You’re embarrassing President Mahama – Vim Lady slams Ablakwa
Ghanaian media personality Afia Pokua, widely known as Vim Lady, has criticized the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, over the recent closure of Ghana’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., following allegations of corruption.
Speaking on Okay FM’s Gyaso Gyaso on June 9, 2025, Vim Lady argued that the minister’s decision to shut down the embassy was hasty and lacked proper investigation. According to her, the only issue found by a committee from the Foreign Affairs Ministry was a conflict of interest, not corruption — and this, she said, was not enough to justify the closure or the negative publicity.
She accused Ablakwa of chasing social media popularity and acting in a politically careless manner. Referring to his own vetting process — where he was accused of corruption for allegedly living in a luxury home at Airport Hills — she recalled how the public, including herself, defended him due to lack of evidence. Now, she said, he was doing the same to others without proof.
“Kudos to President Mahama. The NDC government is only six months old, but some ministers are already putting him under pressure. If they’re not careful, they will embarrass the President,” she warned.
Vim Lady rejected Ablakwa’s explanation that corruption led to the embassy’s closure. She noted that some staff from Ghana’s New York Mission had even been sent to help out in Washington.
“There was a legitimate contract between the Ghana Embassy and the company. There was no corruption. Sacking people on that basis is wrong. He should be sued,” she said.
“You were once accused of corruption during vetting because of where you lived. We stood by you. Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you.”
She clarified that former Ambassador Hajia Alima Mahama had signed a contract with a private company to handle mailing services for visa applicants. Although one embassy staff member was said to have a personal interest in the company, there was a valid contract in place. She insisted that conflict of interest does not automatically mean corruption.
“Even if contract terms were broken, you cancel the contract. That doesn’t mean there was corruption,” she added.
She also accused Ablakwa of using the situation for propaganda and warned that it could tarnish the image of the Mahama-led administration.
“This over-politicization is dangerous. You rushed and made a mistake. We defended you once, and now you’re destroying others without evidence. This will bring disgrace to President Mahama. You’ve dismissed people unfairly.”
The embassy was shut on May 26, 2025, after a corruption scandal hit the visa department. Ablakwa revealed in a Facebook post that a local IT worker redirected visa applicants to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC), where unapproved fees between $29.75 and $60 were collected and deposited into his personal account. This operation allegedly went on undetected for five years.
Following the revelations, all Foreign Affairs staff posted to the Washington D.C. embassy were recalled to Accra, the IT department was dissolved, and all locally recruited staff were suspended for investigations.
The embassy has since reopened to the public.