Sanitation Minister apologizes to Adom FM intern

The sanitation minister, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah has apologized for the unfortunate incident which occurred between herself and an intern of Adom FM.

“We wish to apologize to the reporter and the media house for any inconvenience caused and hope we all continue to work more closely together”.

She said this in a press statement signed by the Public Relations Unit copied to Ghanaweb.

The statement added, Mrs Dapaah did not ignore the reporter on the basis that she was an intern but because she was not prompted earlier enough by the news editor of the radio station.

“The Minister was in a meeting when she received the call and was, therefore, requesting that the reporter call later. She was of the view that the news editor could have prompted her earlier for the interview. The sector Minister did not ignore the reporter on the basis that she was an intern,” the statement reads.

The Minister’s apology follows the recent backlash from Ghanaians against her, for questioning the propriety of an intern to interview her, insisting that it was ‘disrespectful’ to her office.

Background

In an audio, the Minister was heard saying “who gave you the permission to call me to speak to me directly like that?”.

‘You don’t respect…please go off’ she spoke in Twi before dropping the line.” she firmly told Rahinatu Abdul Bach who is a student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

After the incident which took place on July 12, 2019, Adom FM editor Samuel Dowuona later spoke to the minister over the incident. However, the sanitation minister quizzed him as to why he would ask an intern to call her office for an interview.

“You don’t let an intern call a minister, an elderly person like me? Please respect the office even if you don’t respect me as a human being”

“How do you allow an intern to call your minister, Ah.”

The intern, however reacting to the minister’s outburst narrated how shaken she was and how she couldn’t leave the recording booth after the line dropped.

In a statement released, she urged the public not to stretch the matter so as not to affect the cordial relationship between her outfit and the media.

Read the full statement below