Brice Osei Kuffour aka Obour, MUSIGA prez
A group of regional executives of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) have threatened to call for a resolution to remove the National President of the union from office for his inability to clarify major issues concerning the just ended Ghana Music Week.
According to the regional executives, the National President of the union, Bice Osei Kuffuor (Obuor) has failed to disclose the total budget of the Ghana Music Week and the total amount of sponsorship that went into the general organization of the project.
Speaking on behalf of the regional executives, the Central Regional Chairman for the union and Chairman of the caucus of regional executives, George William Dickson, said that the president of the union has failed to tell the executives who the owners of the Ghana Music Week project were. He also lamented that there were several resentments and comments by most of the regional executives as to how they are being communicated to on major issues of the union.
Although there had been allegations that a total amount of 12 billion old Ghana Cedis (excluding sponsorship package) was used in organizing the Ghana Music Week, the president has openly denied that fact.
The chairman also said he was surprised to hear the president of the union say he (the president) has received calls from the former president of MUSIGA, Dina Hopeson, saying that the Central Regional Chairman is a threat to his administration and therefore should be careful of him.
Speaking on Akwasi Aboagye?s Entertainment Review programme on an Accra based radio station, Peace 104.3, the president of the union, Obuor, admitted that the Ghana Music Week programme belonged to two marketing firms namely, Yendis Marketing and M-Base and not MUSIGA, which he had earlier refused to disclose to the National Executive Council.
It is surprising to note that, although this is not MUSIGA?s project as stated by the president, he disclosed that the union invested an amount of 10 billion old Ghana Cedis into the Ghana Music Week without clarifying what money was used to pay the performers as well.
The regional executives, upon these questionable instances, believe there is something being hidden by the president from them which would not help the progress of the union in the regions.
They have therefore sent signals across for proper clarifications and proper accountability or resort to petitioning the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Attorney General and Minister of Justice and the Office of the President, to call for a probe into finances involved in the organization of the Ghana Music Week.
The regional executives also believe that the president of the union is running the organization in his own personal interest without the consent of the general membership of the union, and should therefore come again to make issues clearer and understandable.
They concluded that the president of the union should come out and brief the entire executives on the nature and whereabouts of the so-called two marketing companies who were said to have organized the Ghana Music Week and which agreement went into it.
Meanwhile, in reaction to all of these allegations, the president of MUSIGA admitted that the issues raised by the Central Regional Chairman were very legitimate but because of how MUSIGA had been structured, it was difficult to address them.
?Until the finance finishes its report, I cannot say anything straight from my head. The sentiments being talked about here were expected but everyone should relax. In a week or two we will release the report of the Ghana Music Week and all the finances will be there,? Obour noted.
