‘You want to shut up the 20-year-old voice? Sorry, you can’t’ – Adom-Otchere replies Prof Adei

Prof Adei urges Paul Adom-Otchere to ‘shut up’

Asogli State chase Adom-Otchere for attacking Togbe Afede

Host of Good Evening Ghana programme on Metro TV, Paul Adom-Otchere, has again touted the pedigree of his show which has been running for two decades.

Adom-Otchere classed the biweekly show as Ghana’s “most intellectual current affairs political programme” in his introduction to the June 21, 2022 edition of the programme.

In his opening remarks, the journalist responded to a recent call for him to “shut up” as stated by chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, NDPC, Prof. Stephen Adei.

Prof Adei’s comments as carried by TV3 were in connection to Adom-Otchere’s recent jabs at the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XVI, relating to his return of over GHC365,000 ex-gratia paid him by the state as a former Chairman of the Council of State.

Referring to Prof Adei as ‘old man,’ Adom-Otchere explained why he will not shut up and cannot be made to do so: “I heard the old man say ‘Paul Adom-Otchere shut up, tell Paul Adom-Otchere that he should shut up. Ow old man’.

“If you are not saying anything sensible, nobody will ask you to shut up because you will be irrelevant and you will be inconsequential. When they are asking you to shut up, then you are a man and woman of consequence, and we are not going to respond to that because we have nothing to say.”

He stressed that the show he has been hosting for two decades always upheld the truth admitting that doing so could ruffle some people.

“Things that we speak to on this programme is things that speaks to the credibility of the work that we have done. If somebody questions the quality and integrity of the work that we have done, that we will respond because our work is true.

“You can say anything about the work that we do here but you cannot say that it is not true. We don’t say things that are not true and for 20 years we have been saying things that are true but they are unpalatable to some people. But that is okay, we don’t have issues with that.”

The Ghana Airports Company Limited board chair reiterated that because of the truth value in the line of his work, he cannot be told to shut up. He emphasized that everything that Good Evening Ghana produced was the simple truth.

“If we say the truth or develop an analysis and it is unpalatable to you, sorry we won’t respond. You want to shut up the 20-year-old voice? Sorry you can’t. It won’t work, it doesn’t work like that because the things we say are very very true. As wild as it sounds and it seems, it is true. It can even sound bias or untrue but it is true.

“And that is why we are even here, you are watching, because it is true. Sou you are asking truth to shut up? I don’t know about that,” he stressed.

What Prof Adei said about Adom-Otchere

The academic and one-time GIMPA rector said he did not believe the broadcaster will be mounting the ‘touchscreen’ on his show to lambast other members of the Council of State if they also decide to reject some of their benefits from the government.

Prof Adei continued that having gotten a political appointment, he [Adom-Otchere] should not be talking anyhow and learn to shut up.

“What is wrong with Adom-Otchere? Will he go and do that for all the other people when they are [rejecting] other things?”

“Paul Adom-Otchere, unfortunately, has become political rather than journalistic. By his position, he should not the one to talk about [things like these]. He is the chairman of the Ghana Airport Company. Which capacity is he talking from? There are certain ethics of a certain position; once you are in that position, if I were him, I will shut up.

“Not because he is not a good [journalist], but you know, you have such a national responsible position…once you accept certain positions, you must be responsible…a journalist must grow up…I think that Adom-Otchere is actually bringing the position he is holding into disrepute…, ” Prof. Stephen Adei stressed.