Your disgrace is even worse - Pius Hadzide challenges Nii Lante to debate on Sports

Pius Enam Hadzide and Nii Lante Vanderpuye

Former Deputy Sports Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide, has thrown a challenge to former Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, to debate on Sports because the latter’s administration was disgraceful.

Pius Hadzide, who is popular for his hand in the 2018 Australian visa racketeering scandal, said he was ready to challenge Nii Lante to a debate on which government managed the Sports Ministry better.

Making his submissions in an interview on Asempa FM, the deputy Information Minister noted that the Ododiodoo MP was bad at managing relationships with people under him.

According to him, Nii Lante is no match for Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, and thus, deserves to have a debate with underdogs like him.

“Has he not been a Sports Minister before? The kind of disgrace he brought to the Sports Ministry can it be compared to this?” Pius Hadzide quizzed.

He added, “As sector Minister, you had issues with federations and associations you work with. Man management is critical in leadership, if you don’t even know how to draw people close to you and agree on one thing then it means you’re not a leader.”

“It’s not about debate, why didn’t he draft the Sports Policy, it’s the NPP which is working on it.”

He added, “If Honourable Nii Lante wants to debate, he should call me because I’m the least. He’s too small for Asiamah. His actions depict one who is a deputy so he should throw me the challenge.”

Pius Enam Hadzide was fingered in the 2018 Australian visa racketeering scandal at the commonwealth games which saw about 50 Ghanaians who claimed to be journalists at the Commonwealth Games arrested and repatriated for false identities.

However, after weeks of investigations, a committee set up by President Akufo-Addo exonerated the former Sports Minister and reappointed him as the deputy Information Minister instead.

Although Nii Lante’s term as Sports Minister was for a short while, he had scuffles with former GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, and another with the Black Stars when he stated that players must pay for their own flights for national assignments.