I didn’t close radio stations: See NCA to get back on track -Akufo-Addo to owners

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has told owners of closed radio stations to follow laid down procedures if they want to get the stations back on track.

According to the President, he did not close down those stations, and, as such, could not reopen them, citing that the law was very clear on what one could do in event of a close down.

The President was responding to an appeal by the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, for the President to grant amnesty to those stations.

Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo was addressing the President at a meeting with political parties held at Jubilee House today. The meeting, called by President Akufo-Addo, was for the parties to dialogue on ways to defeat the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

As his concluding statement, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo made what he called very passionate appeal for the President to open those radio stations, as people may want to listen to them.

“It is on this, that I am making a passionate appeal to His Excellency the President, and to commend you for the amnesty you granted prisoners recently. Your Excellency, I am asking for another amnesty from you. A number of radio stations have been closed down, and in our efforts to ensure that we reach out to the majority of our countrymen and women, I am appealing to your Excellency to grant amnesty and get these radio stations that have been closed down to use their systems, their frequencies, and activate their latent frequencies to reach out to the people,” he said.

Surprised, President Akufo-Addo could not comprehend why people would want the President to reopen closed radio stations, when there are laws governing how such stations could be brought back.

In his response, President Akufo said: “I was a bit surprised about the amnesty for the radio stations. I think that the law is very clear on how these radio stations [could be brought back], once they have been closed down.

“They (the radio stations) were not closed down by me – that’s the first thing. It will be difficult for me to unlock them. But, the procedures are there.

“I’m surprised that a year or so later, those procedures have not been used to be able to get the radio stations back on track. I don’t really think there is any secret about it, but the law is very clear; you make the application back to the National Communications Authority and you go through various procedures. You don’t have to wait for the President for that to happen,” he added.

It would be recalled that the NCA closed down some radio stations, Radio Gold, XYZ and others, for various breaches of the laws.

 By Maxwell Ofori / www.thechronicle.com.gh

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