Ashanti Regional Directorate of NSA implicated in ticket racketeering

Some of the staff of the National Sports Authority, NSA Kumasi, have been arrested by the police in Kumasi for selling fake match tickets for the match between Asante Kotoko and Real Tamale United at the Kumasi Baba Yara Sports Stadium. A lady by the name of Julian, a staff member of the National Sports Authority, was first arrested by supporters of Asante Kotoko, who refused to open up, but when he was transported to the Asokwas police station, she mentioned Linda Adarkwa, the Head of Administration of the NSA in Kumasi, as the one who gave her the fake tickets to sell. Edwin Asante Boateng was also arrested by the same supporters for the same reason.

According to a notice from Kumasi Asante Kotoko, the NSA staff were cracked down with the help of the Vigilant Supporters. (Gyamase Circles Group)

"Management, with the assistance of our vigilant supporters, has arrested and handed over some staff of the National Sports Authority who were selling fake tickets at our game against RTU to the Ghana Police Service Unit at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium." Statement made by the Asante Kotoko team Twitter handler.

This seems to be a syndicate operating with the help of some big people from the NSA. It will be recalled that Daniel Amoakohene was also arrested during the game between Ghana and Angola at the same venue. Similarly, the head of procurement in Kumasi, Mr. Frank Awuah, and one Bismark, who is an administrative officer in the office of the Regional Director, have all been arrested in the past for the same offenses.

In the case of Mr. Daniel Amoakohene, when he was arrested for selling complementary tickets meant for dignitaries and other stakeholders, he alleged that the Director General, Prof. Peter Twumasi, gave him those tickets to sell. However, Prof. Twumasi, when confronted, denied asking him to sell those tickets, saying, "I only asked him to keep them for some people."
It's a common secret within the sports industry that when the e-ticket system was introduced in March 2022 for the game between Ghana and Nigeria, some elements within the NSA were advocating for a blend of manual and e-tickets for the game. But the Hon. Minister refused, saying that "when the problems come to our attention, we will fix them."

This act of thievery and cheating the system under the Prof. Twumasi regime didn't start today and doesn't look to end anytime soon since he's still in office. His first personal assistant, Jackson Afari, walked on the same path before getting fired and leaving Ghana for the United Kingdom. He took money from unsuspecting job seekers, promising to offer them jobs, but never did. He was reported to the police at Suame police station, and in the course of the investigation, his boss's name allegedly popped up. Some of the money was refunded, and when he regained his freedom, he ran to the USA.

The negative publicity and bad press seem to be self-inflicted and are becoming one too many under Prof.
Peter Twumasi. No week passes without one form of negative news or another. The name of the NSA is going down, and if deliberate action is not taken, it could lead to the collapse of the NSA.
The e-ticket is one of the babies of the Vice President, and to allow unscrupulous people, for their selfish interests, to derail the efforts of the Vice President at this crucial period is unacceptable.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Governing Board of the NSA, particularly the Hon. Minister and the Board Chairman of the NSA, must take personal interest in this matter and ensure that this saboteur is not only crushed but also brought to book. Therefore, the NSA board chairman and the Ministry of Youth and Sports should be up and doing so that the project of the Vice President is not sabotaged.

The Hon. Minister should set up a committee to investigate these nation-rakers and bring them to book.

Considering this, the media and the general public will be closely watching what happens to these culprits.

By Kolog Bonaventure