The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee and Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has raised questions over the identities and official positions of individuals presented as officials of the National Sports Authority (NSA) in an email sent to the United States Embassy.
Mr Assafuah shared what he described as an email signed by the Chief Operations Officer of the NSA, Yaw Gyamfi Kusi, and addressed to the US Embassy.
According to the MP, the communication introduced several individuals as NSA officials in positions which, based on information available to the Minority, they allegedly did not hold at the time.
He said the development raises concerns about the accuracy of official communications emanating from the NSA and the circumstances under which the individuals were presented to the US diplomatic mission.
In the email cited by Mr Assafuah, Fuseini Lukman was identified as the NSA’s Northern Region Coordinator, while Ekow Hayford was listed under Sports Development.
Francis Owusu and Felicia Ahiadome were also identified as Procurement Officers.
Mr Assafuah said an additional concern relates to the description of Comfort Ahiadome as the Secretary to the NSA Board.
He argued that, at the time the email was allegedly sent, the NSA Board did not, to the Minority’s understanding, have an officially appointed Board Secretary.
According to him, Mavis Quainoo was then serving in an acting capacity as Secretary to the Board.
The Old Tafo MP therefore questioned why a public institution would introduce individuals to a foreign embassy using official titles that they allegedly did not legitimately occupy.
“Why would officials of a public institution present people to a foreign embassy under titles and positions that they did not legitimately hold?” he questioned.
Mr Assafuah’s concerns come amid heightened scrutiny of activities within the NSA and broader questions about accountability, official appointments and the conduct of public officials.
The MP did not indicate whether the Minority had formally petitioned the NSA, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, or any investigative authority over the alleged discrepancies.
He also did not state whether the individuals named in the email had been given an opportunity to explain the positions attributed to them.
The allegations, if established, could raise questions about the procedures used by the NSA in communicating with diplomatic missions and other external institutions, particularly where official designations are concerned.
The NSA and the officials named in Mr Assafuah’s post had not, in the material cited by the MP, publicly responded to the allegations.
The matter could therefore become the subject of further parliamentary or administrative scrutiny as the Minority seeks clarification on the circumstances surrounding the email and the identities and official roles of the persons listed in it.
By 1960news.com
