‘Settings government’ — NPP MP blasts Mahama over ‘3-minute U-turn’ on radio closures

Member of Parliament for Abirem and Ghana’s former High Commissioner to South Africa, Charles Owiredu, has criticised the John Mahama-led government over its handling of the recent closure of radio stations deemed non-compliant by the National Communications Authority (NCA).

President Mahama, just hours after the shutdowns, directed the NCA to restore the broadcast licenses of the 64 affected stations.

These included pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) outlets such as Wontumi FM and Asaase Radio, which had been taken off air.

In a statement issued by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, on Thursday, June 12, the President said while regulatory compliance is important, it must be pursued in a manner that protects and enhances media freedom.

“The President has asked the Minister to work with the NCA on a reasonable timeframe within which the affected stations should regularise their authorisation,” the statement added.

But reacting to the directive in a social media post the same day, the NPP lawmaker described the move as political optics and a calculated gimmick.

“How do you ban 64 radio stations and then in 3 minutes you do a U-turn? Settings government,” he wrote.