[ 2013-07-27 ]

Obour hot again over cash
President for the Musicians Union of Ghana
(MUSIGA) Bice Obour Osei Kuffour has come under
yet another serious bashing from a group calling
itself the Veteran Musicians Association of Ghana
(VEMAT) over money matters.

Chairman of VEMAT, Daniel Agyei, speaking on Peace
FM’s Entertainment Review stated that each year
after the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA),
organizers of the music event, Charter House,
gives MUSIGA an undisclosed amount of money with a
small percentage going to VEMAT but for some years
now, they have not received their share of the
token.
“Charter House explained to us that after the
VGMAs there is a special cash allocation meant to
help the Veterans. The money Charter House
allocated to us, each time we asked which account
it was dropped into, the president of MUSIGA is
unable to tell us,” Daniel Agyei, popularly
known as Dan Ray, stated.

According to Dan Ray, the entire membership of
VEMAT have strong reasons to believe that the
Obour-led MUSIGA administration have other plans
for money given to them by Charter House other
them depositing it in the group’s account.

“Recently Obour decided to shut down the VEMAT
so he can replace it with his aging musicians’
fund. But from my understanding of aging
musicians, it means that the MUSIGA President is
not ready to recognise us the aged or veteran
musicians in Ghana. When MUSIGA needs people to
support this country, they fall on us. We have
travelled with them to various places but when it
comes to money issues, the union headed by Obour,
they don’t know as,” Dan Ray said.

The group feels MUSIGA has shown gross disrespect
towards them by trying to throw out VEMAT.

“Recently Obour invited as for a meeting and we
submitted a proposal to him concerning how much of
the money we needed. Obour agreed to the proposal
and even took our bank accounts. If your father
asks you for money and you don’t intend giving
him and you take his bank account, does that show
respect? We have some members who are sick but
nothing is being done for them. Four years ago, I
took money out of my pocket and donated to Guy
Boat who was sick,” he noted.

But checks by NEWS-ONE with George Quaye, head of
programs at GhOne Entertainment TV and Charter
House revealed that each year after the VGMAs, his
outfit gives a token appreciation to MUSIGA with
an advice that part of that money should be
allocated to VEMAT fund.

“MUSIGA is the organization we have been dealing
with over the years and it is not like after the
VGMAs we take some money and pay them, no, we
cannot pay for their services….However, when we
finish, we give them a token appreciation so that
they can also run their affairs and we advice that
part of the money be channelled to that fund. But
we need to emphasise that we cannot tell MUSIGA
what to do with the money,” George Quaye said.

But the MUSIGA president has denied any wrongdoing
and explained that his Union has rather
established a welfare fund to assist the aged
musicians in the country who cannot make ends
meet.

He said the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund (AMWF)
will be launched this Friday, July 26, to cater
for the aged musicians in the country.

According to him, most of the aged musicians who
are not in active music business are currently
living in deplorable conditions which are
seriously and affecting their productivity.

Outlining some of his plans for the fund, the
MUSIGA president said his outfit would organise
series of activities including live musical
concerts throughout the country to raise money for
the fund.

He stressed that he would work tirelessly to
improve the living standards of members and
musicians in general, whilst ensuring good
industry practices and directly influencing
policies of the industry that would impact the
national economy.

Obour disclosed that one of his main goals is to
make it more attractive to musicians, lucrative to
members and industry players and beneficial to the
country.

He said his administration would make conscious
efforts to create jobs for both young and old
musicians across the country.

The Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund, according to
Obour, would celebrate one of the aged musicians
every year and the proceeds from the event would
be used to sponsor some of the fund’s
activities.

Source - Ghanamusic

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