GENERAL NEWS

Ato Sarpong blasts NCA for taking Abusua FM off air before Mahama interview

A former Deputy Minister for Communication Edward Ato Sarpong has heavily chastised the National Communications Authority (NCA) for taking Abusua FM off air Wednesday morning ahead of an interview with the NDC flagbearer.

Mr Mahama who is on a tour in the Ashanti Region was booked for an interview on the Kumasi-based radio station only to get there and be told the signals of the station had been lost.

Management of the station had to halt the breakfast show on a sister station, Ultimate 106.9, and make way for the Akan radio host Kojo Marfo to take over the English morning show to interview the former president.

Reacting to the unfortunate event, Mr Ato Sarpong, who was speaking to Mugabe Maase on Adehyie FM said he was convinced the NCA was behind the transmission challenges Abusua FM faced this morning.

“What happened was the work of jammers and that is very unfortunate,” he said and indicated taking the radio station off at that crucial time was an affront to free speech.

“It was very wrong. They can’t say they didn’t jam the station…The same thing happened some weeks ago when our Running Mate was about to be interviewed,” Mr Ato Sarpong said.

According to the former minister, the NCA under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo has used its authority to muzzle dissenting views or radio station that criticise the government.

He said the mandate of the NCA was not to intimidate radio stations that do not share in the government’s idea, saying when Mr John Mahama was the Minister for Communications in the Rawlings era, the NCA was decoupled from the Ministry of Communications from the by an ACT of Parliament – ACT 769.

“The ACT made the NCA an authority and not a machinery to intimidate the opposition…So if you send people to NCA and they go there to work in the interest of the party in power and not the, it is very wrong.,” he said and asked the NCA to come out on the matter if they did not sanction the jamming of Abusua FM’s transmission.

Source: myxyzonline.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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