PHOTO: Prof. Amin Alhassan
The National Media Commission (NMC) has been left red-faced after the Controller and Accountant-General exposed its blatant falsehood regarding the supposed contract extension of the Director-General (DG) of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
The NMC had written to the GBC Director, instructing them to inform staff that the Commission renewed the appointment of Prof. Amin Alhassan as Director-General on February 26, 2024, and presented it to the new Board of the Corporation on August 13, 2024. The letter also suggested that some GBC employees were still unaware of the renewal due to recent media reports.
Despite the NMC’s bold claims, a leaked letter from the Controller and Accountant-General has shattered its narrative—NO FINANCIAL CLEARANCE WAS EVER GRANTED for the extension.
NO CLEARANCE, NO PAY!
According to the March 2025 letter, the Controller explicitly stated that any contract extension for the GBC boss requires financial clearance under the Public Financial Management Act (Act 921), 2016. Without this mandatory approval, the DG’s salary and related allowances CANNOT and WILL NOT be processed.
To make matters worse, the Controller has suspended the DG’s salary from March 2025, confirming that without proper authorization, the so-called contract extension is nothing but a farce.
NMC’S BLATANT DISREGARD FOR DUE PROCESS
While the NMC was busy convincing the public that the DG’s contract had been legally extended, it conveniently ignored the requirement for financial clearance from the Finance Ministry.
The Controller’s letter made it clear that no such clearance had been sought, leaving the GBC boss in legal and financial limbo. Furthermore, without retrospective financial approval from October 2023, any payments made to the DG could be deemed “unearned salaries,” potentially leading to legal action.
WILL THE NMC OWN UP?
With the Controller’s damning revelation, the NMC now faces a credibility crisis. Was this a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, or a humiliating administrative blunder?
As it stands, the GBC boss is effectively working without pay, and unless the Finance Ministry intervenes, his so-called contract extension remains a baseless claim.
THE BIG QUESTION: Will the NMC admit its blunder, or will it double down on the deception?
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