Allege Anti-Ghana agenda by CSOs led by Yao Graham – I almost collapsed reading it

Ace Journalist and Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr has rubbished media report of an alleged ploy by Civil Society Organizations led by the Co-ordinator of the Third World Network-Africa, Dr Yao Graham against the proposed oil agreement between the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Aker Energy.

Speaking on Good Morning Africa on Pan African Television on Thursday, August 12, monitored by GhanaPlus.com he said he nearly collapsed reading the report adding it was extremely shocking.

He mentioned the report could only be a ploy to tarnish the reputation of the man who had dedicated over 40years of life to fight the cause of the country and sometimes at the cost of his own life.

“I have been very shock this morning and when I read the Crusading Guide s report this morning alleging that civil society organization led by Dr Yaw Graham are engage in anti national activities with the support of the foreign backers I almost collapse. That is exceedingly shocking,” he said.

“Who can make such allegations against Dr Yaw Graham?. This is guy who has been in the public space for more than 40years defending the national interest sometimes at the peril of his life because I do recall that in the early 1980’s Dr Yao Graham was actually shot for his defence for the right of the workers and so on so to paint such a public service personality in the manner in which he is being painted by a section of the media is not just shocking  it think it is a statement that the debt to which many of us have sunk,” Mr Pratt Jnr. stressed.

He quizzed how a meeting to plan how organizations would carry out their activities could amount to an anti-national activity with foreign backers and described the publication as cheap and an affront to Ghanaians.

“I have read the story The story is just saying, the civil society organizations had a zoom meeting in which discuss their strategies to bring issues involved in the Aker deal in the public domain and the congratulated themselves on something which they have manage to get Citi FM to do in order to raise some of the issues and so on and then they spoke about the need also to use social media and traditional media in bringing home the point about this Aker deal and so on. How is this anti-national, how will foreign backers even sponsor this?

Leaked audios expose Anti-Ghana agenda by CSOs

Some Ghanaian media report on Thursday, August 2, a meeting to foil a proposed oil agreement between the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Aker Energy by some Civil Society Organization had been exposed after a video of the meeting found itself in the public space.

The meeting held via zoom was said to have been chaired by the Co-ordinator of the Third World Network-Africa, Dr Yao Graham and was participated by the Vice-President, In Charge of Research at IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Bright Simons, an Energy Analyst, Mr Samuel Bekoe,the West Africa Regional Manager (Anglophone) of Natural Resource Governance Institute, Nafi Chinery and another only introduced as Beauty.

Purpose of the meeting

The meeting was said to have discussed “deliberate strategies to create a sense of fear and panic within the population over “climate change concerns”, as they spearhead an agenda to prevent Ghana from achieving its long-standing ambition of putting Ghanaians in charge of oil and gas resources”.

“For the CSOs who are determined to promote the interest of their foreign pay masters, instead of the national interest, Ghana should leave her oil resources on the sea bed and rather borrow to promote the climate change agenda of their pay masters,” the report added.

“The transaction will ensure that GNPC Explorco receives US$5 billion dollars in cash flow, with Ghana being the recipient of some US$18 billion in revenue, thereby having control over its oil resources and destiny. It has therefore become mind-boggling to many Ghanaians as to why some CSOs will scheme to have this all-important transaction scuttled,” the report further reads.

Strategies discussed

According to the report some of the strategies discussed by the CSO’s included hijacking both social and traditional media, investing resources, silencing dissenting CSOs, among others.

Source: GhanaPlus.com