Money Doubling On Free To Air TV
Finally the powers that be have woken up from their slumber and start to take steps to stop the reckless, irresponsible and criminal content on Ghanaian television stations, including free to air channels.
Yesterday it was reported that a joint team of National Security Intelligence officers and men from the Ghana Police Service have arrested one of such culprits, a self acclaimed traditional cum fetish priestesses by name Nana Agradaa. Her television station, Thunder TV was also shut down. For the records, Thunder TV has nothing in common with The Thunder newspaper.
This said Nana Agraadaa, known in private life as Patience Asiedu, has over the years claimed on her television station that she has the ability to double and multiply money by invoking the supernatural powers of “Sika Gari”, her personal deity.
Then she goes ahead to advertise to the public wooing persons who want such services.
In the first place, such content; claims of ability to double money and advertising that ability to the public, ought not to find its way into the television space if the country’s laws were working as it ought to.
Where are institutions like the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and why are they silent in the face of someone advertising the ability to multiply and double Ghana’s cedes?
Assuming without admitting Agradaa could truly double and multiply the country’s currency, it something that is allowed and what are the implications for the country’s economy
Whose signature would be on the doubled currency and which serial numbers would they have?
Apart from the above named institutions, how come the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, under which the Film Classification Committee fall, has continuously failed in its duty to see to it that all contents on television are previewed and classified with clear guidelines on what can be shown when and to whom?
This should not have been the job of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization for that matter.
It is okay for the NCA to hide behind the excuse of licensing to close down the defaulting stations. But what happens if the stations that are duly and properly licensed also start to show same content?
Yes, we applaud the Minister of Communication and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful for her initiative to use the country’s laws to get the NCA to cleanse the system of unlicensed and unregulated television stations but her ministry needs the cooperation and support of other relevant stakeholders.
It should be a concerted and deliberate and sustained campaign with all hands on deck to cleanse the system of the continuous nonsense.
The negative effects of such reckless and unaccepted television content is devastating and it is therefore refreshing to know that at least something is finally being done about it, albeit just a scratch of the surface.
