Former Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Catherine Afeku, has expressed disappointment over public sentiments concerning the controversial cash spent on the Kundum Festival.
The GH¢200,000 expended at the 2018 Kundum festivities has generated a public debate with majority of Ghanaians expressing disappointment on the matter.
It is recalled that the audit report, which covered the period ending December 31, 2020, stated that an amount of GH¢ 387,196 meant for the Marine Drive Project was misapplied by the Tourism Ministry.
The ministry is said to have spent about GH¢200, 000, drawn from the Marine Drive Project, on the Kundum festival in 2018.
Madam Catherine Afeku, who spoke on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofoɔ morning show on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, said that, it is embarrassing to the good people of Nzema particularly on how issues regarding the said amount of money spent on the Axim Kundum Festival in 2018 is been handled.
“I will not grant any interviews again but looking at where things are going it is embarrassing. Now people are laughing at those of us from Nzema,” she told host of the show, Kwamena Sam- Biney.
She quickly added that, “I am in pain my brother, what are all these things for. It is an embarrassment to all of us in Nzema”.
The former minister questioned the motive behind the ‘noise’.
She was disappointed that the public, especially people of Nzema, are blaming her and dragging her name into disrepute for how the Gh¢200,000 was spent.
“If you wouldn’t praise someone don’t tarnish their name”.
When asked by the host, what the money was used for, she categorically stated that it was spent on the artistes who preformed at the Axim Kundum Festival in 2018.
She also denied reports suggesting that the chief and the Nkosuohene of Nzema have been invited by the Auditor-General, and attributed these assertions to politics.
“In the first place Auditor-General has not invited any chief nor queried any Nkosuohene. So what is the locust of the traditional council in the Auditor-General report if this is not political?”
