The Dean of the Presidential Press Corps Nutor Bibini Nutor says the accident involving 20 journalists who report from the presidency has been exaggerated.

He said accidents happen all the time and that Thursday’s accident was simply one of them.

The Ghanaian Times newspaper’s Presidential Correspondent, Samuel Nuamah, died in the accident which happened at Dawhenya in Accra.

Samuel Nuamah

The journalists were returning from the Volta Regional capital, Ho, where President Mahama had attended a programme organised by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Most of the injured journalists who were sent to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment have been discharged.

The Media Foundation for West Africa has called for an immediate probe into the handling of the president’s press team.

Its Executive Director, Sulemana Braimah has questioned the quality of due diligence conducted before the vehicle was rented for the presidential reporters.

“Somebody must provide some answers, I believe that there are people at the Presidency whose job it is to facilitate the movement of people and how the Presidential Press Corps carry out their duties and such a person should be able to provide answers with regard why they had to go for a rented car.

“What is important is the kind of protocol the vehicle went through before it was rented”, he added.

The vehicle that conveyed the journalists

President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Affail Monney also says the Association will demand answers from the Presidency this week on the circumstances which led to the accident.

“We are overly concerned about the issue surrounding the death of one of our own Samuel Nuamah. We were told that the bus was not suitable from this kind of assignment and we heard from one of our colleagues that the driver was speeding.

“These are issues worth probing and we have called a meeting with the Chief of Staff and these questions will be raised and answers will be demanded from the appropriate quarters”, he said.

But reacting to the issues, the Dean of the Presidential Press Corps, Mr. Bibini said on MultiTV’s pm: Express the accident was not a domestic accident that one can say could have been prevented.

“This is a road accident, I’m sure before you sit in your car, you check your engine, you check your fuel level, you check your water level, you think everything is fine with your battery, you pray to God and you move but what God wills is what will happens,” he stated.

“This is just one of those accidents,” he stressed.  

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation journalist believes the accident involving the journalists was being blown out of proportion because they report from the presidency.