Extend your forgiveness to shut radio stations – Franklin Cudjoe to Akufo-Addo after WASSCE 'pardon'

Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe has implored President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to extend his gesture of pardon to some radio stations which were closed in 2017 and 2019 by the National Communications Authority, (NCA).

Mr. Cudjoe’s comment comes on the back of a recall of some 14 Senior High School students who were dismissed for their roles

Read full articlein the destruction of properties and misconduct after the Integrated Science 2 paper of the ongoing West African Senior School Examination (WASSCE).

The said students would also have been banned from taking the rest of the papers but for the intervention of the President.

Mr. Akufo-Addo directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to reconsider the punishment to ban them from taking the exam and retain the dismissal.

Franklin Cudjoe, in a post on his Facebook page suggested that the President replicates similar actions with some radio stations that were shut down by the NCA in 2017 and 2019.

Some radio stations were shut down in 2017 and their licenses withdrawn for operating without authorization. Some of the stations in default which were not satisfied proceeded to the various courts; Electronic Communications Tribunal (ECT) and the High Court to appeal against the NCA’s decision.

This resulted in a decision by the ECT in 2018 which reviewed the status of expired FM Radio Broadcasting Authorisations and which ruled among others that Companies whose authorisations had expired reverted to the same position as a fresh applicant. While some stations shut down following this decision, others did not.

In 2019, two radio stations, Radio Gold and Radio XYZ were also taken off air, with explanations by the NCA that the said institutions were operating without valid authorisations as determined by the 2017 FM Broadcasting Audit.

Mr. Cudjoe believes that, a consensus can be reached with these persons such that, they are allowed to gradually pay off their debts.

“Alright, Mr. President since you are in a forgiving mode, please direct the NCA to reinstate all radio stations whose licenses were withdrawn and an agreement reached with them to gradually pay off their debts. Do these and I will add Osagyefo to your titles,” his post on twitter said.

Below is the tweet:

Alright, Mr. President since you are in a forgiving mode, please direct the NCA to reinstate all radio stations whose licenses were withdrawn and an agreement reached with them to gradually pay off their debts. Do these and I will add OSAGYEFO to your titles.

— Franklin CUDJOE (@lordcudjoe) August 10, 2020