I resigned because Osafo-Maafo lacked courage to fight corruption at GFA – Nyaho-Tamakloe
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe has revealed he resigned from the FA as Chairman due to lack of courage by some higher authorities to fight corruption within the association.
The maverick politician and football administrator blames now Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo for not trying to rid the system of corruption which engulfed the Ghana Football Association during his tenure as the Chairman.
Speaking to Ghanaweb’s editor, Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng on ‘21 minutes with KKB’, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, noted that Yaw Osafo Maafo who was then the Sports Minister was very much aware of the rate of corruption in the system but failed to act.
“Yaw was terrified. I think he was frightened by the Executive Council of the GFA. He was trying to talk me out of the court case and even talk me out of the FA position. I got mad at him, he’s alive you can ask him. I got mad with him, banged the doors and went straight to my consulting room, wrote my resignation letter, gave it to a messenger to be sent to them. In less than 2 hours I had a call from BBC that it was on the news. So, this is what led to my resignation,” he disclosed.
According to him Osafo-Maafo was unable to fight the corruption because he lacked the bravery as a Minister to handle the rot.
“I know him well. Like the support I had from Kwadwo, I thought he could be very strong as a minister, so we could really change what’s going on at the GFA. He knew there were lots of rot there. He knew no doubt about it. He knew but he wasn’t at all bold and that really surprised me. What really made me mad was that he was trying to talk me out of the Football Association,” the former FA Chairman noted.
His comments come in the wake of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ exposé on the rot in Ghana football.
Former President of the Ghana Football Association Kwesi Nyantakyi on Friday resigned from his post after President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered for his arrest in connection with the exposé some weeks ago. He was later granted bail and currently being investigated.
Mr Nyatankyi was caught allegedly taking ‘bribe’ from some “investors” to an amount of $65,000 and also mentioning the names of the President Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr Bawumia as well as other government officials in his business dealings with the investors who happened to be investigators from the Tiger Eye PI.