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It’s a case of who the cap fits; I never said Ursula is an LGBTQ practitioner – Mutala Mohammed
Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Murtala Mohammed has denied describing the Communications Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful as a practitioner of LGBTQ.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, Mr Murtala Mohammed said he “never used the word practitioner”, adding that he did not mention the Communication Minister’s name.
Clarifying the statement he made before the brawl, he said: “The only statement I made which I think the Speaker is asking me to withdraw was that I said every single member of the parliament should be allowed to debate on the bill and that no one should be allowed to sit on the fence.
“And that you are either for the bill or against the bill, those who refuse to support the bill, then everybody will know their position.”
According to him, with the above statement made, he believes Ursula had a position he was not aware of hence the face-off.
“… I never used the word practitioner. In fact, I don’t know the last time I used the word practitioner…perhaps, it is a case of who the cap fits. I never mentioned Ursula’s name, I never said Ursula you are a practitioner,” he insisted.
His comments come in the wake of a brief interruption as the microphones in parliament picked up a whisper while the South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor was on the floor arguing over the legislation of the Anti-LGBTQ bill.
The Second Deputy Speaker who was in the chair, called out Tamale Central MP, Murtala Mohammed asking him to withdraw an unparliamentary comment he was deemed to have passed.
On the other hand, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful was incensed by the development and accused the legislator of calling her a practitioner of LGBTQ.
“I sat here and repeatedly heard Hon Murtala refer to me as a practitioner of LGBT to the hearing of everyone in this house… and in response to that if I say he is mad, it is only a mad man who will refer to his colleague in this house as a practitioner of LGBTQ when you haven’t seen me having sexual intercourse with your wife or your daughter or your mother,” she flared up.
She burst out and called out all other legislators who she believes heard the comment but turned deaf ears to it.
“And you all [parliamentarians] heard it and pretend that suddenly you’ve lost your sense of hearing,” she added.
Both individuals withdrew their comments at the request of the Second Deputy Speaker and proceedings continued.
Mr Mohammed, in his defence, explained that comments made in Parliament while the microphone is off are not deemed as statements made in Parliament, adding that the Hansard captures statements only made with the microphone.
The Tamale Central MP said that even Ursula was also gesturing “you are mad” in the House, while the South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor was debating, however it was taken on because it was not said in the microphone.
Although Mr Mohammed has withdrawn the comments made in the House, he does not believe the withdrawal means an admission of guilt.
“I just withdrew to allow sanity to prevail and that is why I didn’t withdraw a specific statement. It is not an admission of guilt,” he said.
Credit:Myjoyonline
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
