Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has strongly defended the decision to shutdown two pro-opposition radio stations in Accra; Radio Gold and Radio XYZ.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosi Sen Wednesday, Mr Oppong-Nkrumah said the development had nothing to do with press freedom.
Following the shutdown, some persons have accused the government of trying to gag the media with such actions.
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Former President John Dramani Mahama, for instance, has bemoaned media freedom under the ruling Akufo-Addo government is threatened due to failure on the part of the government to protect the rights and lives of journalists.
This, he said, has led to Ghana having a bad image on the international front.
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To Mr Nkrumah, the radio stations were shutdown because they failed to possess the right authorisation for their frequency spectrum.
He said the closure of the two stations is not intended to suppress press freedom in anyway, thus, the statements by opponents are just political talks to make the Akufo-Addo government unpopular.
“The radio shut down has everything to do with spectrum. How can you claim press freedom is under attack when you have failed to possess the right frequency? They are only making noise,” he stated.
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He reiterated government’s commitment to provide for the safety and protection of journalists.
“It is for this reason that the government provided protection for investigative journalist with the Multimedia Group, Manasseh Azure Awuni when he complained about threats on his life over his documentary ‘Militia at the Heart of the Nation.’
Source: Adomonline.com | Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy