Sustainability, Climate, and Social Innovation Advisor Enam Akoetey has strongly criticised Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the convener of the FixTheCountry movement, for his recent decision to reveal an alleged bribery attempt to hinder his activism.
Barker-Vormawor has accepted the Ministry of National Security’s challenge to provide evidence supporting his claim that he was offered a $1 million bribe in 2021 by a government minister.
The lawyer and activist asserted that he possesses evidence to substantiate his allegations and intends to make it public after the ongoing #OccupyJulorbiHouse protest.
During an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile program on Saturday, September 23, Enam Akoetey expressed her disbelief at why Barker-Vormawor, who advocates for improved leadership and integrity, withheld the supposed audio for nearly two years before deciding to disclose it.
She stated that, in her opinion, she would have released such audio on the very day the alleged conversation regarding inducements took place, as she values transparency and integrity.
“There are a lot of claims going out and I am saying that are they all about integrity. If you are saying that a lot of people called you to say that don’t publish something, the question is if you are a person that is value-driven, would you listen to them or say –I hear what you are asking me to do but it is the wrong thing so I am going to defy you and publish?”
“So why would it take him two to three years for him to publish this audio?” she queried.
This follows taking up the challenge from the National Security Minister, Kan Dapaah to produce evidence of the alleged attempt by government to induce him with an amount of $1 million so they cease his “activism”.
Speaking on the same news analysis programme on Saturday, the FixTheCountry’s Convener clarified that the meeting he [Oliver Barker-Vormawor] made reference to was an exclusive secret meeting between him and the Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah even before the first FixTheCountry protest in 2021.
“The Minister of National Security has issued a statement claiming that I was met with other FixTheCountry conveners and other stakeholders. I want to put it on record that the meeting I am talking about happened exclusively between myself and the Minister for National Security where that offer was made to me.
“I will release an audio into the public domain, which would confirm that the Minister invited me to a secret safe house location, that we should have an individual meeting between him and myself, at which meeting he made that offer to myself. No other FixThecountry convener was involved there,” he revealed.