Former Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage says she did not make any derogatory comment about musician, Atimbila as being portrayed in the public domain.
This comes after management of Atimbila took on the former regional minister over what they claimed is her insensitive comments about the musician.
In an interview with My Bolga Online, CEO of West Side Entertainment, West Gee asserted that Madam Abayage failed to exercise discretion in her remarks about the former MTN Hitmaker contestant and demanded that she apologizes to the musician and his fans.
He stated, “She should apologize to Atimbila and the general public for her insensitive comments. She is a mother; if someone goes to the radio to talk about her children’s problems, will she be happy? I know her children very well; I won’t talk much, for now, she should humbly apologize; she is an important figure, and it is not a good look for her.”
But the former regional minister in reaction said, “I said nothing I should apologize for. People like sensationalism. He who’s demanding apology should have sought the audio, listened to before commenting. You know me too well to know I don’t make reckless statements”.
What did Tangoba Abayage really say?
The politician, in an interview on Dreamz FM, disclosed that she had planned to support the former MTN hitmaker contestant to rebrand and grow his craft after witnessing his sterling performance at an event.
But the musician, after visiting her once at her office and asking for a mobile phone, which she bought for him, ceased contacts with her and only had a lady, who claimed to be his wife, constantly telephoning her and demanding money to cater for his supposed medical bills.
The said lady, the former minister disclosed, had called her on more than 10 different occasions, claiming that the musician had been hospitalized due to excessive alcohol intake and needed money to settle his bills.
But Madam Abayage said she could not bear such attitude and had to cut ties with him and his supposed wife.
Responding to a question by listener about her relationship with the ‘Sister’ hitmaker, she recounted, “I met Atimbila at a program somewhere, he sang so well and I liked him. But he looked so disoriented and dejected so I decided that ‘why don’t I take such person and groom him up’. So he came to my office and said he didn’t have a phone, I gave him a phone. Once in a while, I gave him something small.
I left office, he hardly would call but a lady would call, ‘madam, it is Atimbilla, he is dying, we need money’, more than 10 times. I asked why and she said ‘he keeps drinking, I tell him not to drink but he drinks’”.
She added, “I was willing to help him but he didn’t give me any assurance that he was ready to do something meaningful with his life. You can’t call me and say you are drunk and you are sick and at the hospital, they should give you money, who does that? This is the first time I’m saying this just so he know. I don’t even know the lady. Maybe, the lady was trying to scam me because anytime she called, ‘madam, Atimbilla is sick’. Who are you? I don’t know you, I don’t know the girl. She claimed she is his wife. Atimbila himself doesn’t call me”.
The former minister contended that it was discourteous on the musician’s part to cease communicating with her and only had a lady, whom she does not know, calling her to beg for money.
“You don’t have to call and beg. You have to call and checkup on me. Sometimes, we need to do that. I left office, you are my son, call and check on me and we build the relationship. Our people have a proverb that water doesn’t run the wrong way. I have been here, I have been nice with you, pick a phone and call and check on me, that is it. But you let some girl somewhere be calling me and demanding for money for treatment”.
She further stated, “Let me tell you one thing in principle, what I hate is to be giving handouts to people who can make it in life. When we do that we don’t encourage them. I don’t do that to my own children. I can’t be giving you handouts. If you have to struggle, you got to struggle”.
