A purported voice of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, lashing out at a journalist has been made public.
The said journalist, according to the conversation between him and the minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, had sought to engage Mr. Afriyie Akoto on some comments made about him by his predecessor.
“Hello Doc, good morning once again. A lot of allegations have been made against you by the former MP for Kwadaso, Madam Hilda Addo and one thing she is saying is that you are incompetent and as a result, the people in the Constituency have called her to contest,” the journalist said.
Before the journalist could conclude his question, however, the minister took offense at the word incompetent repeated by the media person.
“That’s very disrespectful, you know; the word ‘incompetent’ and I don’t want you to use that word on me. If she is crazy to use those words, I don’t want you to repeat them to me. You know that that is very offensive so please let’s stop this conversation. I don’t want you to be talking to me at this time. Do you know who I am? Do you know what I have created in this life for a journalist like you to tell me that I am incompetent?” the voice said to be the minister fumed.
Taken aback by the minister’s response, the journalist attempted to clarify his question by pointing out that the word that the minister found offensive was not his but that of the former MP for Kwadaso.
“O Doc, please I am not referring to you,” the journalist clarified.
However, Mr. Akoto-Afriyie would not budge by insisting that the journalist had exhibited gross disrespect to him as he continued to call him out.
“If you are repeating somebody’s words it is your words as well. You shouldn’t be that insubordinate. Come on, I am in politics but you can’t take advantage to be disrespectful to me. If some stupid woman is making those kinds of… using those offensive words and she doesn’t even realize that they are offensive and abusive and you repeat it on me directly? I don’t know how old you are but my son will be older than you.
You understand. The owner of your station doesn’t come anywhere near my standard in terms of life achievements. You have to learn to be respectful, don’t use those words on me!” he blurted before hanging up the call.
The minister for food and agriculture has been under heavy criticism recently.
Celebrated sports journalist, Dan Kwaku Yeboah recently cited the minister for failing to discharge his mandate.
The journalist who accused the minister of paying more attention to his reported presidential ambition than his official mandate cited the rising cost of food in the country.
