Press Aide to Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), Kofi Abrefa Afena, has dismissed the accusation made by Kevin Taylor on Sunday night, June 2, 2024, labeling it as laughable and portraying Taylor as nothing more than a joke.
Afena stated that the allegation was merely an attempt to tarnish and undermine the reputation of the Energy Minister, who has been a formidable opponent to the NDC.
“The oil and gas space is highly technical, so if you want to allege wrongdoing without any basis, you will definitely be exposed, and this is exactly what has happened to Kevin Taylor, who has thrown proper journalism to the dogs in satisfaction of his paymasters,” he said.
“If you follow his rendition closely, you will see that it clearly lacks depth, is full of inconsistencies, and has questionable logic.”
“If you recall, Kevin Taylor in his initial outburst said the contract was estimated at $204m, but now says it is estimated at $450m.
In his latest outburst, he admits that Tullow is awarding contracts, not NAPO, which is contrary to the earlier impression he created that NAPO had cooked, signed, and approved a certain contract,” Abrefa added.
According to the press aide of the minister, Kevin Taylor now mentions a certain Stephen Kermah as being involved in the deal, not a company owned by Bumpty as he erroneously painted initially.
“The writing on his Facebook wall of the name Qassim Shittu and asking if NAPO knows him and had met him to create an impression of a looming bombshell were all nothing short of theatrics.”
“Kevin Taylor is only exciting the base of the NDC, creating a perception of corruption and some mirage of wrongdoing, just as the NDC did in the 2008 elections for electoral gains, but this time around, the people of Ghana are more discerning and can see through these old tactics,” Afena stated.
In a press release issued last week as a response to Kevin Taylor’s initial allegations, the Ministry of Energy clarified that it does not hold responsibility for signing and approving contracts within Ghana’s upstream petroleum sector.
Thus, contracts involving Tullow and its Partners mentioned do not require the Ministry’s approval.
The statement emphasized that contracting in the upstream sector undergoes a rigorous technical and commercial evaluation process by the operator, followed by independent assessments and evaluations by other partners.
This process, it asserted, is not under government control.
Regarding the ongoing attacks on Dr. Prempeh’s reputation by Kevin Taylor, particularly accusations of criminality, the Minister’s legal team intends to pursue appropriate legal action in due course.