According to him, the Minister lacks the ability to assess situations before jumping out to disseminate information to the masses.
Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Information, last Friday took full responsibilty for the blunder regarding the name of the official seat of government, the Flagstaff House.
There were reports a couple of weeks ago that the name of the Presidential palace has been changed from Flagstaff House to Jubilee Flagstaff House. This according to the Minister was intended to end the controversy surrounding the edifice.
The controversy over the name change started when the Kufour government after establishing the edifice, named it Golden Jubilee House to mark Ghana’s 50 Independence Anniversary. Upon the inception of the Mills-Mahama administration, the name was reverted to Flagstaff House which critics argued is a relic of the colonial years.
Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa-Kayi, host of Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” on Wednesday, March 13, he revealed that the Flagstaff House has been changed to Jubilee Flagstaff House. He noted that the two names were amalgamated so as to “make progress and we focus on what is happening in Jubilee Flagstaff House and not the name."
The initiative saw the nation torn into parts as some critics scolded government over the new name while others went in favour of the government.
Former Presidential staffer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Stan Dogbe denied any intention to change the name and apologized to Ghanaians for the blunder.
In an attempt to retract the information, Hon. Ayariga in an interview with an Accra-based radio station admitted that he is “responsible for every government communication and have the ultimate say in whatever it is government seeks to communicate. Sometimes there are some mistakes in the way we carry out our respective assignments. Sometimes you have serious challenges trying to manage the situation. This is one such instance where there was a little misunderstanding when it came to the proper naming of the seat of government.”
He therefore blamed himself for the falsehood regarding the Flagstaff House, stating that; "we are going to get a system where ultimately, we will always get the right information and matters won’t be left hanging in a state of controversy and we won’t know who to hold responsible. I am saying hold me, Mahama Ayariga, responsible anytime there is a problem with government communication.”
However, Hon. O. B Amoah described the Minister’s goof as an “unforgiveable blunder”.
He told Peacefmonline.com that Mahama Ayariga “talks too early. The moment a matter comes, he jumps in. But as Information Minister, you don’t have to be jumping in quickly. You have to find out what is really going on before you come in so that when you come in; you have sought all the answers. Then what you say is final, so that you don’t backtrack on what you say.”
“His problem is that he jumps into situations too early and that’s why all these blunders are being caused”, hence advised him to crosscheck his facts before putting them out.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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