Ghanaian dancehall artiste Shatta Wale has jumped to the defence of the CEO of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, over a dollar gift he gave to self-styled evangelist Nana Agradaa.
This comes after a viral video captured Sammy Gyamfi handing over an undisclosed amount of cash to the former fetish priestess.
This has sparked widespread backlash — including from within his own party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), where he serves as National Communications Officer.
The backlash forced Gyamfi to issue an unqualified apology on Sunday, May 11, describing the gesture as “unfortunate” and “regrettable.”
“I understand the uproar that this gesture has generated, particularly from comrades who are sincerely hurt by same. To all such comrades, I am sincerely sorry for this unfortunate act of indiscretion. I respect and appreciate your views,” he wrote.
Despite the apology, anti-corruption advocates and some members of the public, including the Minority caucus in Parliament, have called for his suspension.
But in a Facebook post on Monday, May 12, Shatta Wale defended him, describing Sammy Gyamfi as a long-time philanthropist.
“Do you all know when Sammy Gyamfi started helping the streets? All of you should shut up and leave the young man alone if you don’t know about someone’s humble beginnings. We like tarnishing people’s image too much,” he wrote.
