Minister-designate for Youth and Sports refuses to register by bus

General news for Saturday, February 27, 2021

Source: Peace FM

2021-02-27

Mr. Mustapha Ussif, the designated Minister of Youth and Sports, denied the media information linking him to the transport of people to register in the constituency of Yagaba Kubori during the national identification registration exercise of Last year.

A report from an Accra-based media organization, shown during Mr Yussif’s check in at Parliament, Accra, implicated the candidate, then head of the national service system, for using system buses to transport registrants from other parts of the country to the constituency.

However, Mr Yussif told the Nominations Committee, where he was approved for the post of Minister of Youth Sports, that he was not personally involved in the entry bus.

As a member of the then New Patriotic Party (NPP), and still in power, Yussif was accused in the footage of using his post of director to transport enrollees to the constituency, which accusers equated to partisan political activity.

However, Mr Yussif told the committee, sitting in Parliament in Accra, that he was not personally involved in the bus transport of registrants, and when he learned that national service buses were being used, he advised against it.

Mr. Yussif, declared that buses acquired during the presidency of Mr. Vincent Koagbenu which had remained inactive were then arranged to be rented, and that it is some of these buses that an association has rented to send people to the constituency to register.

During his explanation, Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu, the Chairman of the Committee, suggested that there was no illegality in the use of buses rented for a national exercise, and asked: “Show- they party cards? Not all.”

On a question about why the national service system, which was deemed to be less endowed than the Ghana Education Service (GES), donated 10 collection vehicles to the service, Yussif explained that the he idea was to forge a collaboration to help school farms produce more food for free SHS policy.

In addition, the National Service Law, Law 426, empowers the National Service Council to introduce new models into the system, the designated minister said, adding that it was a practice of the service to support other focused organizations. on public service, especially during the National Service Week Celebrations.

On the recommendation of the Dzamefe Justice Committee to ban the airlifting of supporters with taxpayer money to support international tournaments, such as those in Egypt and Australia, the candidate said around the world, supporters have were sent to provide moral support to their national teams.

However, as the practice is in question in Ghana, the minister-designate explained that it was necessary to rename the sport to attract sponsorship from commercial institutions.

Mr Yussif describes himself as a ‘supporter of engagement’ and would involve other stakeholders on the need to charge realistic fees for watching sports activities and adopt a cost-sharing formula to promote private partnership- public to maintain the country’s sports facilities.

He said the stadiums can also be used for social programs to generate income and said a Sports Development Fund is in sight.

The Minister-designate called on stakeholders to join us in improving Ghana’s performance in international football tournaments.

He said: “Our performance in international football tournaments is something that we have to consider as a country. What I have observed is that tournament preparation is done in the year of the tournament.

“If the opportunity allows me, I will engage stakeholders like the GFA and the National Sports Authority (NSA) to see how we can have a plan on this.

“As a country we need to come together and see how we can best develop a comprehensive short and medium term plan for our national teams to improve our scores.”