The GaDangme Bi Yo beauty pageant, recently aired on Obonu TV, faced controversy as the organizer, Nana Kwame Dadzie, allegedly overcharged contestants for passports. Instead of the government-approved rate of GHC 100, he reportedly charged between GHC 800 and GHC 1000, citing penalties for delayed payments.
Several contestants, who spoke anonymously with this news outlet, confirmed the incident.
According to them, they were duped.
Nana Kwame Dadzie, CEO of Events Arts Masters and President of Ghana Dance Association, allegedly expressed disappointment, claiming some contestants have not disclosed to him for not having birth certificates.
He initially promised a trip to Ile Ife in Nigeria, collecting GHC 600 for passports and imposing a GHC 200 penalty for late payments.
“He asked us to pay GHC 600 cedis each for the passports but he also told us that anyone who failed to pay on time will attract a penalty of GHC 200,” one of the participants in pageantry who paid GHC 800 told newsmen.
Facing financial constraints, some contestants were unable to pay on time.
Dadzie then increased the charge to GHC 800 due to the penalty of GHC 200 and demanded an extra GHC 200 from those without birth certificates. This means that the charge increased from the initial GHC 600 to GHC 800 for those who were delayed in payment and GHC 1000 for those without birth certificates.
Another source revealed that Dadzie orchestrated a misleading phone call from the passport office to explain the charges to the contestants.
One contestant’s manager, a journalist, intervened and obtained an express passport for GHC 200, questioning the transparency of Nana Dadzie’s charges. This incident reveals a potential exploitation within the pageantry that was under the guise of promoting the culture of the GaDangme people.
All efforts to reach out to Dadzie for comments were fruitless.
The backdrop of alleged fraudulent activities at the passport office, recently highlighted by the unannounced visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, adds to the complexity of the issue.
