Akufo-Addo’s UCC speech lowest point, most unfortunate – Manasseh Azure Awuni

Award-winning journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has said President Akufo-Addo’s University of Cape Coast (UCC) speech over the weekend could have been better written.

In an interview on the 3FM Morning show with Alfred Ocansey monitored by MyNewsGh.com, Mr. Azure Awuni said there exists abundant evidence to support the claims of a culture of silence and suppression of press freedom if the president is minded to see.

President Nana Akufo-Addo over the weekend used a platform at UCC to respond to a series of allegations against his government especially on the culture of silence and stifling of press freedom.

Directly replying to criticisms, Akufo-Addo said there is no culture of silence prevailing in the country under his administration as the country continues to enjoy a vibrant media landscape. He found any contrary claims “ironic”.

“I find it ironic that the Presidency of a man who has been and continues to be the most vilified political figure of his generation can be accused of presiding over a ‘culture of silence,” he said.

“There is no midnight knock on the door in Ghana for authors of dissenting views, nor will there be during my presidency.”

With Twitter having described Ghana as “a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet”, as some of the reasons for setting up shop in Ghana, the President noted that these same qualities possessed by Ghana also influenced the decision by the Federation of African Journalists to announce the holding of its annual conference in Ghana, because of the country’s attachment to a culture and practice of free media.

But Manasseh Azure Awuni took the writers of the President’s speech to task saying they could have done better as the content was “unfortunate”.

Manasseh Azure Awuni called on the President to institute an investigation into the incidents taking place under his leadership. He cited the arrest, torture and detention without charge and molestation of ModernGhana.com editors details of which was never investigated.