Mahama tours: Journalists demand food, insurance cover

Journalists in the Ashanti Region, who will be accompanying President John Dramani on his tour of the region beginning today, Tuesday, June 28, are demanding insurance cover for whichever vehicle is used to carry them along with the president.

It would be recalled that last year President John Mahama’s press corps was involved in an accident, which claimed the life of Ghanaian Times reporter Samuel Nuamah. The president and the about 20 reporters were returning from the Volta Region when the accident occurred.

An investigation by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) into the cause of the accident concluded that the tyres of the vehicle were not in good condition and unsuitable for use on the road.

It is not clear if the Nuamah accident is what is motivating the journalists to demand insurance cover for the vehicle they will use during the president’s Ashanti tour, but apart from that demand, they also want the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to seek their welfare during the tour by providing them with water and food.

A statement issued and signed by Alexander Asare, Chairman of the Concerned Journalists in the Ashanti Region, noted that the Public Relations Department of the RCC had gained notoriety for not treating journalists with respect whenever they embarked on trips to cover development projects in the region.

“The Public Relations Officer of the Regional Coordinating Council – Ashanti, Clement Kigari should stay out of this presidential tour in the region else we will advise ourselves. It is realised that this PRO has not been showing sense of respect and welfare to the journalists in the region.

We cited a typical example about a year ago, when President Mahama was touring the Ashanti Region, the same PRO Kigari took journalists to every place they visited, but [by] close of day, the most awful aspect was that he (PRO) had not been able to provide them [with] drinking water, he just made it clear to the media that, ‘No provision for you, I am sorry.’”

In an interview with classFMonline.com on Tuesday, June 28, Mr. Asare alleged that the PRO “always uses occasions like this to enrich himself without thinking of the media.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Kigari has declined to respond to the concerns and allegations raised by the journalists when classFMonline.com called him for his side of the story. “Please, Please I don’t want to respond to them [journalists].”