Journalists in the Ashanti Region have incurred the wrath of the Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah over reports he asked market women within the Kumasi Metropolis to go into the sale of cocaine.
Sections of Ghanaians have tongue-lashed the minister for the comments which he made during this year’s World Environment Day in Kumasi.
But Mr Simon Osei-Mensah who claims he was taken out of context, described the journalists who reported the incident as mad, as well as deaf dumb insisting nowhere in his speech at the event, did he ask market women to go into the trade of the illicit drug.
“Those who made those reports are either mad or deaf and dumb. Nowhere in my speech did I ask the market women to go and do drugs if they are not prepared to leave the pavements. As I said, the journalists who churned out those reports are either mad or need psychiatric examination”, he disclosed on Kumasi-based Bohye Fm.
He subsequently issued a statement distancing himself from such comments accusing the journalists of fabricating the story for reasons best known to them.
Read the full text of his statement below;
The attention of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has been drawn to some reports circulating on social media with misleading headlines like; “Some People are like Goats” and “Go Sell Cocaine”, which are purported to have been said by me during the KMA “Clean and Green Campaign Pre-launch” at Adum, Kumasi on 6th June, 2018.
First of all, these wild, unsubstantiated and irresponsible stories are not just misleading but a pure concoction of somebody who wants to do mischief for benefits known to him/her.
To me, these reports and those behind it have a grand agenda to court enmity between my good self and traders.
In fact, as a Regional Minister, I owe it a great duty to respect the people that I have been put in charge of, to serve, and under no reason will I spew words that will denigrate them or their profession.
I, therefore, want to state categorically that I haven’t said these things that I’m deliberately accused of. And for the avoidance of doubt and clarity purposes, whoever is interested to know what I said should/may consult some of the radio and TV stations that were at the event grounds to establish what I actually said on that day.
It’s unfortunate people can prepare such concoction of falsehood against others just in the name of politics. I am assuring those making all efforts to tarnish my hard-won reputation that with God on my side they will never succeed.
I also want to take this opportunity to assure all in the region, that I will continue to serve them in the best capacity and we will work to ensure that the Clean and Green society that we all wish for, becomes a reality.
To end, let me again state that under no influence will I equate human beings to animals, or ask anyone to go and sell cocaine.
Let me also assure that I remain focused and resolute in executing all interventions necessary for the forward march of the good people of Asanteman and Ghana, and I dare say such trivial and barbaric agenda can’t sway my focus.
Thank you.
…Signed…
The Ashanti Regional Minister
(Simon Osei-Mensah)
