Management of Marwako Fast Food has provided evidence to prove that its Chief Executive, Alhaji Marwan Mohammed Chaaban, was indeed given a humanitarian award by the National Commission on Culture.
Dr Ziblim Barri Iddi, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture presented Alhaji Chaaban with the award on July 9 at the National Theatre in Accra, for his immense contribution in the development of zongos in Ghana.
READ: Marwako CEO grabs award
Barely two weeks on, the Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday denied conferring any award on Alhaji Chaaban under the auspices of the National Commission on Culture, claiming the Commission, “did not approve of the award, and neither did the Ministry”.
The statement added: “We wish to state categorically that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has not endorsed this blatant attempt to award any person or persons from Marwako Fast Food Limited”.
But the Management of the popular fast food chain has expressed shock at the sudden U-turn by the Ministry and questioned the rationale behind the attempt to discredit the company and its Chief Executive.
“We are really shock to the marrow,” Marketing and Public Relations Manager of Marwako, Mohammed Amin Lamptey said in response to the claim by the Ministry published by 3News.
READ: Tourism Ministry disclaims awarding Marwako CEO
He provided a letter issued by the National Commission on Culture dated June 20, 2017, which communicated the nomination of Alhaji Chaaban as recipient of the award as part of the Zongo Honours 2017 Award.
“…The National Commission on Culture has the pleasure to nominate great personalities who have, in our own opinion, contributed more than any others in the development of the Zongos and deserve an outstanding humanitarian award.
“Without hesitation, we choose you, Alhaji Marwan Mohammed for that honour,” the letter signed by Mrs Alice Alima Kala for Chairman of the Commission on Culture stated.
Again, the Director of Creative Arts Programmes and Projects at the National Commission on Culture, Socrate Sarfo, signed the citation presented to Alhaji Chaaban.
Mr Amin Lamptey said Management of the company is therefore surprised at the claim by the Ministry, moreso when its deputy minister was the one who presented the award to Alhaji Chaaban on the night of the event.
“Are they saying that all the awards given on the night are fake, including the one given to the National Chief Imam? They should come out to tell us the entire awards event was a scam,” he challenged the Ministry of Tourism.
He noted that information available to them suggested that questions were raised at the selection process when Alhaji Chaaban was nominated but organisers justified that to which the committee and the Commission on Culture also approved his award.
Accordingly, he said they do not understand why the Ministry of Tourism, under which the National Commission on Culture falls, would issue a statement to disclaim the award given Alhaji Chaaban.
“We had no hand whatsoever in the award. We didn’t even know about it. We were in our office when they brought the letter that the CEO has been nominated to receive a humanitarian award and we went for it on the day of the event,” he explained.
Mr Amin Lamptey thus wants the Ministry and the National Commission on Culture to come clean on the matter.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana