Spokesperson for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Elvis Adjei-Baah has vehemently debunked allegations that the government White Paper issued after the recommendations of the 2014 Presidential Commission of Inquiry has been neglected insisting the Ministry is judiciously and systematically implementing them.
Following comments of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the 2018 Meet the Press session that he doesn't know much about the recommendations of the PCI and the subsequent White Paper, reposing confidence in the Sports Ministry to assiduously handle and implement the recommendations, there have been massive public uproar, chastising the government for ignoring the report to gather dust.
Many media commentaries have posited that the government does not care about the work of the Commission of Inquiry and by inferencing from the President's comments, his commitment to fighting corruption is doubtful.
But the head of communications at the Sports Ministry has debunked those allegations claiming '... some of the recommendations are already in operation.'
Speaking to GHANAsoccernet.com, Elvis Adjei-Baah commended the President for having faith in the Ministry to execute their mandate excellently as far as the PCI Report and the White Paper are concerned
"I wish to commend the President for reposing confidence in the Sports Ministry and having faith in the Minister to be able to execute their mandate," Elvis said.
"For the records, the White Paper has not been thrown to the dogs. We are fully implementing it apart from the section that is being contested in court," he explained.
"The recommendations of the PCI that were endorsed by the White Paper are in full implementation. The recommendation that we should converge multiple supporters unions into one unbrella is in full force. Fact is that only one unified supporter group is in the country and is recognised by the Ministry.
"Again, the directive that winning bonuses must not be paid to players in cash has been implemented. Now winning bonuses are paid through a formalised banking system. So why do people say we are not implementing it?
"Again we don't travel with money to pay winning bonuses for national teams as the White Paper endorsed," he said.
He further called on Ghanaians to note that the portion of the White Paper which is being contested in court have been left untouched and the MOYS will look at it after the judicial process is over.
"We must, however, understand that some of the recommendations which were endorsed by the White Paper have been contested in court and until the court decides they are innocent or otherwise, we cannot act on that," he added.
Elvis Adjei-Baah concluded by saying that most of the recommendations were tournament-bound and as and when necessary.
"Emphasis must also be placed on the fact that the Commission of Inquiry was born out of our fiasco at the 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil and so almost all the recommendations are related to tournaments and we assure Ghanaians that we shall put the White Paper in relation to tournaments as was the subject," he noted.
By: Sheikh Tophic Sienu @desheikh1 on twitter