[ 2015-02-13 ]

Adjaho Saves Ayariga Over AFCON A/C
The Youth and Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga was
yesterday saved by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt.
Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho from being probed by the
Minority over the country’s budget for the just
ended 2015 Orange AFCON tournament in Equatorial
Guinea.

Mahama Ayariga had told the House that the
Government approved a total amount of
US$4,774,519.19 and a further GHc3,242,580.00 for
Ghana’s preparation and participation in the
continent’s soccer fiesta.

He made an itemized breakdown of the expenditure
revealing that an amount of US$932,740.00 and
GH₵3,242,580.00 were spent on boarding and
lodging, air-fair, per diem, friendly matches and
other expenses of the team for its training camp
in Seville, Spain.

Additionally, US$608,640.00 was approved for per
diem allowances, boarding and lodging and other
expenses for the players and officials of the
tournament phase.

He also said a further US$3,224,139.20 was
approved for the bonuses and honorarium for the
players, technical and management teams as well as
other officials of the team, indicating that the
winning bonuses and honoraria of the technical
team and other officials of the team were reduced
by between twenty percent (20%) and thirty percent
(30%) of the previous payment structure.

But the explanation did not go down well with the
Minority who insisted that the information churned
out by the Sports Minister was inconclusive.

The Ranking Member of the Select Committee on
Youth and Sports and MP for Atwima-Mponua, Isaac
Asiamah, commenting on the matter said the amount
quoted by Mr. Ayariga lacked specifics and would
have wished the Minister tells the House how much
the country earned from the tournament and how
much was spent on airlifting supporters to
Equatorial Guinea.

“Mr. Speaker, I think the budget is inconclusive
as far as some of us are concerned because income
and expenditure was missing”, he noted.

He had earlier in the day demanded for the cost
the nation incurred in the Black Stars’
preparation and participation in the AFCON
tournament in a statement he made to congratulate
the senior national football team for the splendid
performance they put up in Equatorial Guinea.

He said the Youth and Sports Committee demanded
for a copy of the budget as far back in December
but the Minister declined in submitting it and
wondered why he was now churning out such
information, adding “we should have scrutinized
it before they even went to the tournament”.

In a swift response, Mr. Ayariga said “nobody is
running from accounting for anything. I am
available and ready even today to respond to
questions that they may present”.

But the Speaker intervened, noting that the
platform given was not meant to provoke debate
over the subject matter and urged Hon. Isaac
Asiamah and any other Members interested in
seeking for further and better particulars on the
income and expenditure on the senior national
football team to use other channels available at
their disposal to do so.

“Hon. Asiamah, the information you needed was
the cost. The Minister has provided the cost for
now. We are making statements and not debating an
issue. So he has provided the information – if
you have problem with the information, there are
other tools available to you and any other members
in this House to pursue.

“But for now, that is the information the
Minister has given to the House. And this is the
information that you said has not been provided
even though it was promised on December 18, 2014,
and let us be very honest, that was very close to
our rising.

“When we resumed, the minister was in Equatorial
Guinea, he was not available. This is the
opportunity he has had, and he has come to provide
the information. I think that we should rather
commend the minister at this stage for providing
the information. You may agree or disagree but
for…” explained Rt. Hon. Adjaho.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul,
commenting on the matter pleaded with the Speaker
to accommodate the question posed by Mr. Asiamah
since the statement made by the Sports Minister on
cost of the Black Stars’ participation in the
AFCON tournament was different from the
congratulatory statement made by the Ranking
Member of Youth and Sports.

No amount of pleading from the Deputy Minority
Leader, Dominic Nitiwul, would persuade the
Speaker to allow the Sports Minister to answer to
the questions posed by Mr. Asiamah.

“There is no difference in substance from the
statement made by Hon. Asiamah and the Hon.
Minister. The only point he raised briefly not in
a negative manner was that the minister made the
promise of giving the cost on the preparation for
the tournament which was not made available to
them. The minister has provided that information.
The rules still apply – we are not provoking
debate,” the Speaker insisted.

Source - Ghanaian Chronicle

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