Lead convenor of #FixTheCountry, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has released an audio recording of a phone call between himself and an alleged minister of state, in which the said minister proposed a meeting with the Minister for Finance.
The release of the tape follows an earlier threat by the activist to produce evidence supporting his allegation of being offered incentives, including a $1 million bribe by the Minister for National Security, to stop his activism.
In the eight-minute-long recording, the activist noted the legitimate grounds for engagement between the government and #FixTheCountry over national issues.
The Cambridge-Africa PhD student, however, stressed the need to structure the platform for the engagement between the two parties to protect public trust around the pressure group and noted the need for him to travel to Ghana for the said meeting.
In response, the minister assured him of his safety if he were to travel to Ghana and also proposed to facilitate his travel into the country.
“You can have my word for it, your friend the General can also be a witness. There is no way the security agencies will do anything to you if you come to Ghana at all. You can be rest assured, that will never be our intention. I will never do that. Number two, quietly between the two of us, I should not have any difficulty facilitating your trip in terms of logistics for you to be able to come down and we can start talking. Probably the two of us can talk. I will want my colleague the Minister of Finance alone to join me and some of your colleagues to join you. When we get to a point where we think we should go public or enlarge it, then we take it from there,” the minister said.
Barker-Vormawor, however, turned down the proposed facilitation of his travel.
The minister then asked that the meeting be held at a safe house, while Barker-Vormawor proposed that a certain General Kutin of the Ghana Armed Forces, who was also on the call, serve as a mediator between the two sides.
Following claims that he had been offered a bribe by the Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, the ministry released a statement denying the claims.
The ministry, however, clarified that a meeting had actually taken place between the Minister for National Security, the Minister for Finance, and #FixTheCountry activists sometime in 2021.
However, Barker-Vormawor maintained that he had held an earlier meeting with the Minister for National Security in which the minister had offered him the bribe.
“A secret meeting was held between myself and the Minister for National Security at a safe house, and he did request that I meet him, and I have a recording to confirm this. And it is at that individual meeting that he made the offer of $1 million to stop the activism. And I want to be clear, this was before even the very first FixTheCountry demonstration, not for OccupyJulorbiHouse. I think there’s a bit of confusion in the public as well. In the very beginning, the National Security Minister had told me personally that they were worried about terrorism, and they’re worried that my activism would mobilize young people,” he told Joynews in an interview in September 2023.
Additionally, the convenor disclosed that the minister had told him on behalf of the government that he was willing to offer him an appointment if that was what he desired, in order to put an end to his activism.
Listen to the recording below:
