'What hypocrisy! Your 17-month-unpaid EIB workers need ‘Ahotor’ more' – Blakk Rasta digs at Duffuor

It is hypocritical for former finance minister Kwabena Duffuor to be running around distributing freebies to the grassroots members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when he has not paid his own workers at EIB for more than 17 months, Taxi Driver show host Blakk Rasta has said.

Dr Duffuor’s Ahotor project is meant to give relief to the suffering grassroots members of the biggest opposition party.

He recently donated public address systems and other equipment worth GHS90,000 to some constituencies in the Ashanti Region following similar donations to some constituencies in Accra.

A livid Blakk Rasta, however, says he cannot understand why the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, who also served as Finance Minister in the Mills administration, would neglect his hungry staff and be sharing freebies to members of a political party due to his own presidential ambition.

“I hear Duffuor is going round doing some Ahotor whatever. What hypocrisy!” Blakk Rasta fumed on the Blakk Pot segment of the Taxi Driver show on Class91.3FM on Friday, 2 September 2022.

“Your people at EIB have not been paid for 17 months and you are running around doing Ahotor what?”

“And, this guy used to be finance minister … The people who need Ahotor are the people at EIB”, he noted

In his view, Dr Duffuor is not being sensitive to the plight of his own hungry staff.

“… Yes, you have a genuine problem: your businesses were shut down by this dirty government in power but today, you have enough money to go round doing Ahotor when [for] 17 months or so, EIB workers have not been paid?”

“… They are inflaming their own political ambitions … I don’t like people like that”, he declared.

Recounting his own experience with his former radio station Zylofon, Blakk Rasta said: “I worked with NAM1; he didn’t pay me for 17 solid months but we still worked. [Do] you know why? Because, me, my eyes are not on salary; I’m a fasting human being. I can fast for five days; no food, no water”.

“But not everybody can fast”, he said.

“NAM1’s business was crippled and he had genuine problems but we were still going through supporting a man to bring back his business”.

“If EIB workers would also do the same and be pushing you so that your business can rise again, all of a sudden you have the muscles to do Ahotor”.

“Ahotor should start with EIB. [Do] you think if all of a sudden NAM1 made money and he decided to go around doing Ahotor without coming to us, we would stay there? We would look for his head and give it to Otumfuo to drink pito with”, Blakk Rasta noted.

In July this year, the flagbearer hopeful denied claims that staff of his media empire, comprising Starr FM, Kasapa FM, Ultimate Radio, Agoo FM, Abusua FM, Empire FM, GHOne TV, Agoo TV, Starrfm.com.gh, Kasapafmonline.com and the Heritage newspaper, across the country, are not being paid salaries.

Some staff of the media group went on a one-day sit-down strike that month.

They were angry that their founder is sponsoring grassroots members of the NDC with money, business schemes and donations while they rot away.

Some of the staff claim they are owed salary arrears for 15 months.

However, Dr Duffuor told Accra-based Asaase Radio in an interview that it was all “propaganda” and “politics”.

“I have so many companies”, he said, adding: “I have not had any information that they are not paying themselves”.

“EIB has been there for how many years? For seven to eight years; why will the workers be there and not be treated well?” he wondered.

“I don’t believe that. It is propaganda. And if I want to support the grassroots of my party, what is wrong with that? Do you know what they go through? Go and see what they are going through in the rural areas”, he asserted.

According to him, “Since January they [EIB] have been paying them, there is no problem. It’s previous arrears they are talking about. So, the management is handling that problem. Arrears and not payment of salaries…”