President John Mahama has directed the Finance Ministry to pay off disgruntled members of the Black Queens $5,000 each with immediate effect.
The directive comes on the heels of public uprising to settle the All Africa Games gold medalists, who have failed to vacate their hotel over unpaid bonuses.
President Mahama, who is attending a UN General Assembly in the United States has promised to meet with the heroines on his return.
But as to whether the team will accept the $5,000 remains a question crying for answer taking into account an earlier interview with some of the ladies.
“We won’t take anything less than $10,000, sign an agreement to collect the remainder later before we will leave this place. If you are owing someone $23,000 and you pay $2,000 is it not an insult?” One of the players said.
Earlier, the Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mustapha Ahmed incurred the wrath of the Queens when he offered to pay them a meager honorarium of $2,000 each from the $23,000 each owed them.
The Minister’s failure to reach agreement with the team regarding their bonus informed their decision to stay at the hotel till they receive their last penny.
Despite their ad hoc preparations, the coach Yusif Basigi ladies muscled their way to put Ghana on top of the continent when Congo Brazzaville hosted the eleventh edition of the sports festival.
At a point in time during the tournament, Black Stars skipper Asamoah Gyan had to rescue them with a $10,000 donation, a gesture the team stated contributed to their success story.
Source: Daily Guide
