Abass Nurudeen accuses Minority of ‘scandal scavenging’ over World Cup visa controversy

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Social Investment Fund, Abass Nurudeen, has accused the Minority in Parliament of exploiting the visa controversy surrounding Ghana’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to score political points, describing its approach as that of a “scandalous” opposition.

He challenged the Minority to produce evidence to support its allegations against the Minister for Sports and Recreation, arguing that its calls for accountability had not been backed by specific proof of wrongdoing.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 10, Mr Nurudeen criticised the Minority for what he described as an attempt to seize on administrative irregularities, insisting that allegations against public officials should be substantiated rather than used to fuel political attacks.

The dispute follows claims by the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, that some individuals paid between US$7,000 and US$14,000 for visa processing linked to World Cup-related activities.

The Minority has also questioned the credibility of personnel lists submitted by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) to the US and Canadian embassies. It alleged that only two of 50 people submitted by the GTA as media personnel were verified as professional media practitioners, while just 15 of 102 names submitted by the NSA were confirmed as actual employees.

Mr Nurudeen disputed Mr Assafuah’s claim that the Sports Ministry sought to use its influence at the US Embassy to secure visas for people allegedly misrepresented as NSA staff.

He said the minister’s aide had challenged the MP to identify anyone on a list of 90 names submitted on May 19 who had previously been refused a visa and whom the ministry had subsequently tried to assist through its influence.

According to Mr Nurudeen, the Minority had not demonstrated how the list supported its demand for the Sports Minister to be held accountable.

He also cited a chronology of engagements which, he said, indicated that the US Embassy had engaged agencies under the Sports Ministry before formal correspondence on visa processing. He claimed that the embassy facilitated a meeting involving the Ghana Football Association, the NSA and the GTA, at which Tribe Culture, described as an official FIFA event organiser, was introduced.

Mr Nurudeen further alleged that subsequent arrangements involved visa processing fees of US$3,000. The claims have not been independently verified.

While criticising the Minority, he urged caution as investigations continue, noting that the NSA board had been suspended. He maintained that the outcome of the investigations should guide any conclusive assessment of the allegations.

Mr Nurudeen also defended President John Dramani Mahama’s anti-corruption record, saying the President would act on wrongdoing regardless of who was involved.

President Mahama has asked former NSA Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah to step aside, with Professor Emmanuel Osei Sarpong appointed acting Director-General.

The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has provided its own chronology of engagements, citing correspondence dated January 28, 2026, which it says shows that some arrangements connected to the World Cup fan experience predated its involvement.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.