama Ayariga.

According to the Sports Minster, claims that President Mahama is splashing monies on the Stars who placed second in the just ended Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] is unfortunate.

Each Black Star player is expected to receive $25,000 from their lead sponsor, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation [GNPC] for their outstanding performance in the just ended AFCON tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

The package was announced by President John Dramni Mahama when the players had breakfast with him at the banquette hall, Tuesday.

But some Ghanaians are not happy with the reward. Given the current economic and power situation in the country, the critics claim the monies would have been put to better use than to be offered as reward to the Black Stars.

However, in an interview on Peace FM’s "Kokrokoo" programme, Mahama Ayariga told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the president was unaware of the reward package by Black Stars lead sponsor GNPC.

“Let me tell you...to be frank with you, the government... in fact the President [John Mahama] didn’t even know that GNPC was giving the players any money until when he was speaking and  I gave him [the President] a note.

"...It was only then that he knew that GNPC was giving that bonus to the players. He didn’t even know. It was there in the hall that I informed him...he asked how much and I mentioned it to him..."

“The President has nothing to do with it, if you think its the president who is coercing GNPC to do that. He didn’t even know,” he categorically noted.