Some Journalists Were On National Security Payroll Under Kufuor’s Era – Bature

A self-confessed staunch activist of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a political analyst, Alhaji Iddrisu Bature says former President Rawlings was not far from the truth when he asserted that some senior journalists, were paid by the erstwhile Kufuor administration to compromise on media reportage.

Mr. Rawlings, addressing the World Congress of the Catholic Union of the Press (CUP) in Ouagadougou –Burkina Faso on September 14, 201, alleged a journalist was paid $10,000 per month by an extremely corrupt government in Ghana to corrode the sanctity of truth, whilst a former head of state was kept on his old salary of $350 per month.

Speaking in an interview on AdomFM, an Accra based private radio station; Alhaji Bature said it was an agenda by the Kufuor-led administration in 2001 to compromise journalists.

“I know some journalists were receiving salaries from the National Security under the guise of a Research Department,” He noted.

The bilingual freelance Journalist and social commentator claimed that a meeting was held in the presence of Mr. Kufuor and Mr. Sam Jonah where they plotted to have some journalists compromise the ethics of their profession for monetary considerations. He also alleges that subsequently, several meetings were held by high ranking senior journalists synchronized by Francis Poku, former National Security Coordinator.

“…the current National Security Coordinator (Gbevlo Lartey) however, told me he does not want to continue with the past trend of paying journalists, and I want to believe it does not exist again, though we all know governments have several ways of going round things and rewarding its cronies and loyalists,” he added.

The former host of Radio Gold’s “Alhaji and Alhaji” talk-show also stated that though he has no evidence to dispute the National Security Coordinator’s assertions, he is in the know about some journalists currently being assisted by way of going on presidential trips and other opportunities that come their way,” he alleged.

In conclusion, he said “some are also considered for adverts in both the public and government sectors but I can’t tell if they are paid,” he added.