CORPORATE NEGLIGENCE: LIBERIA COMPANY DUMPS EMPLOYEE AT HOSPITAL

• Employer absconds after flying him to Ghana for spine surgery

Moses Negbe, in his hospital bed with hopelessness written on his face

Three months after Global Marine Investment Limited (GMI), a Liberia stevedoring company flew 54-year-old Moses Negbe from Liberia to Ghana for a specialized spine surgery, the company has left its employee to his fate at the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema.

Moses in his confinement in his narrow bed at the Narh Bita Hospital, Tema

Confined to his sick bed, dejection, ill-health, pain and hunger have since connived and pushed him into a life of near hopelessness. Though Negbe has had a successful surgery on Thursday October 29, 2015 and has since been discharged, he is still helplessly in his bed at the hospital with his eyes fixed at the entrance of the ward in the hope of welcoming a good Samaritan or his employer to work out his return to his family in Liberia. 

Presently, his post-surgical care and daily upkeep has turned a burden not only on the facility but the nurses on the ward whose contributions put food on the table for both patient and his nephew, Johnny Johnson, who accompanied him to Ghana for the treatment.

Negbe was brought to the facility by his employer, GMI after an accident on August 31, 2015 at a port in Liberia which left him with complicated multiple spine injury.  

According to sources, Negbe who could hardly talk or move any part of his body, was working in the port when a log fell from a crane and crushed his colleague to death, leaving him (Negbe) in a critical condition.

The source indicated that he was first rushed to the JFK Medical Centre in Monrovia where he spent forty days but had to be flown out of the country due to the complexity of the injury and the need for a specialist attention which was not readily available in the country.

In a separate interview with his nephew, Johnson indicated that GMI arranged for Negbe’s transfer from the hospital in Liberia and made an initial payment for the surgery with a promise to provide for their upkeep while on admission here in Ghana as well as their return back to Liberia after treatment.  

Two weeks after their arrival, the company cut communication with them and all efforts to reach them including calls to the Field Agent, one Joe Sayahway who is the lead contact to the company, has yielded no result.

Realising the difficulty in which his patient finds himself, one Dr. Andrew, who is said to have performed the surgery, drew the attention of the Liberian Embassy to the plight of their national (in the hope that an intervention would be made to call Negbe’s employer to order). According to Johnson, the embassy, made a quick follow up to ascertain the veracity of the complaint but no further steps were taken thereafter.  

Johnson indicated that he personally visited the embassy twice but he would not be embraced by the latter. “This is a private affair which the Embassy cannot address”, he quoted an official of the Embassy as saying.

Will fortune ever smile at me? That seems to be the question on Moses' mind

Johnson said he was advised by someone to go to the Buduburam Camp, a community of Liberian nationals in Ghana, for assistance by the leadership but he was met with disappointment, compelling him to resign to fate.   

Dr. Catherine Larko Narh-Menkah, Deputy Medical Director of the hospital described the situation as appalling and wondered why the embassy was proving reluctant in stepping into an important issue of this nature. “We are writing to them as a final measure to get them to assist at least in repatriating their national. We may have to advise ourselves if nothing positive comes up from that point”.

The Mirror, Friday December 18, 2015

                                                                     

                                                               

The editorial of the newspaper on the day

                                                                       -Ends- 

The writer is a journalist (an activist writer) and a blogger and can be reached via klonobi2007@gmail.com. You can follow him on twitter with the handle @henkingklonobi. Don't hesitate to leave the writer a comment on the story read. 

BOOK ON OKLEMEKUKU AZZU MATE KOLE LAUNCHED

• Braille version for the visually impaired also available

A hundred and forty two (142) paged book on the life and legacies of late Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole II, the fourth Konor (Paramount Chief) of Manya Krobo was, on Thursday, launched to set in motion a four-day programme lined up to mark the silver jubilee celebration of his demise.

The colourful and culturally rich event, graced by traditional rulers including Nene Sakite II, Konor of Manya Krobo who also chaired the programme, was part of a memorial lecture held at the GNAT (Teachers’) Hall, Accra on the theme, “25 years of the end of a remarkable life and the end of an era - lessons, inspirations and the challenges of a state”.

Titled “Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole, a great king and statesman”, the book which also has a braille version to serve the visually impaired segment of the public, was written by Dr. Peter Kwabena Obeng-Asamoa, the Executive Director of the Ghana Blinds’ Union.

Dr. Peter Obeng-Asamoa, Exec. Director, Ghana Blind's Union

In an interviews, Dr. Obeng-Asamoa, who is a grandson of the late king said “I realised there was so much about this man that was unknown, including his impressive contributions to the development of Ghana and of his native people of Manya Krobo”. “Because of my experience as a visually challenged person, I also wanted to demonstrate that God could use anyone to do anything - disability can’t be the end of one’s life”, he stated.

Mr. James Otieku of the University of Ghana who reviewed the book and gave highlights at the launch said, “The writer demonstrated great literary acumen. He traced the history of the Krobos; the role played by key people in the growth of the Manya Krobo state, the transition from a theocratic rule to monarchy and the importance of chieftaincy as an institution in the socio-economic development of the people. He also gave a detailed account of the early years of the man, Oklemekuku - his exploits growing up and the legacies he left his people and the country Ghana. “I therefore recommend this book to the citizenry, specifically to leadership and governance students”, he added.

Launching the book, Mr. Eric Yankah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YANKAH Links, lauded the writer for making provision for the visually challenged, whom he described as a core segment of the public but who are often not taken care of in literary works like this. “This is a loud call on all authors to consider this key section of the population in their works”, he emphasized.

The Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts, Hon. Dzifa Ablah Gomashie, in a statement read on her behalf by Ms. Olivia Opoku, Director of Research and Statistics of the ministry, eulogise Nene Azzu Mate Kole and said “Nene epitomized his culture and took chieftaincy to its peak. I am excited at the fact that there is now a detailed documentation on his life and work which will not only help develop our culture but transmit it too”, she said.

Other dignitaries who graced the event were the La Mantse, Nii Kpobi Tettey Tsuru III; Dr. K. B. Asante, a retired diplomat; Rev. Samuel Atter Odjelua, Director of Ecumenical and Social Relations of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana; Nana Aplam II, Queen of Manya Krobo; Okpatakpla (Nene) Sasraku IV, divisional chief of Manya, Nene Asare Tekpor of Akwenor, Manya Krobo, among others. 

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NENE AZZU MATE KOLE WAS A GREAT KING AND STATESMAN - PROF. SAM ADDO

Prof. Sam. Tetteh Addo, University of Ghana

Professor Samuel Tetteh Addo, of the Department of Geography and Resource Development of the University of Ghana has described the late Oklemekuku (Nene) Azzu Mate Kole II, immediate past Konor (Paramount Chief) of Manya Krobo as a great King and Statesman worth celebrating.

He said, “the height attained by late Oklemekuku in his days as well as his contributions in the development of his native Manya Krobo and the nation Ghana – which were duly recognized with awards such as the Kings’ Medal for Chiefs (KMC) in 1942; Order of the British Empire (1948); the Order of the Volta (OV) in 1969; Doctor of Law LLD, University of Ghana in 1975, among others- were phenomenal and ought to be an inspiration to the youth and leaders of today”.

Prof. Addo who is a retired educationist and presently a part-time lecturer at the graduate level of the Department said this on Thursday in Accra during his lecture to mark the Silver Jubilee anniversary of the passing of Oklemekuku who ruled between 1939 and 1990. The lecture, chaired by Nene Sakite II, Konor of Manya Krobo was on the topic, “Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole: A great king and a statesman”.

He attributed Oklemekuku’s commitment, courage and confidence to the training he acquired from great institutions like the Achimota College where “he imbibed a well-blended mix of the best of Ghanaian culture and relevant aspects of western civilization, as well as the discipline of mind acquired from the Gold Coast Police Force where he has been serving at the rank of an Assistant Superintendent of Police before his enthronement”.

He noted that Oklemekuku, on ascending the throne, quickly reorganised the administrative machinery of the Manya Krobo State and established the stool treasury with an efficient revenue collection system which saw revenue rising threefold in three years. This provided him with the initial capital to carry out his development agenda in the fields of education, agriculture, water and sanitation, road works and transport.

Out of this revenue, the state ran its own transport service and awarded scholarships to students. He also garnered massive communal labour through his concept of self-help to extend feeder roads that linked the farmlands to the two principal food market centres of Asesewa and Sekesua, resulting in a significant increase in farm size, tonnage of food crops assembled in the market centres as well as the revenue that was generated from the market tolls. Additionally, Nene enlisted the Field Engineers of the Ghana Army to construct bridges across the Akrum river at Abuachau and Mlegedu at the cost of 9,500 Euros and this was paid from the state treasury.

In the area of education, Nene initiated the establishment of the Manya Krobo Senior High School to replace the Presbyterian Boys School (PRESEC) which was relocated in 1968 from Odumase-Krobo to its current location at Legon, Accra.  With the aid of notable personalities like late R. P Djabanor, he set up the Akro State Schools, two of which have blossomed into the current Asesewa Senior High School in the Upper Manya Krobo District and the Akro Senior High School in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality. The rest of the schools, dotted across the Manya Krobo state, were absorbed by government as state schools, Prof. noted.

He said Nene’s interest in promoting formal education, partly influenced by his membership of the Central Advisory Committee on Education (1946-1951), saw him releasing land for the establishment of the Mount Mary Training College and also for the University of Ghana’s Agricultural Research station at Kpong.

Another notable handiwork of Nene was the holding of the biggest provincial Agricultural show at Laasi, Odumase-Krobo in 1947- attended by the governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Allen Burns, among others- which was a direct reflection of the improvement in the socio-economic activities of his people. 

On the national stage, Nene displayed his statesmanship by serving in the Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1954. He was also a member of the Gold Coast delegation to the Lancaster House, London in 1948 which made a case for self-rule and was also a member of other such Boards and Committees including the Management Board of the West African Cocoa Research Institute and the West African Institute of Science and Industry, (1942-1945).

The Konor, Prof. Addo noted, also chaired a Committee set up by the Joint Provincial Council of Chiefs to examine issues affecting the cocoa industry and came out with the Mate Kole report which led to the passage of the Cocoa Marketing Board Ordinance in 1947 and paved the way for the establishment of the current Cocoa Marketing Board. Between 1949 and 1973, he served on all the constitution drafting and approving bodies; he was on the Council of the University of Ghana between 1958 and 1960 and served as the Board Chairman of his alma mater, Achimota on three different occasions

Apart from his lead role in the establishment of the Akosombo dam (Volta River Project) and an earlier one which gave birth to the Kpong Water Works which saw the flow of treated water to his people in 1954, Nene became the Deputy Chairman of the Chieftaincy Secretariat in 1966 and Deputy Speaker of the Blay Constituent Assembly in 1969 which discussed the National Constitution of the Second Republic. It was from this position that he advocated for the establishment of the National House of Chief as the mouth piece of the traditional rulers.

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KROBOS CELEBRATE SILVER JUBILEE OF THE PASSING OF OKLEMEKIKU AZZU MATE-KOLE II

Late Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole, immediate past Konor of Manya Krobo (1939-1990)

The chiefs and people of Krobo will, this week, be joined by those from the Dangme speaking areas and the entire nation to revive and relive memories of the late Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole, the immediate past Konor (Paramount Chief) of the area, to mark twenty five (25) years of his passing.

The three day programme, including a memorial lecture and book launch under the chairmanship of Nene Sakite II, Konor of Manya Krobo is to provide a platform for a reflection on the life and achievements of his predecessor, the legendary Krobo King whose fifty (50) year of glorious reign ended in March 1990 following his demise.

The celebration which is hinged on the theme, “25 years of the end of a remarkable life and the end of an era- lessons, inspirations and challenges of a state”, will take off with a memorial/public lecture to be delivered by Professor Samuel Tetteh Addo of the University of Ghana who is also a son of the land and a close associate of the late King. The lecture is on the topic, “Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole; A Great King and Statesman”, and is slated for Thursday November 19, 2015 at the GNAT (Teachers’) hall in Accra at 2:30 pm.

As part of activities for the day, a 144 paged memoir which comes to augment existing literature on the late King titled, “The Eagle of Manya Krobo” by Dr. Peter K. Obeng-Asamoa, Executive Director of the Ghana Blinds Union, will also be launched by Hon. Dzifa Gomashie, Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts.

On Friday November 20, 2015, the Odumase-Korbo township will go live with colourful traditional activities including a cultural/literary evening at the forecourt of the Konor’s palace at Odumase, featuring performances (drumming and dancing) from different cultural troupes/ensembles that would showcase traditional music and dance, including klama, gbekor, agbai and oglojo. Other activities in the lineup include testimonials, sketches, choral music and poetry recital.

The celebration climaxes on Sunday November 22, 2015 with a thanksgiving service at the Zimmermann Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Odumase-Krobo.

In an interview, Dr. Obeng-Asamoah said “Oklemekuku stood out as a King and statesman in his time and left huge legacies both for his native Krobo and the nation at large which should not go properly documented- that exactly is what I have done in this new book which will serve as a reference material on that legend and visionary leader”.

The man Oklemekuku Azzu Mate Kole

Young Mate Kole

Born in January 1910, Oklemekuku (Nene) Azzu Mate Kole who was privately known as Frederick Lawer Mate Kole was the fourth Paramount Chief (Konor) of Manya Krobo, succeeding his late father Sir Emmanuel Mate-Kole who ruled between 1892 and 1939.

The late Oklemekuku was enstooled Konor of Manya Krobo on June 22, 1939 at a relatively young age of 29 years while serving as an officer of the Gold Coast Police Force, stationed at Mampong Akwapim.

Front and left view of the Palace where Oklemekuku lived which still stands in the centre of the Manya Krobo State

At the time of his capture and subsequent enthronement, Nene was already relishing a promising career in the service, spotting an impressive rank of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), having graduated from the Police College at a record rank of a Corporal three years before his “capture”- a rare phenomenon in his days.

Footprints in the Manya Krobo state

The political and cultural head of his people that he was, (and as was the set up in the colonial era), young and progress-minded Nene Azzu Mate Kole, armed with formal education, foresight and administrative acumen, rallied his people to speed up the socio-economic development of the area through self-help which culminated in the re-organisation of the state administrative machinery and the establishment of a stool treasury that soon reflected in a sharp rise in revenue for the work at hand. It was through this that the state was able to run its own transport services and dug over 25 wells at vantage locations to save what would have been a difficult situation during an acute water shortage in 1947.

As the overlord of Manya Krobo which was to become a notable agricultural centre, Nene would not watch access roads terminate at the sprawling market centers like Asesewa, Sekesua and Ehiamekyene but ensured the construction of bridges on the major rivers and link roads to the farming and production centres such as Sisiamang, Akateng, Osonson, Sutapong, Akotue, Abuachau etc., networking the entire areas in a fashion that was soon to put Manya on the rail to speedy development and to the status as a major food basket for the nation.

As if to further showcase the immediate result of these communal and self-supporting activities, Nene and his people together with the District Commissioner of Akuse, Mr. James Moxon organized an Agricultural Show at Odumase-Krobo in 1947 which proved to be the largest and most successful provincial show of the time, attracting not only the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Allan Burns, but merchants, manufacturers as well as indigenous and foreign farmers of repute.  

Through his instrumentality, and as a way of atualising the recommendations of the Government’s Central Advisory Committee on Education of which he was a member, what became known as the Akro State Schools were established, the first of which was sited at Odumase and followed with fifteen others, spread across the Krobo villages.

Contribution to national development

Throughout his life, he contributed not only to the development of his native people but to national development, serving as a member of the Legislative Council (later Parliament) under the provisions in the Electoral College which gave representation to the Provincial Council of Chiefs until 1954.

He stood distinguished in his era, earning him membership of various important national committees including the Blackhall Committee on Native Courts; the West African Institute of Science and Industry (1942-1945); Council of the University College of Ghana (1958-1960); the Wartime Economic Committee of the Gold Coast and also as a member of the management board of the West African Cocoa Research Institute. Others include, President of the Eastern Provincial Council of Chiefs (1947); Chairman, National Advisory Committee (1968); Deputy Speaker, Constituent Assembly, (1969); and Member, Coussey Committee on Constitutional Reforms.

Another of his great services to the nation was his close association with the concept, planning and execution of the Volta Dam at Akosombo popularly referred to as the Volta River Project. So significant was his contribution in driving the project to fruition, that he was appointed as the first chief to the first Board of Trustees of the Volta River Authority under the chairmanship of the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He served on the board for ten (10) years.

Nene is also on record to have played a leading role in the establishment of the Ghana Cocoa Board as one of his varied contributions to national development which culminated in his many awards and recognitions such as the Kings’ Medal for Chiefs (KMC) in 1942; Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1948; Order of the Volta (OV) in 1969 which was crowned by the award of degree of Doctor of Laws (LL.D) by the University of Ghana.

Nene died on March 15, 1990 shortly after celebrating the Golden Jubilee of his enstoolment (1939-1989), during which the Manya Krobo state conferred on him the highest traditional title of the land Oklemekuku, literally meaning “a great leader and an ancient fellow”.

The Manya Krobo Palace as taken from behind

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GIVING CHIEFTAINCY A BAD NAME (Part II); Will the Akwapems also disappoint mother Ghana?

The late Okuapemhene Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III (Picture source: Online library)

The President, HE John. D. Mahama in a handshake with the late Okuapemhene, 

When on Monday August 3, 2015 news officially broke about the passing of Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III, Paramount Chief of the Akwapem Traditional Area, a chain of questions came to mind. Will the Akwapems also disappoint mother Ghana and take to open confrontation or street fight to select a successor who will take over the traditional leadership of the area or they will prove themselves more united and advanced; and use the opportunity to demonstrate to Ghanaians that indeed Okuapeman is the home of discipline, fellow-feeling, orderliness, and respect for authority and due process. By that, at least, they will also show that they have picked useful lessons from the sad but avoidable succession disputes that have devastated other traditional areas across the country.

I dare say that if the police should put together and publish a list stating the causes of violent communal clashes and protracted disputes, chieftaincy will be in the highest category, if not topmost. Ask me in my sleep to recite the names of traditional areas that have literally been shattered by needless succession disputes and I will put up a good show; I will give you ten times the number you request.

Sadly, I have been casting my mind around to point out good examples of areas that have gone through seamless and peaceful processes to fill vacant paramount stools but I can’t seem to find any readily. Yes, it is quite an exercise. May be we should put together a list of the good and bad examples, only then will we realize how bad the situation is.  

Once a stool or skin becomes vacant, greed and self-interest take the better part of the kingmakers/elders (the very people who should know better) and we see them slapping truth in the face, side-stepping custom, tradition and laid down process which end up creating confusion on which and from which they gladly feed at the expense of peace and development of their communities.

The bad Yilo Krobo example

Here in my backyard, in the Yilo Krobo traditional area, blood ties have virtually been severed over matters of succession/chieftaincy, turning kith and kin into arch enemies because the elders (kingmakers) will not speak or stand by the truth and do the right thing to select or endorse the most deserving candidate to continue the work of the late Paramount Chief, (Konor) Kpetekple Nene Narh Dautey Ologo IV who passed away in 2009.

One gate has taken over the palace and installed a “new Konor” to the annoyance of the others who have pitched camp just across the entrance to the palace, seething with anger and waiting for the least opportunity (on the blind side of the police) to stage a show and eject the former.  

The people of Manya Krobo (next door neighbours to the Yilos) were down a similar lane following  the death of Oklemekuku Nene Azu Mate-Kole such that eight year after his passing, the stool remained vacant characterized by acrimony and clear division that visibly stagnated the development of the area. Believe it or not, the ghost of that disagreement and infighting is still hounding the Manya Krobo state, seventeen good years after the stool was eventually filled (in 1998). Tell me why this should not be an example for the people of Yilo to learn from.

Who is the real  and legitimate Ga Matse?

Isn’t it amazing (and disgraceful, if you like) that there is only one Ga Paramount stool/Traditional Council with “two Ga Matseme”? We were recently told (in the Monday August 3, 2015 edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper) of the installation of a “new” Ga Matse, King Dr. Tackie Teiku Tsuru II, whose installation had the backing of “the kingmaker” and Dzasetse of the Ga state, Nii Dr. Kwei. Do we have a sole kingmaker or kingmakers; or maybe the Ga state operates a structure or setup different from the other Ga-Dangme tribes.   

We also know of another Ga Matse in the person of Nii Adama Latse II who is also backed by the Ga Traditional Council and whose name is said to have already been gazzeted in the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs as well as the national register of chiefs. Is that to say he went through the due and complete process of installation and had the support of all (emphasis on all) who should consent to his enthronement, including the “sole kingmaker” who has since taken side with the new Matse, King Teiku Tsuru, the rival camp?

Before then, there was another Ga Matse, King Tackie Tawiah II who at a point ruled concurrently with Nii Adama Latse. He however passed away in silence and many were hoping that could open up an opportunity for the system to be sanitized. But what do we see, claim upon claims that are only stirring the muddy water, creating unnecessary tension and holding back the development of the traditional area and worse of it all tainting the bigger image of an otherwise revered institution, chieftaincy.

Widespread chieftaincy clashes

We all saw the Abudus and Andanis of Dagbon take on each other in a recurrent strife with the resultant loss of lives and destruction of properties. The Bolga area has had to literally come to a standstill due to the rumpus over succession. The Kumawu, Tuobodom, Kade, Nungua, Akyem Swedru, Yeji, Wa, Nadowli, Suhyen, Abease, Senchi, Buipe, Nakpanduri, Brekum, and Akyem Kotoku areas all took turn to give Ghanaians needless headache over one form of chieftaincy dispute or the other. The violence that rocked Afloa, Bunkpurugu, Bimbilla etc. and attendant fatalities left many with nagging questions if chieftaincy is doing us more harm than good in its current form and practice.

We have come to a point where we simply can’t wait any further to put in pragmatic measures to stem the tide and that is why all who have a role to play in bringing to fruition the ongoing project by the National House of Chief to codify the lines of succession to all stools and skins must embrace it and give it urgent attention to save mother Ghana the shame and pain.

Over to you, the people of Akwapem

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo of the NPP in a handshake with the late Okuapemhene

Very soon, the process to find a successor to the late Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III, will commence and that would be even before we get to implementing what comes out of this codification exercise; the Akwapems thus can chose to distinguish themselves and be the streak of light in the midst of the darkness that is spreading across the country. Some of us can and will support in prayers but the decision to move Okuapeman forward or turn it upside down like the others did is largely in the hands of the Akwapems. We hope for the best.

The writer is a journalist (activist writer) and a culture enthusiast. Read Part I of this article on thekroboquill.blogspot.com (http://thekroboquill.blogspot.com/2015/05/giving-chieftaincy-bad-name-yilo-krobo.html) or contact him through klonobi2007@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter via @henkingklonobi

GREETINGS FROM ABROAD, THE AKUA DONKOR COMEDY

"Her Excellency" Akua Donkor sitting (L-R, 1st on the second roll) behind Dr. Spio Gabrah

Until now, it never crossed my mind I could ever be drawn towards partisan politics and be that interested in the presidential race. Sincerely, I am surprised that I am getting interested. Now, it has even gone beyond interest to decision to join the presidential race come 2016. The attractions are just becoming too big to ignore. 

Undeniably, my chances at occupying the flagstaff house are bleak; my defeat in 2016 is as certain and can be predicted much the same way you are able to forecast night following day. If I am not lucky, I may not even pull parity with the Arthur Kennedy records in the history of partisan politics and local elections but that will not deter me. My target now may not necessarily be the presidential seat as you are thinking; I have my own priorities.

At least, joining the race will shoot me from obscurity to national prominence and I will enjoy the accompanying fame and privileges. I will become an expert on most (if not all) national issues, — an expert whose opinion and comments the news-hungry media will stampede one another for.

Top of it all, I will be guaranteed a seat in the midst of topmost dignitaries at state/national events and will enjoy the protocol that comes with it. Don’t forget that by that singular political decision of contesting, my slot on presidential trips is locked because I would then be “wielding more power than most of this ministers” who are now doing “paapaaa” here and there. 

From that point, my monotonous Accra-Odumase Krobo trips will change to Accra-Milan, Accra-Johannesburg, Accra-Amsterdam, Accra-Lagos etc. and give me the much needed exposure and international experience by way of presidential excursions. If this is what the decision to contest in the presidential race comes with, I am interested and I am going for it. Don’t ask me of my background/expertise and what the justification is for those special treats I hope to enjoy. If you have any such question, ask Her Excellency Akua Donkor, State Protocol/Presidency or, maybe you may want to find out from the John Dramani Mahama himself.

THE STATE-SPONSORED AKUA DONKOR EXCURSION

Delegations for presidential trips are composed based largely on the nature of the assignment at stake and because this comes with huge expenses and, if you like, security concerns, it is carefully done; you must be trusted and or relevant to the business or high level trip to be included. Strictly speaking, they (such trips) are not for sightseeing, unless the few that are so purposed. But once in a while, we are slapped with comedies on how state-sponsored presidential trips are turned into excursions.

The President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, was with the Pope (Italy) recently to make some business out of an Expo in the city of Milan which is said to be the second most populous in Italy. Among the business opportunities this big event, which attracted over 150 countries, presented, the President and his team were to learn of new technologies in agro-processing, expected to be replicated here in Ghana on their return as we strive to make more gains from our agricultural sector.

You will expect that the team will be a tight one (the best of teams) with people who could make the best of the event like experts in the sector as well as industry players, who will return to pollinate others and get the knowledge spreading to help us make the most of our rather under-utilised agric potential.

Admittedly, one or two people who are justifiably relevant to the assignment like the Trade Minister, Hon Dr. Ekow Spio Gabrah; Food and Agric Minister, Fifi Kwetey, among others, joined in the trip but same were those who clearly were miscellaneous and a needless burden on the state coffers.

Another round of comedy in 2016?

One of those is the Founder and Leader of the Ghana Freedom Party, “Her Excellency” Akua Donkor.  What was she doing in the team and by what criteria was she selected? That she founded a political party that once joined the race to the flagstaff house? That she is a farmer and or the leader of farmers in Ghana? Or that she is multilingual (interpreter) needed to interpret Italian, English and the other international languages that were used at the event? Could it be that she was included just so we will be seen to be moving towards the inclusive government concept many are calling for? Which other party was represented, if that was the basis?  I think I even saw her in the team that graced the swearing in of Nigeria’s President, Muhamadu Buhari.

Given her literacy level and particularly her rather “weird” way of reasoning (bluntly put) on serious national issues which give her out as someone who is unable to appreciate weightier matters, she certainly should not be one of those to front international engagement for a country like Ghana, unless this is our best foot forward.

CONCERT PARTY

Well I listen to Akua Donkor for purposes of comic relief; she has made quite a significant and enviable stride in the area of political comedy and entertainment, in a rather short period since she emerged on the scene and so unless she was added and state-sponsored (air ticket, allowance, accommodation etc.) for same droll and funny reason (at a time when we should be cutting down on wastage), our priorities are regrettably turned upside down and will for a long time, hold us stagnant at the point where our equals have long passed.

I have spoken my mind; let the discerning reader make meaning of this piece. The writer is a journalist (an activist writer) and a blogger and can be reached via klonobi2007@gmail.com. You can follow him on twitter with the handle @henkingklonobi 

NB: All pictures used in this story were sourced from the net

The story as captured in page 34 of  the July 27, 2015 edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper

OOOOOOOH ASAMOAH GYAN !!!

Efe namͻ tai shi e kwƐ?

From my own small corner, I have watched with dropping jaws the sensational Asamoah Gyan, captain of the senior national team, the Black Stars bask in his popularity. The man is talented and hard-working and so he is expected to eat from his toil and enjoy the fame that comes with it.

His stardom and recognition in football circles aside, the young man seems to have gained additional popularity for causing a stir and riding on it to add some more layers to his increasing fame without much thought about what the ripples could be or, indeed, are on his reputation. What is of interest to me now is the stunning impunity with which he seems to react to the boos that swirl in response to issues around his personality.

The decision to appear in this shirt is just too bad

The last public evidence of this seeming overconfidence and “I don’t care” attitude was his showoff, amidst all this controversies, in a branded shirt with a mischievously teasing inscription “Efe bo tai shi e kwƐ? ”, literally meaning “You are irritated but you simply can’t avoid watching”, as captured in page 46 of the Saturday July 11, 2015 edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper.

The name Asamoah Gyan now means too many things to different people. The brand, image, reputation or perception out there is mixed. There is the Asamoah Gyan who, in 2010, drew a dagger into the hearts of Ghanaians when he missed (or rather wasted) the all-important penalty kick against Uruguay that would have pushed his success-hungry side to a debut semi-final berth in the history of World Cups. The disaffection this single event created for him was just too big, virtually neutralising the many good things he has been doing on the quite including (one that personally touches my heart), the adoption of those Okwampa Bawjiase-based motherless triplets.

As a player, missing a penalty kick is just natural and so, though painful, it was relatively easier forgiving him, after all “Pa ya lͻ lƐ e yua did)”, as the Krobos would put it, loosely translated to mean “The person who fills the pot with water is he who often breaks it”. Believe it or not, that event pitched him against the angry Ghanaian population though it also contributed a great deal in making him a house hold name in Ghana and spreading it further beyond borders.

The missing duo, Janet and Castro

It was this same Asamoah Gyan who was blown by the Castro-Janet Bandu whirlwind into a never dying fire and controversy. As a lead figure and a joint organiser of that infamous Ada rendezvous that led to the mysterious disappearance (death?) of the duo, Gyan could not escape criticism, accusation and plain insults particularly because of the myth surrounding it. Castro and the friend remain unaccounted for till date; many are those who are still holding him (Gyan) accountable for the “spilled blood” and will miss no opportunity to demand it from him especially because of the deep-seated feeling (entrenched by his silence) that he has something to hide with respect to the facts.

How about the ‘decision’ by the Gyans to go masculine on Daniel Kenu, a journalist who in his line of duty found an opportunity of coming face-to-face with “the Gyan” to revisit the Castro issue and scoop some more fact? Doubtless, this chain of events did more harm than good to the man, Asamoah.

While this issue was hibernating, he made a quick return into the news again, this time with the accusation (against him) that his zip went wide open on the hunt for short-lived sexual pleasure (in a young girl who is threatening to spill into the public a documentary evidence of the act), resulting in a pregnancy that has since turned a hot cake for public/media consumption. He is said to have admitted “knowing” the lady in question but denied paternity of the foetus and called for a test. This can only subtract from your reputation.

Elsewhere, this could have caused him his captain band like John Terry of England. He may quickly want to hinge his argument on the fact that Terry’s was an affair with the ex of his own team mate while his was a lady away from his profession, but it only tells him what a seemingly private and distant act could stream into your professional life and wreak havoc. 

For someone his stature and who is at the center of all these controversial controversies which are still making waves in the media landscape, the least he should be doing is giving the impression that he is not pinched by what is happening and the attendant criticisms, and that his critics (the public) can go and hug a wet transformer, if they so desire.

Too bad a decision, if you ask me

Strangely, that is what he is doing (the impression I get), otherwise, what was he doing in that ““Efe bo tai shi e kwƐ” shirt? Who was he taunting or teasing with that inscription? Ghanaians who are sad that their number one footballer is making too many negative headlines and dragging the senior national team along with him into disrepute or the “bereaved” families and friends of Castro and Janet who are still grieving over the disappearance of their own, or perhaps he found a target in his “partner”, Sarah Kwablah, who is on the way to giving birth to an “illegitimate” child (if the paternity test exonerates him,, Gyan). The decision to spot that shirt was just bad and below him; it couldn't have been coincidence too, not when all three of them as appeared in the picture, (including his brother, Baafoe Gyan and manager, Simon Addo) were in same shirt with same inscription. It must have been specially designed and branded for the purpose.

You see my reasoning? And since he won’t have the chance to explain his actions to me and the many Ghanaians (or his fans), that is even the more reason why he should be mindful of what he does, unless of course that is his way of staying top of mind.

In this man, Stephen Appiah you'll find an example

Many captained the team and many were those who were similarly great at the national and international levels but passed with little or no controversy. Right here in our backyard, we find an example in Stephen Appiah. Even in his retirement, he evokes a lot of respect, arising out of his humility, dignity, exemplary leadership, and carefully couched image, brand and reputation. The PR that came with his testimonial match and the array of high profiled leaders who honoured his invitation could only be an endorsement of his refined brand and aura.

The many high profiled dignitaries who grace Appiah's testimonial match

When he (Asamoah) steps off the pitch, and the spotlight is taken off him, how does he want to be remembered? Image is key and being a well-paid footballer should not put him in a bracket/world of his own where he doesn’t care about what others feel.

Coming from a PR background with a little knowledge in brand and reputation management, I see some things lacking that must be given urgent attention. I am of the view that his manager(s) and or the PR team can give more thought to what he does and says to help rework his image beyond the realm of football. Once again, that shirt was just in bad taste and it is something else watching him in it. I am one of his fans, and even when he hangs his boots and comes back to roost, I still want to be.

The writer is a journalist (an activist writer) and a blogger and can be reached via klonobi2007@gmail.com. You can follow him on twitter with the handle @henkingklonobi