Stonebwoy, Accra Sports Stadium and the NSA: What we know so far

Currently, the National Sports Authority of Ghana and its executives have been in the sightlines of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament over allegations of mishandling of funds.

But the story grows more interesting as there have been conflicting accounts from both the National Sports Authority (NSA) and Stonebwoy's team over the fee paid by the Dancehall artiste to use the Accra Sports Stadium for his 5th Dimension Concert on December 22, 2023.

The saga began when Shatta Wale, another Dancehall artiste, accused Stonebwoy and his team of sabotaging his Freedom Concert, which he had planned to run from December 20 to 25 at the same venue.

He vented his anger in a series of Facebook live videos in September 2023.

However, Prof. Twumasi, in an interview with GhanaWeb denied Shatta Wale's allegations and said that neither of the artistes had a contract with the NSA at that time.

He later told Joy News that an agreement had been reached with both parties, with Shatta Wale getting December 25 and Stonebwoy getting December 22.

Shatta Wale and his team eventually pulled out of the deal, leaving the stadium for Stonebwoy.

However, the stadium issue was reignited during the Public Accounts Committee sittings in February.

Sports journalist with Joy News, Muftawi Ibrahim, in a live studio discussion on Hitz FM on February 7, recalled that the NSA's accounts, upon a directive by the Ghana Revenue Authority had been garnished by the Bank of Ghana in December due to unpaid withholding taxes of over GH₵15 million.

Documents shared by him on his X handle earlier showed that the NSA had only about GH₵109,000 in its accounts at the time of the garnishment.

(A garnishment is a legal process that allows a creditor to seize funds from a debtor's bank account to settle a debt.)

Sam George also alleged that the NSA had diverted some of the revenues generated from renting out the stadium to its Ashanti Regional branch instead of depositing them into its regular account.

This means that the money paid by Stonebwoy's team did not go to the NSA's main account.

The NSA boss, Prof. Peter Twumasi appeared before the committee on February 6 and gave the GH₵70,000 figure for Stonebwoy's concert.

Chief Stylz, who was in charge of the negotiations and payment, in an interview on Hitz FM, disputed this figure and said that the actual amount was more than GH₵100,000, but did not disclose the exact figure.

Muftawi Ibrahim claimed that the fee was GH₵169,000, based on his sources.

Sam George, a member of the committee, in an interview with Adom FM confirmed this figure and said he had a copy of the contract and the receipt.

“The minister’s claims that Stonebwoy paid GHC70,000 are false. I can boldly tell you that Stonebwoy paid 169,000 to the NSA. I have a copy of the contract signed by both parties. I have also seen a copy of the payment receipt. It was not 70,000,” Sam George told Adom FM.

There are speculations that other members of Stonebwoy's team, such as Chief Stylz, would also be summoned by the committee.

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