NUGS President Throws Political Tantrum Over Alleged Ghc15, 000 Propaganda Bribe

President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Emmanuel Boakye Yiadom, has sought to kick up political dust over the Ghc15, 000 bribe that he allegedly received from Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to back the unpopular e-levy tax on mobile money transactions.

News reports featuring his responses to the allegation quote Boakye Yiadom using rather intemperate and insulting language at the sources of the allegation in tirades that are totally unbecoming of a President of the NUGS.

According to quotes attributed to him, Mr. Yiadom claims that those who revealed that he took the bribe are themselves corrupt people who have made it through corruption and therefore think that anyone else, including himself, who is making it is also corrupt.

“There are certain people who made money fraudulently so when they see a colleague making it then they feel that person too made it fraudulently just as they made theirs. So, I don’t begrudge them because their lives have been that, when they are to come and speak on something, maybe they take money before they do it so they feel everyone is just like them,” he blurted.

 “In my right-thinking sense as a student leader and at my age, I don’t need someone to give me money before I act. That is not right. Those saying that…I’m looking for the money. If it is with them they should bring it to me and I’ll gladly take it. That GH¢15,000 they are talking about I’m looking for it, if it is with them, they should bring it and I will gladly take it.” 

The putrid, and insulting language has left many in shock that a NUGS President can stoop so low.

It would be recalled that after the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had presented the budget and caused national anger over the announcement that the government has decided to tax mobile money transactions, the Finance Minister had curiously invited NUGS over to his office for a meeting at which the NUGS Executives were persuaded to support the unpopular budget item.

General Secretary of NUGS, Julius Kwame Anthony, had revealed that he and other NUGS Executives who are perceived as being anti-government, including himself, had been deliberately left out of the entourage that attended the meeting.

According to Mr. Anthony, the NUGS President, a well-known NPP aficionado, had gone to the meeting with like-minded executives and that even though the Executives had claimed they were going to discuss the controversial YouStart program, he believes that the real motive was to use the meeting as stepping stone to announce NUGS’s support for the unpopular tax.

Mr. Anthony had then gone on to vow that if NUGS held a press conference later and announced support for the tax, he will hold a counter-press conference against the NUGS presser.

Amidst the turmoil, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Organizer, George Opare Addo, had alleged through a post on his Facebook wall the finance minister had paid GH¢15,000 bribe to the NUGS officers to court support for the E-levy at their press conference.

 “Things fall apart, the center cannot hold! If the supposed E-levy was that prudent and resonates with young people, why would the finance minister be this desperate to coerce student leaders to endorse it? To the point of offering them GH¢15,000 to organize a press conference in support of the burden-laden budget. A policy that is detrimental to the hopes and aspirations of young people yet Ken Ofori-Atta, who’s out of wits, thinks taxing mobile transactions used mostly by students to get by is a cool idea.

 “Let it be known that this agenda won’t stand! No PR or peer-to-peer campaign led by any student Union will make this insensitive tax any less callous! To the leadership of NUGS, the Ghanaian Youth, especially students will be disappointed in you if you go ahead with this presser. We know what you have been told to do and say but let your conscience guide you to do what is right by students and your nation,” he posted.

As foretold, the NUGS held their press conference and stated its supposed support for the unpopular tax. This fuelled the perception that indeed the NUGS Executives who went for the meeting had been bribed.

It is in reaction to this that the President flew off the handle and insulted the people who made the allegations.