By News Desk
A fierce war of words has erupted following a public statement issued by the former Head of Public Relations at the National Lottery Authority, Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku, who has vehemently accused investigative media outlet The Fourth Estate of peddling “barefaced lies” and “misleading the public” regarding the ongoing review of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) and KGL Group partnership agreement.
The prominent political and social commentator argues that, recent claims by the media house suggesting that a government-instituted committee’s findings validate their previous reportage are entirely false, malicious, and a calculated attempt to twist facts.
The Core of the Dispute
The controversy stems from a series of publications by The Fourth Estate which heavily criticized the NLA-KGL deal, labeling it “terrible” and aggressively demanding its immediate termination.
In a sharp rebuttal, Dr. Opoku pointed out that in the interest of transparency, the President of the Republic ordered a committee to investigate the matter. However, the committee’s final directive fundamentally contradicted the media house’s agenda. Rather than canceling the contract, the committee recommended a stay of execution and a structured renegotiation of the financial terms to maximize benefits for the state.
“The Fourth Estate, right from the beginning, had been calling for the abrogation of the NLA-KGL deal,” Dr. Opoku stated. “However, this description has never been backed with any reasonable conclusion or substantial evidence by the Fourth Estate or its surrogates.”
“Why the Backtracking?”
Dr. Opoku questioned why The Fourth Estate is now allegedly attempting to align its previous narrative with the committee’s actual findings, calling out the media organization for what he described as a lack of professional integrity.
“The Fourth Estate maliciously and mischievously labelled the KGL-NLA deal as terrible and called for the abrogation of the deal. It never called for renegotiation,” Dr. Opoku argued. “Why the backtracking? Why not be truthful? We expected that, if not for cheap sentimentalism and parochialism, the Fourth Estate would have rendered an unqualified apology to KGL.”
He further noted that the media house’s lack of relevance to the actual governance process is evident in their exclusion from the official proceedings.
“Again, if the Fourth Estate were that consequential, it would have been considered as part of the ongoing renegotiation. No one at the Fourth Estate or among its surrogates can pressure the Committee, which has the mandate, to rush and interfere with its professional work,” he added.
Renegotiations Strictly Commercial, Not for Social Media
The statement emphasized that all parties involved in the NLA-KGL agreement are actively engaged in a lawful, structured process aimed at securing Ghana’s economic interests. Dr. Opoku warned that state-level commercial agreements cannot be influenced by media campaigns or public sensationalism.
“Renegotiations are NOT done on social media or at the headquarters of the Fourth Estate,” Dr. Opoku maintained. “This is an important national exercise, devoid of sensationalism, propaganda, and the twisting of narratives. All parties sincerely appreciate the urgency of this important renegotiation, but this is strictly a legal and commercial agreement that must adhere to the legal rights of each party.”
Defense of Indigenous Businesses
Concluding his remarks, Dr. Opoku defended the track record of KGL Group, a major corporate entity and a prominent headline sponsor of Ghana’s national football team, the Black Stars. He criticized The Fourth Estate and its parent organization, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), accusing them of routinely trying to dismantle local corporate successes.
“KGL is fully committed to the Republic and will never waste its time on those who seek to undermine and destroy indigenous businesses, as is the habit of the Fourth Estate and the Media Foundation for West Africa,” Dr. Opoku concluded.
At the time of going to press, the leadership of The Fourth Estate had not yet issued a formal response to Dr. Opoku’s blistering critique.
