On Nana Akufo-Addo & The Wailers

By Nana Akyea Mensah

Over the past couple of years, watching the countless spins and puerile campaign initiatives by Nana Akufo-Addo and his cheer-leaders, I have had the occasion to be reminded of Sir Walter Scott's “children” who “build statues of snow and weep to see them melt.” One feature of these bands of Akufo-Addo followers that is very difficult to get used to, is the fact that they are equally as noisy when they are building their statues as is their wailing, when these also begin to melt. This article is intended to bring the noise down to acceptable decibels. One of the most notorious of the Akufo-Addo “wailers”, Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., a typical Akyem town-crier, whose “talents” include the ability to wail exactly like a baby, is under focus. 

In the lead up to the 2008 general elections, it was pathetic to see Okoampa-Ahoofe taking a free-ride on the Akufo-Addo campaign-hype of “one-touch” victory, even though the NPP flag-bearer had been left in no doubt by Professor Larry Gibson concerning his own chances of winning against the then NDC candidate, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills. Thanks to the revelations in Dr. Arthur Kennedy's book, “Chasing the elephant into the bush”, we now know that even as Akufo-Addo was stubbornly refusing to concede defeat to the winning candidate, as expected of any decent politician, Akufo-Addo was already aware he stood no chance of winning the race in the first place! 

The prognosis of his impending defeat did not stop him from using “one-touch” as his campaign slogan. It did not stop him from refusing to concede his obvious defeat. Akufo-Addo is therefore, himself, the spider at the centre of the yarn of lies being spun by the “wailers” around him, like Okoampa-Ahoofe. Akufo-Addo therefore needs to be dealt with in his own right, except that one of his wailers has developed some Dutch courage to disturb the peace of late, hence this focus on Okoampa-Ahoofe together with his uncle. Out of sheer desperation, and realization that Akufo-Addo is increasingly becoming the under-dog in the race, they are busy preparing the grounds to subvert the will of the people against their inevitable defeat at the 2012 polls.

I think two articles written by Okoampa-Ahoofe epitomize the phenomenon. In the first article, The Tribal Question: Why Akufo-Addo Must Handily Win the Ewe, Okoampa predicts a massive win for his uncle in the Volta Region in these terms, “Anyway, we know that Nana Akufo-Addo will handily win the Ewe vote in Election 2008, because the New Patriotic Party Presidential Candidate has guts and mettle for the fearless pursuit of unfettered democratic culture, whereas the nauseatingly timid Prof. Atta-Mills has always toadied up to the orgiastic butchery and immitigable savagery of the Dzelukope Mafia.” (See: The Tribal Question: Why Akufo-Addo Must Handily Win the Ewe, By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., ModernGhana.com, Featured Articles, 9 October 2008).

In the second article, Okoampa-Ahoofe is busily instructing the winning candidate and President-elect, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, to concede defeat to his losing uncle! See: “Atta-Mills Must Concede Defeat!” By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D., ModernGhana.com, Featured Articles, 31 December 2008. So there is nothing new about these wailers, and their “all-die-be-die” because “someone is desperate to cheat us” nonsense. The Busia-Danquah fraternity have never lost an election without crying foul. This they did, even when their own colonial Britain was overseeing the 1951 elections, jailing Nkrumah during the campaigns and financing them! 

 

Try to find out how the Accra Sports stadium came into being, and you would be learning something about how the colonialists financed Danquah's initiative to use sports to attract the teaming Accra youth rallying behind Kwame Nkrumah They even cried foul after the 1951 elections when their own colonial patrons were in charge and had an obvious preference to them than to Kwame Nkrumah and his CPP! 

 

Before the 2008 elections, even Akufo-Addo's own private pollsters predicted an Atta-Mills victory. The attempts to stem the tide with the Rawlings' Hitlist hoax only worsened matters, as President Mills emerged not only victorious but also to be “his own man”. On the other hand, Akufo-Addo's popularity, insufficient as it was in 2008, has been on the wane, as a result of reckless statements and a series of drug-related scandals and allegations. 

 

As though that were not enough, his own lieutenants are at each others' throats. Herbert Krapa fights Otchere-Darko, Okoampa fights Ochere-Darko and Krapa, Otchere-darko fights Okoampa and Herbert Krapa. Even within the inner-circle of the so-called “Victory 2012 Campaign”, the constant strategic repositioning and jostling for power and attention has led to a complete breakdown of teamwork. It is even worse with the NPP as a party. Today, despite the obvious low-profile, the “Agenda 2016” is almost becoming a household word. The funniest thing about Okoampa-Ahoofe is that he even helped in putting words to the fundamental logic that has now developed into the full-blown “Agenda 2016”:

"...the fact that the timing of his premiership had far more to do with the widely perceived success of the suggested candidate than either his own proven managerial skills or his perceived ability to readily reach out to his internal political opponents..." - Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame. See: NPP Needs Functional structures and statesmen, not self-centered politicians, Ghanaweb, Feature Article of Thursday, 11 February 2010, Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame.

I take the contrary position. It is rather not only Akufo-Addo's “perceived inability to readily reach out to his internal political opponents”, coupled with “the timing of his [President Mills] premiership”, but also his inability to effectively respond to the allegations of substance abuse, perceived arrogance, a repetitive and intrusive sense of ideological and moral bankruptcy that exude from his discourses, that make Akufo-Addo the under-dog in this race in which President Mills is clearly the front-runner. It is therefore a ridiculously disingenuous mischief to begin to cry foul even before the vote as to call for bloodshed. I shall be discussing this in detail later on, but first, let's go back to the quotation from Okoampa above, and try to come to terms with it.

What Okoampa is saying in simple English, is that President Mills defeated Akufo-Addo, or the NDC defeated the NPP simply because the NPP had been in power for eight years, and Ghanaians were tired of them and wanted change. For Okoampa, it had nothing to do with any innate ability of Candidate Mills who won, because it was all a matter of timing! And I think he is statistically correct. An NPP candidate who contests an NDC President after the eight-year term had expired, stands better chances of winning against an NDC candidate, and vice versa, as we saw after the end of the Rawlings' eight year term that ushered in President John Agyekum Kufour of the NPP. The same can be said of the eight year term of NPP President Kufour, that ushered in the NDC President Mills.

You would all recall the grievances we heard from strategic NPP power brokers in the Ashanti Region, which included well-connected candidates vying for powerful seats in the party, such as National Chairman, National Secretary, etc., who did not only feel aggrieved for having been cheated in the elections, but also felt aggrieved as regards the manner the party handled their grievances. Add to that melting pot, a shrewd and calculating Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, also from the Ashanti Region, who must have thought of such dazzling arithmetic of timing, long before the implications of that, in terms of the internal politics of the NPP, dawned upon Okoampa-Ahoofe.

Add to that, Okoampa's own incessant attacks on President Kufour, which I described as “a state of cognitive dissonance” in an article on that subject when out of the blue Okoampa came to the defence of President Kufour over the Gizelle Yajzi scandal:

“Are we now seeing in full display the long-awaited problem of THE CONGNITIVE DISSONANCE OF THE AKYEM MAFIA? I know Kufuor is now like "Asantrofi Anoma" to you people, and you people are yet to make up your minds whether to like him or hate him! The problem is you would want to use his records to win votes, but at the same time you want to distance yourselves from the numerous scandals! Now, all of a sudden you appear to put a brave face on it because of the obvious repercussions on the integrity of Mr. Akufo-Addo, who may have to position himself on this scandal if it continues to grow. An uncomfortable situation indeed, so by all means Kufour has to be innocent!” See: Gizelle Yajzi/Yadzi: Prikus Kufuorus Non Conscientum Habet! Feature Article of Wednesday, 25 August 2010, by Mensah, Nana Akyea.

Why so? Because, not long before this Okoampa had been on the back of President Kufour at the slightest pretext. It became so serious that I am sure many people tried to talk to him through various channels. For instance he complains that Otchere-Darko has forbidden him not to criticize a certain political enemy of Nana Akufo-Addo. He also reacts angrily to a wise counsel by Peter Owusu Boahene, in a rejoinder to Okampa's article, “Kufuor continues to campaign for Atta-Mills", to tone down his attacks on President Kufour and to plead for both Akyems and Ashantis to come together for the sake of Nana Addo, whom Okoampa also happens to support. The response from Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. to this appeal should explain to any doubting Thomases anywhere whether or not the Ashanti-Akyem divide in the NPP is a hoax as they say. 

Under the title, "Comment: Did I Impress Your wife?" Okoampa charged:

"Man, are you good at spewing crap! All of a sudden, it is the fault of Owusu-Akyem Tenten Nana Kwame Okoampa-Agyeman! That I served as Local Government secretary under Rawlings when the judges you so much cared about went missing.

Yes, the Akyem-Mafia killed the judges!

Barima, ask those who went to secondary school with me: I was editing "The Mountaineer" when Kufuor was a Kwaku Baah lieutenant and B. B. Ofori was my genius Geography tutor!

In 1932, when the real Asante-Mafia ran my maternal grandfather, Rev. T. H. Sintim out of the Adum section of Kumasi and off his job as the first native-Ghanaian headteacher, for being criminally culpable of Akyem descent and heritage, as Justice Sarpong put it rather mildly a few days ago, Nana Yawbe Sintim-Aboagye was "acting high and mighty," as the expression is the exclusive behavioral preserve of Akyemfo.

Don't talk about Dr. Richard Anane now: I saw and read your large corpus of protest literature on Ghanaweb. Rather, let's talk about Mr. Osafo Maafo. Oh, no, no, no.... Why? Because he is only an
Akyem-Kotoku bastard!

My friend, where were you when the Ejisu-Piranhas ran me out of NPP-USA because I had dared to call Uncle Kofi Diawuo his real name?

And where were you when my own father, the founding-libator of the Amansie Society of New York was banished because one of your royal Asante-Angels suddenly discovered that his tabooed Akyem identity was stalling the progress of the organization?

My friend, you are lucky you are spewing such guff tens of miles away; else, I would strangle you and face execution by lethal injection!" - Author: Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Date: 2010-08-12 23:48:31 (See: Comment to: "RE: “Kufuor continues to campaign for Atta-Mills" Feature Article of Friday, 13 August 2010, by Columnist: Boahene, Peter Owusu).

A similar scene was repeated the first time Asamoah Boateng attempted to pay a visit to the Akufo-Addo Victory 2012 office in Accra. This time he was not called an Ejisu piranha. Asmaoh Boateng, everybody knows hails from Mankesim in the Central Region, yet they screamed “Agenda 2016!” Here is a story that speaks for itself:

“The New Patriotic Party (NPP), even in opposition, is a house divided against itself where factionalism has taken over sense of strategic reasoning DAYBREAK has gathered. 

Reports say some key persons who campaigned for Alan Kyerematen are not been tolerated at the Ridge campaign office of Nana Akufo Addo on suspicion that they have a 2016 agenda rather than a 2012 agenda.

So nasty is the development that former Information Minister, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, who supported the Alan Kyerematen flag-bearer bid, was recently booed, insulted and hooted at the front gate of the Nima residence of Nana Akufo Addo by some of his security details at the entrance.

Not only did they rain insults on Asamaoh Boateng but he was warned to leave the place and never return if he does not want to suffer a broken jaw. Some journalists who witnessed the nasty scene feared that the former Minister would be assaulted and they went to his rescue until an aide of Nana Addo intervened and whisked Asabee into the compound. The attackers were not even given a verbal rebuke.” (See: “Nana Addo Snubs Alan Boys” Ghanaweb, General News of Thursday, 30 September 2010, Source: DAYBREAK)

My point about the wailers is that these are the very same people who will wail the most, when the results turn out to confirm their stupidities! I would go as far as to say that apart from the cocaine scandal and marijuana fumes “first thing in the morning!”, which have completely shattered any chances of breaking through the competitive nature of Ghana's elections, the “Agenda '16” is yet another formidable challenge capable of delivering a deadly defeat to his presidential ambitions. At this juncture, one may ask, “What is Agenda 2016?” and it shall be treated as a genuine question. I shall try and give some insight into that question in this “dufument”.

This is my first major “dufument” of Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., as we approach the 2012 electoral year, and he begins to churn out more nonsense, and playing the drum major in the drums of war in Ghana we shall have the time to explain that Nana Akufo-Addo chances of winning any elections were even brighter in 2008 than they are today. Independent predictions like UK-based Economist Intelligence Unit is predicting a slim victory for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), if the 2012 general elections were held today. This has sent the signals to the business community, effectively enhancing the authority and prestige of the man to deal with in the foreseeable future as far as Ghana is concerned. 

This impression that President Mills is no lame duck administration probably explains some of the international curtsies and diplomatic strength the Mills Administration is enjoying currently. I was not surprised at the speed with which the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) unanimously endorsed a limit of US$3.4 billion on non-concessional borrowing for Ghana, just as an example, to the utter shock and chagrin of Otchere-Darko and his friends, including Akufo-Addo. It is against this background that I wish to wonder aloud, just what does Akufo-Addo mean by all-die-be-die because, somehow, someone is determined to rig the elections to deny him of victory? Who born dog? Who dash frog coat? 

You are even more unpopular than you were in 2008 when you lost. President Mills has even become more popular when it became apparent that he was not going to be a “poodle of Rawlings” as the Akufo-Addo camp had falsely predicted. He has the advantage of incumbency. He has a sounder academic background, and has displayed sound judgement in resisting Ghana being compelled into war with La Cote d'Ivoire, as Akufo-Addo and Okoampa and co stupidly insisted. 

Akufo-Addo was not surprised that he lost the 2008 Presidential elections. He had already been warned about it by Professor Larry Gibson in advance! Yet he was able to pretend that he could have won if his "numerous" supporters in the Volta Region had been allowed to vote! I think there is no need to wait for Akufo-Addo to lose to find out whether or not he is going to accept the results. I think he is automatically going to cry foul, even though his chances this time are even slimmer than the last time around!

From their own admissions, the Akufo-Addo campaign is not going well at all. In his recent article, Gabby Asare, the author, who is also the Executive Director of the Akufo-Addo PR-team known as "the Danquah Institute" admits that the NDC deserves "some credit for even succeeding in putting the opposition on the defensive much of the time." See: "Negative Campaign In Ghana And Lessons From .....", Feature Article of Saturday, 8 October 2011, Otchere-Darko. So, how can a relatively unpopular candidate, doomed to lose to the incumbent, blame his obvious unpopularity and inevitable defeat to cheating? That is the million-dollar question!

Akufo-Addo's problems with the crucial Ashanti vote which can make or break is far from resolved. Apparently the "Agenda 2016" Team led by Kufour and Allan Cash is even more optimistic and better organized than the "Victory 2012" in the Ashanti Region. It is the group which controls the Ashanti Region that will decide the winner, and all the indications are that they do. And these are people who have their own agenda, “affectionately” called “Agenda 16” by Nana Akufo-Addo and the wailers.

Indeed, the only way Akufo-Addo can hope to win the election is through rigging, but there are even internal forces within the NPP which would sabotage that for the sake of the “Agenda 2016” so what is he talking about? Is it another way of preparing the grounds in order to refuse to concede his inevitable defeat as he did in 2008, after his so-called “one-touch” victory campaign? The only reason why he keeps shouting “all-die-be-die” is simply because he was overwhelmed by the scandal of drug abuse and enjoyed the distractions that this particular stupidity generated: “We Akans are not cowards!” Apart from counting on mercenaries who intend to be paid with our oil money, Akufo-Addo cannot even garner enough support to wage war on the will of the people and on our democracy!

Keep building your statues of snow, but wail not, and behave like adults when you see them melting! At the end of the day the NPP has more to lose from the "Agenda 2016" menace than the NDC has to lose from the Rawlingses threat. The percentage of constituency under Alan Cash's command is far greater than the percentage as demonstrated in their respective congresses where "President John Mills won the NDC's National Delegates' Congress in Sunyani by a whooping 96.09% as against Nana Konadu's 3.01%", whilst Nana Akufo-Addo obtained 78.89 per cent in his own party. Mr John Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen polled 21,226 votes representing about 19.91 per cent. The dynamics do not bode well for the NPP, also because there is a frontal and direct contradiction between the Alan Cash "Agenda 2016" and the Akufo-Addo "Victory 2012".

"A wolf may eat a sheep now and then,
But thousands are killed by men,
An open foe may prove a curse,
But a pretended friend is worse"!

The NDC now has the "open foe" under control, but can the NPP say the same thing about their "pretended friends"? Whilst the Rawlingses are already talking of forming another political party, with preferably, the NDC logo, Akufo-Addo recently included Alan Kyeremanten in his campaign team, despite the visceral hatred of the Alan Cash "Agenda 2016" underground commandos. Alan Cash believes strongly that 2016 is his time, given to him by God himself. The Akufo-Addo "Victory 2012" is a threat to this "God-given" hope of Alan Cash, as Akufo-Addo could extend his political expiring date beyond 2012 to two terms ending in 2020, and making nonsense of the "Agenda 2016"!

Attention! There is a good reason why this is not in the public domain. This shall never be an operation that will be played out in the open. Both sides have come to the selfish conclusion that they need a strong façade of unity, whether 2012 or 2016, if they are to make any impact. Thus publicly they are friends! They have agreed to disagree. They tell each other, "if you are pretending to be a friend, we shall also pretend to be friends!" This is a house irrevocably divided against each other as the Ashanti Region is the strongest base of the party, the "Agenda 2016" which needs a defeat of Akufo-Addo, to spring into action, gives the NDC a fortuitous advantage even if the Rawlingses were to break away from the NDC.

As you can see, the title is a bit misleading for those who were expecting me to talk of “the wiki-weed problem” rather than Okoampa. That shall come later. I just want to emphasise the fact that Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe is just a tip of an iceberg. The only person who can do something about this problem is the stolid and indolent Akufo-Addo, who is quick to bring to order, the non-Akyem members of the party who fall out of line, such as the recent rebuke of the Honourable P.C. Ofori-Appiah over his remarks on Alan Kyeremanten. Even though several voices have been raised in the past and continue to be raised by both NPP sympathisers and opponents alike, Mr. Akufo-Addo has remained strangely silent when it comes to calling his Akyem cousins to order! 

Whom is he deceiving other than his own bloody-self as more and more NPP sympathisers begin to feel frustrated and pissed off by this sinful silence? This is a call for the first non-tribal political election campaign in our history, and it will pay a lot if Akufo-Addo saw the light and started his own anti-tribal campaign of his own and call some of his lieutenants like Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., to order! It would be a very small thing in itself, but certainly a good beginning. After all, as Kwame Nkrumah puts it, even though Rome was not built in a day, the building of Rome was started in a day This, Nana Akufo-Addo can do by first withdrawing the obnoxious statement, “We Akans are not cowards!” Otherwise, don't wail blaming “Antwi” when the inevitable happens!

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"To all men of goodwill, organize, organize, organize! The struggle is
far from over! We prefer self-government in danger, to servitude in tranquillity!

Forward ever, backward never"!

Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

Ochere-Darko Must Render Proper Apologies For “Stupid” Insults! Part II

Ochere-Darko Must Render Proper Apologies For “Stupid” Insults! Part II

Feature Article,

By Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

There is no doubt that Mr. Ochere-Darko is feeling the heat and the fallouts of his extremely embarrassing behaviour. He has gone into damage control mode, short of doing the right thing. He even seems to be ready to tell any lie, rather than to apologize for the obvious misbehaviour in public. And he makes a mess of those lies too, just as he made a mess of the charge that J.B. Danquah was a CIA agent. He lied to defend Danquah, and he is lying to defend himself! A good reason why the current apologies of Ochere-Darko are unacceptable is simply because he even lies about the fact that he did not insult Dr. Omane Boamah, whilst we all see and hear Ochere-Darko clearly asking, “Why is he so stupid?”, amid the staccato of “stupidity,” and “stupid” per second, “Would you stop this stupidity? Why is he so stupid? You are sitting here and accusing somebody of being a CIA agent, what sort of stupidity is that? What is this stupidity?” Gabby never explained why it is wrong to accuse "somebody of being a CIA agent"!

Even though we all hear Ochere-Darko insulting Dr. Omane Boamah is so stupid that he is even finding it difficult to fathom the reason why, he is still claiming that is not supposed to be taken as an insult! He still refuses to do the right thing and to apologize. He is growing more and more disgusting with each passing day without those apologies! Gabby Otchere Darko still maintains that stands by what he said even though he believes his choice of word was a bit harsh. He even denies the insult! For once, Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe got it right. He described Ochere-Darko's behaviour as a “rather startlingly infantile reaction”! Coming from no less a person than the last remaining apostle of Dr. J. B. Danquah, a politically endangered species, Kwame Okoampa himself, this is serious. From the look of things, it even seems Okoampa-Ahoofe would have behaved better than Gabby! So, where is Gabby's defence? One would have thought that Gabby was a little less arrogant and sober of the two!

The strange “gift” Ochere-Darko appears to be endowed with, is his ability to lie about the obvious. I never stop to wonder why this man is constantly behaving as though he has the monopoly over the truth. After the ridiculous defence of Danquah's CIA past, and surreptitious attempts to replace “the American embassy” with “the CIA” which is published in a book widely in circulation, Gabby is again lying about a live radio and TV event watched by millions and of which the records are still freely available! He first lies publicly about the contents of a book that is no secret, then lies about his own public statements! Speaking recently said on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday September 26, when he was again asked by the host, this time, Mr. Bernard Avle, whether he was ready to apologise to the deputy Minister, Gabby's answer was startling:

“I did not say that the man is stupid. I thought that the man insulted the memory of J. B Danquah when he reduced everything that J. B Danquah did for Ghana particularly from 1923 to when he died in prison in 1965 as betrayer of the Nationalist project and reduced him to being a CIA agent. I thought that was most insulting and I told him that such a statement was irresponsible and I used the word stupid and I still stand by what I meant to say”. See: , Gabby: I Won't Apologise To The Deputy Minister, Date: 26-Sep-2011, Source: Citifmonline.com.

Please Watch Video: “Gabby walks off Newsfile after 'stupid' insult Politics.flv,” and check it for yourself!

Perhaps, Gabby should have ridiculously said, “I did not say 'that the man is stupid', I only asked 'Why is he so stupid?'” That would be contradictory and illogical, but at least he would have perhaps been closer to what happened and his own regrets about it, and of course, the understandable need to lie about it all! After wondering aloud the fact that he was already looking for reasons why Dr. Omane Boamah was not just stupid, but “so stupid”, he even denies insulting him! Who said, “Why is he so stupid?” Is that not an insult? Hah? Gabby?

Is Gabby going to come and tell me that my feature article, “J. B. Danquah Was A CIA Asset!” is also “stupidity, nothing but stupidity! This is pure stupidity!”? Is that how to conduct “an intellectual discussion”? Or is it Okoampa who is going to bell the cat? Is it not strange that not a single disciple of Danquah has stepped forward in his defence since the publication of this article? Gabby was reported in the news as saying: “Gabby Otchere Darko added that intellectual discussions should not involve people like Dr. Omane Boamah.” I think it is about time that our media took a cue from Gabby's own words, except that the one to exclude ought not to be Dr. Omane Boamah, who was simply stating a fact, but the arrogant and insulting Ochere-Darko himself!

Gabby was reminded to use decent language, but he couldn't be bothered. He did not only repeat the insult, but he hits Dr. Omane Boamah. In answer to Dr. Omane Boamah's protestation, “You are even hitting me”, Gabby could not be bothered. He only responds, “No, what sort of stupidity is that?” He does not even excuse the physical aggression! No self-respecting studio will allow this guy to pass through their doors for any such event in the future! On the contrary, he probably offers an explanation for hitting a fellow panellist: “No, what sort of stupidity is that?” Calls by Dr. Omane Boamah to Ochere-Darko reminding him to ”Use decent language,” went unheeded.

The ball is now squarely in court of the producer of the programme, and the Ghanaian media in general to come out and pronounce on the behaviour of Mr. Gabriel Asare Ochere-Darko. For those who do not know the background to this story, it is very simple. Discussing the third celebration of the Founder’s day marked on Wednesday September 21, deputy Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Omane Boamah described Dr. J. B. Danquah, after whom the Danquah Institute is named, as a CIA agent. Dr. Omane Boamah’s description of the Dr. J. B Danquah as a CIA agent immediately got Gabby Ochere-Darko insulting the deputy Minister.

“Would you stop this stupidity? Would you stop this stupidity? Why is he so stupid? You are sitting here and accusing somebody of being a CIA agent, what sort of stupidity is that? What is this stupidity? This is stupidity…you consider a founder of Ghana as a CIA agent, what sort of stupidity is this? ...this is pure stupidity.”

Gabby Otchere Darko was then asked by the host of the show to apologize to listeners and Dr. Omane Boamah for the insulting language but Gabby would only apologize to listeners. He stubbornly refused to apologize to the deputy Minister. He rather chose the option of walking out of the studio than to apologize for the insults. He was subsequently asked to leave the studios for his refusal to apologize to Omane Boamah, since that was the rule. Gabby Otchere Darko accepted the option of not apologizing and walking out to apologize and stay, and walked off the live program stating:

“When you want us to have an intellectual programme like this, you don’t bring people like this. I am not going to apologise, I can apologise to the viewers and listeners but not him. He insults J.B. Danquah and you want me to apologise to him? …I am not going to do that. Why should I do that? … If that is what you want I will walk out on your programme, I won’t do it!”

One tactic adopted by the Danquah camp is an attempt to intimidate the press, especially the host of the programme. The host was fantastic. If anything at all, he was wrong for allowing Ochere-Darko to sit in whilst no apologies to Dr. Omane Boamah was forth-coming. Unsurprisingly, most of the Danquah fundamentalists have since not only leaped to the defence of Ochere-Darko, but they are blaming everybody else except the culprit. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., for example puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the host of the programme:

“Personally, I feel that the host of the Newsfile program, if he already has no quick fact-checking research assistants, ought to be promptly provided with the same. For, in the cyber-tech culture of the twenty-first century, it is rather primitive for the host of any high-wire political program to let rhetorically uncouth and incontinently mendacious operatives like Dr. Omane-Boamah to literally get away with murder.” See: “Omane-Boamah Deserved that Bit of It”, Feature Article of Friday, 30 September 2011, by Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

I don't understand why some people think our media can be bullied so easily, but they must be fooling themselves. We shall never allow this to happen to our media because it is is the backbone of our democracy. I have confirmed those allegations in a feature article already. So, for his answer, I refer Kwame Okoampa to read: “J. B. Danquah Was A CIA Asset!”, Feature Article of Saturday, 1 October 2011, Columnist: Mensah, Nana Akyea, and leave “the host of the Newsfile program” in peace! If Okoampa has any sensible contribution to make to this debate, I openly invite him to respond to this article! As for Gabby, he must be made to retract his words. Why should he be allowed into such programmes again after refusing to apologize to Dr. Omane Boamah, saying, “I am not going to do that. Why should I do that? … If that is what you want I will walk out on your programme, I won’t do it!”

Gabby must be made to do it. I think that it is very important for our media to immediately place a “cordon sanitaire” (hygienic barrier) around this person and the Danquah Institute, until he does what he is supposed to do. If he refuses to listen to the media, the media has an obligation not to listen to him. This is not very complicated. Dr. Omane Boamah cites a book to make the allegation that Dr. J. B. Danquah was a CIA agent. The evidence collaborates what the records say of his arrest and detention. So what is it that makes Dr. Omane Boamah “so stupid”? And, by the way, shouldn't Gabby also apologize for all these publicly verifiable lies if he wants to restore the credibility of the Danquah Institute?

Gabriel Asare Ochere-Darko is a long story to tell. Thus it is a pleasure to see him stubbornly refusing to apologize as quickly as possible, so that the long story I have been yearning to tell can be told. I shall bring out many uncomfortable facts of public interest as a way of piling pressure on him to do the right thing. I shall be focusing soon on Ochere-Darko and the canvassing for US military bases in Ghana, and how this connects with the Danquah tradition. It is OK if Gabby does not feel like apologizing for this “stupidity”. By the time I am through with him Ghanaians will be asking his boss, Mr. Akufo-Addo himself, to tell us all what he knows about secret plans by the NPP to establish a US military base in Ghana, and stop running away from the question!

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!
Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro,
Member, Pan-Africanist International

-a grammar of Pan-Africanism and its manners of articulation!

http://www.panafricanistinternational.org

*(also known to Kwame Okoampa, the notorious assassin of character, as: "Ali Masmadi Sasabonsam Jehu Shoaboni Appiah, who now presumptuously and conveniently goes by the name of Nana Akyea-Mensah, the name of a historic man the likes of whose dignity and ineffable cynosure that SOB would never encounter among the male members of his largely pathologically skirt-chasing and pedophiliac family." See: A Typical Ghanaian Prophet, Feature Article | Thu, 21 Jul 2011, by Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.)

 

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Ochere-Darko Must Render Proper Apologies For “Stupid” Insults! Part I

Ochere-Darko Must Render Proper Apologies For “Stupid” Insults! Part I

Feature Article,
By Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

Watch Video: Gabby walks off Newsfile after 'stupid' insult Politics.flv



A point of clarification. I take Ochere-Darko's insults to be sufficiently self-serving as to be anything but stupid. I have no intention of insulting him and have refrained from that effectively. Thus “'Stupid' Insults” here do not necessarily mean the insults were stupid. That is not what I meant in the title. The “stupid” is there only as a representative of Ochere-Darko's original insult. Personally, I think that, far from being stupid, the insults helped Ochere-Darko to wriggle himself out of a difficult situation, without needing to concede to the dreadful fact that Danquah was indeed an imperialist agent. For him, it seemed important that any proper debate be sabotaged. Bothering to comport himself in a civilized manner could have been too dangerous. The truth could have come out so easily! So, for me, he is probably congratulating himself and thinks he has been clever for misbehaving in this way.

What is therefore necessary now is, for those of us who think otherwise, to make sure that he does not get away with it! Ochere-Darko cannot decide for Ghanaians which traitors we are allowed to name, expose, and shame, and which ones we may not. Human rights, rule of law or other self-righteous motivations for Democracy or for CIA stipends notwithstanding! We all have a moral responsibility to denounce the agents of imperialist domination of the people of Ghana because it has a direct impact on the quality of our very lives. And the fact that one could have a personal relationship with any traitor, does not accord anyone any right or special privilege to misbehave publicly whenever those dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. So far as there is evidence from a credible source that J. B. Danquah's wife received stipends from the CIA to which he, Danquah completely felt entitled, to the extent of going to complain about “payment arrears” to the US Ambassador, instead of saying “thank you” to the CIA, the remarks by Dr. Omane Boamah can not be considered “stupid”.

On the contrary, some of us find it to be one of the wisest statements ever uttered on radio or TV in Ghana. This is very important in the light of the increasing lies and spin by the Danquah Institute which attempt to let Danquah pass as a national hero. The Ghanaian media needs to satisfy itself independently with the facts, determine for themselves on the basis of the evidence, whether or not one can safely argue that Dr. J. B. Danquah was a CIA asset. And if this is so, they should uphold the right to say so without being insulted in this way by a fellow panellist! Having satisfied themselves, our media practitioners will have to insist that Ochere-Darko apologized or finds himself ostracised. It would be repugnant enough if, after all this, without proper apologies, Ochere-Darko is to be invited once more to portray such an uncouth and arrogant character in public again. The media must take the bull by the horns and call a spade a spade, a hero a hero, and a spy a spy! He must be made to retract his insults, most especially because Dr. Omane Boamah was not just speaking an ordinary fact but an important truth and therefore did not deserve to be insulted for that.

The insult to person of Dr. Omane Boamah over this issue, is an assault to the persons of all the good people of Ghana. It is because of “stupid” intimidations such as these that they have managed to cover their evil tracks all these years. We need to fully expose them in order to be free. We need to grab this particularly stubborn cat by the neck and dip its nose into the offending material that is more than just familiar to it, until it learns "to do it" somewhere else! It is a good sign of the re-awakening spirit of Kwame Nkrumah surrounding the third anniversary celebrations of his centenary, to see the final episodes to the ignominious end of traitors, agents, and assets of the imperialists laid to rest. This is time to turn on the heat. I invite every right thinking Ghanaian to join in this campaign in their own creative ways, to put pressure on Ochere-Darko to do the right thing. And it is important that the contentious issues that rose up be settled dispassionately by our media practitioners. It has serious implications on what the Danquah tradition actually represents. Little wonder we see Ochere-Darko, the Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, at the end of his wits.

It will be an important service our media practitioners will be doing to the good people of Ghana, to help them see the light and steer themselves away from their miserable hand-to-mouth existence. For Ghana to go forward, we need to begin from the beginning and find out what went wrong. It is often not easy to draw the line where one must begin. That is why I personally find this revelation as a key to understanding the modern history of Ghana, and in particular, the kind of forces represented by the Danquah Institute and their Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo. What is going on therefore can only be seen as a part of the very rare and precious historic “moment of truth” that periodically open the eyes of the people. It heralds the beginning of a new era, and a shift of political direction for the country of Teutonic proportions, it is not just a simple shift from the politics of lies and insults, to the politics of integrity and intelligently accounting for one's position instead of escaping debates through the use of lies and insults, but an irreversible shift independent of arrogant politicians because the public insists on it. This is why the Ghanaian media needs to take on Asare Ochere-Darko.

An important fact that publicly emerged in this year's celebrations is recent publications that have thrown further light on some of the darker pages of our history. As the new light focuses on their dastardly anti-people activities against the sovereignty and independence of Ghana, we see in the line-up to the entirely orchestrated attempt to reverse all the gains of our independence and to set the clock backwards into neo-colonialism, credible stories that help to figure out the heroes and traitors of this country. On the bloc is J.B. Danquah. As it turns out, a book published by Professor Richard Mahoney, a son of former US Ambassador to Ghana Mr. William Mahoney, 1962-1965. claims that Dr. J.B. Danquah went to the US Embassy, after Nkrumah had pardoned Danquah and other detainees on June 2, 1962, to ask “why the funds his family had been receiving during his imprisonment had been cut after his release.” It is strange that Ochere-Darko claims to have read the book and yet got the nerve to deny the accusations and call it “stupid”. Whatever the motivations of J. B. Danquah must have been is one thing, his closeness to the CIA is quite another thing, and Ghanaians must be able to let Ochere-Darko know clearly that talking about that is not stupid. And that he was wrong in the way he comported himself.

The book at the centre of the controversy, which came out at the debate has the title "JFK: Ordeal in Africa". In this book, for those who care to add one to two and arrive at the sum of three, it comes out clearly that J.B. Danquah was a CIA asset. Published in 1983, the book confirms what Nkrumah must have known all along and thus explaining not only why Danquah went to prison, but also gaining a deep understanding of the political orientation and the dark possibilities behind the Danquah Institute itself. It is therefore a fitting tribute to the memory of the great Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, that one of his detractors gets exposed in no uncertain terms as a CIA asset. I am still waiting for a response from the Danquah Institute as regards the claims I made in a previous article: “J. B. Danquah Was A CIA Asset!” In that article, I argued that there is incontrovertible evidence to that effect that he knew and liked the stipends the CIA was paying to his wife, as to go ahead and to complain to US Ambassador William Mahoney, when Danquah was pardoned by Nkrumah on 02 June 1962, when this was cut. What was Danquah's state of mind, if he did not consider himself as an agent deserving of the stipend? You don't often see people complaining after such “generosity”, without even saying “thank you!”!

I am not going to go into all that again. So far as I am concerned, the issue has been settled that J. B. Danquah was a CIA asset. I have given myself enough room to respond to any challenges to this demand for proper apologies in the name of decency. It is not for nothing that this article is labelled “Part One”. I promise that the “temperature” in these series of articles is bound to rise with each subsequent article, until Ochere-Darko swallows his pride and apologizes for those insults. I know what this can do to the Akufo-Addo campaign, so it is fine with me if Gabby remains adamant! We are not going to succumb to insults and intimidations to keep our traitors under the carpet! If one feels very uncomfortable with the emerging facts, for any other reasons such as family ties, or personal estimation, etc., that is no reason enough to transform oneself into a maniac in a fit of temper tantrums during a live TV and Radio public debate. Mr. Ochere-Darko lost total control over his senses, including his sense of personal comportment, courtesy, Parliamentary language, public debate protocols, civil manners, and ordinary decency.

What makes this even more unacceptable is the fact that the allegations put forward have been proven to be accurate, and dead right on the mark! Why should Ochere-Darko get away with this? My focus now is on the uncivilized and extremely uncouth behaviour by Gabriel Asare Ochere-Darko, and the challenges that this represents in our public discourses, and particularly the role of the media. The fact of the Danquah family receiving stipends from the CIA is public knowledge, thanks to Richard Mahoney. Ochere-Darko should fly to the US and scream “stupid” to Richard Mahoney, and not those of us who believe he has no reason to lie. The fact that Dr. J.B. Danquah was a CIA asset comes out clearly enough in the book. That he was most probably abandoned later on by the CIA is not our business. What right has Ochere-Darko to impose limitations on free speech over issues of serious public interest? This is a matter of public interest, and you do not pursue such a national discourse with insults. Now that we know that what Dr Omane Boamah said was not that stupid, but on the contrary, a statement of fact of immense importance to the discussion on the theme of the Founder's Day. Is it not about time for Mr. Ochere-Darko be asked to render unqualified apologies for comporting himself in a manner that qualified him as a public nuisance?

The media should be invited to put this rude individual's credibility to comport himself in a civilized manner on the line until he does the right thing. This must be done before they bring him again to comment on issues of national importance being debated live on radio and television. We are not asking him to be silenced. We are asking that Ochere-Darko be compelled to do what is proper. We are asking him to render unqualified apologies for his unjustifiable behaviour. Otherwise, it is the media, and not Ochere-Darko who must justify the inclusion of such a character in their programmes. It is no one's fault if someone happens to be a grandson of a CIA spy, and it should not warrant the barrage of insults in what Ochere-Darko himself called an “an intellectual programme”. It is precisely because it is an intellectual programme that Ochere-Darko needs to justify his future inclusion, in the light of such awful performance.

The main issue that is at stake is not just whether or not Ghanaians have a right to be allowed to discuss a matter as important as that without being insulted by Asare Ochere-Darko, but whether or not we need to draw the line as we enter in an electoral year, to ensure that irresponsible and uncouth individuals do not get the chance to inflame the already highly inflammable situation with unguarded statements. If he is not even sorry about this, what is the guarantee that he can not do something worse next time? Our media houses need to stand up to their responsibilities and challenge the use of intemperate language, insults, and encourage the appropriate decorum in our civil discourses particularly on live radio and TV discussions. This is fundamental to the peace and security of this country. Ochere-Darko must be made to apologize or face a media boycott. If he is unfit to meet acceptable standards and expectations of decent human behaviour, he must be barred from decent circles where decent humans congregate.

Let's see how long it takes to get the arrogant Gabby to come to his senses and apologize for his “stupid” insults! I wish to assure Gabby however, that it is in his own interest to do the right thing as quickly as possible, and as loud and as clear! We cannot afford to give up and we will not! Part II follows... And on and on it will go until we see an appropriate apology! I hope that from my own Facebook chat with Gabby in which he arrogantly asked me “Why are you so obsessed with the Danquah Institute?”, he shall not under-estimate the political energy behind such a simple request, in order to cut a long story short. The only way out I saw for Gabby in this predicament was to have honestly admitted the fact that the CIA paid stipends to J.B. Danquah's wife whilst in prison, explained why this was so, and to have left the public in peace to go and find out for themselves! He could then have added, as he seems to explain so eloquently with his “friend of America” excuses, that even if Danquah was a CIA agent, he did it for the good of the nation but not for stipends. And he could have allowed the public to judge for themselves who is really stupid!

At least, some of us could have understood where he was coming from. As matters stand, he does not only have to acknowledge the fact that there is nothing personal in raising an issue of such immense public interest and did not need to be silenced. The Human Rights that Ochere-Darko claims were championed by Danquah includes free speech. And this includes the fact that whether or not a particular spy happens to be anyone's grand-father, people must be free to talk about it in public without being insulted by the grandchildren of these spies. One can hold Danquah in high esteem and allow people to read the book and talk about it without the world coming to an end. So far as Dr. Omane Boamah did not err in calling J.B. Danquah a CIA agent, so far should Ochere-Darko retract. He owes us an apology for trying to suppress vital information by unorthodox means. He must be made to say “I am sorry” to Dr. Omane Boamah, in order to purge himself from the political pariah status he has automatically assumed with these insults!

Help move Ghana forward! Please join us in putting pressure on this stubborn individual to do the right thing!

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!
Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro,
Member, Pan-Africanist International
-a grammar of Pan-Africanism and its manners of articulation!
http://www.panafricanistinternational.org

*(also known to Kwame Okoampa, the notorious assassin of character, as: "Ali Masmadi Sasabonsam Jehu Shoaboni Appiah, who now presumptuously and conveniently goes by the name of Nana Akyea-Mensah, the name of a historic man the likes of whose dignity and ineffable cynosure that SOB would never encounter among the male members of his largely pathologically skirt-chasing and pedophiliac family." See: A Typical Ghanaian Prophet, Feature Article | Thu, 21 Jul 2011, by Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.)

President Mills Puts Fear Into Akufo-Addo Camp!

Feature Article by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

The news that "President John Mills has won the NDC's National Delegates' Congress in Sunyani by a whooping 96.09% as against Nana Konadu's 3.01%", is obviously good news for some of us, but not all of us. For the Akufo-Addo camp, this was a rude shock. They were predicting 75% for Professor Mills and explaining that to mean a vote of no confidence by his own party. I can already see President Mills being sworn in for a second time. It gives the Mills campaign a boost that even the Akufo-Addo camp will find very difficult to deny.

In the days leading to the Congress, Akufo Addo's Statesman published an article in which they sought to cast doubts on the obvious:

"Surveys, interviews, analyses and information gathered by the New Statesman indicate that President John Evans Atta Mills has been gripped by serious panic following the last minute realization that tomorrow’s presidential nomination of his party may not after all result in the kind of landslide victory he had been made to believe by his GAME (Get Atta Mills Endorsed) campaign team."

We now have something concrete to chew on concerning their so-called "surveys, interviews, analyses and information gathered by the New Statesman"! They could not have been more ridiculous:

"President Mills is said to be particularly worried by the fact that the GAME plan to antagonize and isolate former President Rawlings and his wife has angered many constituency delegates." The New Statesman went on, "Even more worrying for the President is the fact that for two years now his only challenger, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, cleverly maintained a close, caring and intimate contact with a sizeable majority of the ruling party’s constituency officers, of whom 1,433 (out of 1,900 total delegates) voted for her in Tamale on 17 January 2010 as NDC Vice Chairperson, a position from which she resigned recently to contest for the flagbearership."

I repeat the results for an effective comparison:

"President Mills polled a whopping 2,771 votes against Nana Agyemang Rawling's 90 votes.
President Mills took the lead in all ten regions of the country.
President Mill's vote represents 96.7% of the total votes cast, whilst Nana Konadu's votes represents a total of 3.14%."

The New Statesman also predicted tension and violence, but the entire even passed off in a festive mood:

"There are growing concerns that the insults, intimidation, threats, harassment and violence, including the Kumasi shooting, that have blighted the short campaign, could all come to a head at the Sunyani congress.

Officially more than 1,500 police personnel have been deployed to the Brong Ahafo capital. The NDC has also made arrangements for about 2,000 security personnel for the 3-day congress, in addition to the about 1,800 “Azorka Boys” who are storming Sunyani today.

There are concerns from the Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings camp that the security personnel are all part of the GAME plan to put their fear of the ballot (if not the bullet) into FONKAR. But, that appears not to be shaking FONKAR."

It is a great shame to our detractors that this congress has come off smoothly and the NDC has reposed an overwhelming confidence in the President. We must hit the ground running for them to know what running is! The congress has reduced the Rawlingses into an insignificant political nuisance which have no impact on the party. As I wrote earlier, "NDC should go ahead and elect President Mills to continue the good work he has started. There should be no worries about an open foe. The NPP has a hidden one!"

At the end of the day the NPP has more to lose from the "Agenda 2016" menace than the NDC has to lose from the Rawlingses threat. The percentage of constituency under Alan Cash command is far greater than the percentage as demonstrated in the vote. The dynamics do not bode well for the NPP, also because there is a frontal and direct contradictions between the Alan Cash "Agenda 2016" and the Akufo-Addo  "Victory 2012".

"A wolf may eat a sheep now and then,
But thousands are killed by men,
An open foe may prove a curse,
But a pretended friend is worse"!

The NDC now has the "open foe" under control, but can the NPP say the same thing about their "pretended friends"? Whilst the Rawlingses are already talking of forming another political party, with preferably, the NDC logo, Akufo-Addo recently included Alan Kyeremanten in his campaign team, despite the visceral hatred of the Alan Cash "Agenda 2016" underground commandos. Alan Cash believes strongly that 2016 is his time, given to him by God himself. The Akufo-Addo "Victory 2012" is a threat to this "God-given" hope of Alan Cash, as Akufo-Addo could extend his political expiring date beyond 2012 to two terms ending in 2020, and making nonsense of the "Agenda 2016"!

Attention! There is a good reason why this is not in the public domain. This shall never be an operation that will be played out in the open. Both sides have come to the selfish conclusion that they need a strong façade of unity, whether 2012 or 2016, if they are to make any impact. Thus publicly they are friends! They have agreed to disagree. They tell each other, "if you are pretending to be a friend, we shall also pretend to be friends!" This is a house irrevocably divided against each other as the Ashanti Region is the strongest base of the party, the "Agenda 2016" which needs a defeat of Akufo-Addo, to spring into action, gives the NDC a fortuitous advantage even if the Rawlingses were to break away from the NDC.

It would be worse than inordinate ambition if they did. At least, the CPP which is always first at the bottom, can have something to beat! What every decent citizen expects from the Rawlingses is a magnanimous acceptance of defeat and recoiling into their shells or crawl away and hide under their respective stones. They can now positively throw their weight behind the voices of their own people, or at least stop themselves from being on the way. The message is clear: they are going to change or they will be changed.

With the NPP as no-match, I think we are entering into this campaign with a strong foot forward.

Cheers to all of you!

We shall overcome!

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!

Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

Lack Of Leadership Materials In The NPP Is A Time Bomb! Part Two.

NPP On Cocaine: Obetsebi-Lamptey Is Pathetic!

Feature Article,
by Nana Akyea Mensah

'Ghana's election campaign could be tarnished by money from West African drug trafficking, an official has said. Kwesi Aning, head of research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said the "very fabric" of Ghanaian society was under threat.

- BBC. 'Drug money 'tainting Ghana poll', 28 October 2008 18:46 GMT

In a news story which first appeared on Joy Online and reported in the General News of Monday, 27 June 2011, on Ghanaweb, Name and shame politicians who use narcotic money - Dr. Aning, Dr. Aning, who is the Director of Research at the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Centre says, the call by the Director of NACOB, Mr. Akrasi Sarpong, who in an interview told Joy FM’s Sammy Darko said that "if any politician dares us (NACOB) and uses narcotics money for politics, that person will be sorry. Whether you are an NDC or NPP or CPP or whatever, you will be sorry," is timely.

Dr. Aning appeared to be confirming what Mr. Akrasi Sarpong said. He was reported as saying "There is a long lasting relationship between narcotic money and the funding of political party activities in Ghana."

Dr. Aning said “Narcotics, whether it is Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroin, Ephedrine, Methamphetamine or [others] is beginning to pose both a political and security threat to this country. We are now internationally known not only as a traffic country or a transit country but as a country where the impact of these narcotics are beginning to have a cumulative negative impact.”

A narco-state is a clear nightmare. Apart from the direct devastations by the drug on families, they come in with guns. Mexico is as dangerous as Afghanistan, even though the war there is different. It is a war of drug cartels. There is not a single Ghanaian who will not be negatively impacted by a full-blown narco-state. That is why this is more than enough to deny the NPP at the ballot en masse. It behoves on each responsible citizen to compel all political parties to tow the line.

First, it will drive away good business. This simply means more and more mouths to feed and less and less food to put into those mouths. As our population increases, job opportunities would be decreasing, only to be replaced by criminality. Furthermore, this would also mean that Ghanaians would no longer be able to travel freely. The few who manage to get visas shall be subjected to some of the most humiliating searches, such as peeps into the anus by Customs officials, at international airports, simply because they are carrying Ghanaian passports! This is what happens to citizens of countries which are designated as transit points for illicit drugs. Who wants this to happen to our country?

And the threat is growing. According to Dr. Aning, "the trade is growing as it has been discovered that between eight and fifteen percent of the narcotics entering main land Europe come through Ghana." Clearly, something correct needs to be done, and every peace-loving Ghanaian must support the initiatives to get on top on the fight by drug barons to steal our sovereignty and peace from us.

I was therefore extremely surprised that instead of lending the necessary moral support and the boost that is needed to make Ghana clean, the Chairman of the NPP is the only leader of a political party in Ghana not to take kindly to the words of the NACOB capo. What even makes this extremely strange and unnecessary was the fact that the NACOB boss was absolutely non-partisan in his warning: he mentioned all the political parties:

"if any politician dares us (NACOB) and uses narcotics money for politics, that person will be sorry. Whether you are an NDC or NPP or CPP or whatever, you will be sorry!" He did not mention any goat. All he said was that "his outfit has information that some politicians are heavily funded by drug barons adding that NACOB will deal with any politician caught to be using proceeds from the illicit trade notwithstanding the party that the person belongs to."

Of course, he added that "as the 2012 general elections approaches, NACOB will be very vigilant and monitor the situation carefully to bring to book any culprit found."

Why should any one who has nothing to do with drugs have an issue with this? Instead of welcoming and declaring his support, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, reacting to the comments by the NACOB Boss on the Citi Eyewitness News, on Monday June 27, ordered Mr Akrasi Sarpong to "provide evidence to his claims and avoid speaking loosely."

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey complained:

“This is why people who are put in positions like this should not speak loosely, if things that you say, without providing any supporting evidence has the capacity to taint a person or a group of persons then you should avoid making certain comments at all."

This is in spite of the glaring fact that no goat has so far been mentioned! A fact which normally should make all goats comfortable, seems to irk some:

"If you really have any evidence that political parties are being financed by illicit drug whether from barons or not from barons then come out with evidence. But to come out to say generally that you are not going to allow political parities to be funded by drug money then straight away you are turning round to say that this is happening." Obetsebi-Lamptey is reported to have stated.

Indeed, the information concerning the names of the goats that the chairman of the NPP, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey is publicly seeking from the NACOB boss, is the kind of information that any drug-pusher would pay huge sums of money to obtain: questions like, “what kind of leads do they have on me”? I was therefore amused to read Obetsebi Lamptey asking the NACOB boss to name politicians on the NACOB's list.

I was equally satisfied with the response from the NACOB boss to the NPP Chairman's call for the name of suspected politicians to be released, see: General News of Tuesday, 28 June 2011, NACOB boss refuses to name politicians on narcotic money list:

"The Executive Secretary of the Narcotic Control Board, Yaw Akrasi Sarpong has said he cannot be forced to disclose identities of suspected drug dealers on his watch list.

Defending his reason to issue the warning, Mr Sarpong said there are various ways to fight crime and the people who are involved need to know that they are being watched so that they can stay away from it."

Which makes complete nonsense of Obetsebi-Lamptey's rantings:

“If it is happening and you are in charge to make sure that it doesn’t happen then you should make sure that it doesn’t happen and not to generally castigate people in that light”.

And more so, when cast against a background where other experts have even been more categorical in the past:

"Some of these guys were my mates in school and they were not too successful, and they've been in politics for less than 10 years," Dr. Aning told the BBC in an interview on 28 October 08, "You don't make that kind of money in 10 years."

He said he was talking about people "running for parliament, who are ministers, wanting to run for president". This was in 2008.

"It's not only about politics or politicians, it's about the police service, it's about customs, it's about immigration, it's about the judiciary, it's about our traditional institutions," he said.

"What I'm saying is that the very fabric of Ghanaian society is under threat."

"Ghana's politicians say they are determined to fight drug trafficking, but many question whether the political will exists in a society where corruption is a major problem," BBC West Africa correspondent Will Ross reported in 2008, when the NPP was in power.

What Obetsebi-Lamptey's reaction tells me is that there is no longer even such a determination in the leadership of the NPP, if any ever existed, and Obetsebi-Lamptey's reaction must be seen in terms of the level of the political will to fight the crime.

Mr Aning also said in the BBC story that "political rhetoric needed to be followed by action, suggesting there should be more sniffer dogs and better exchanges of intelligence."

From the hostile reaction of Jake to the very topic, we can not even talk about a "political rhetoric" to rid Ghana of narcotics, let alone to "follow it with action". It is simply no longer on the agenda of the NPP. What will happen now, since even at the time they were only at the level of "political rhetoric", they were actively assisting drug smugglers to evade the law? My real fear is what is going to happen should these people return to power!

We should not too soon forget the fact that Addo Kufour, the president's brother and then Minister of the Interior, run away from the then BBC's West African correspondent, Mr. Will Ross, because he was not prepared to answer questions about how he was fighting the drugs trade, after the arrest and subsequent release without charge or trial of five women of the Executive Committee of the Women's Wing of the Dzorwulu NPP were busted at the Kotoka airport whilst attempting to board an airline bound to the United States with large quantities of heroin.

This was the last straw that broke the camel's back, and Ghana's credibility in the fight against narco-trafficking, under the NPP Administration, came to its lowest point. It was a shame to read on BBC: "Ghana's interior ministry has so far declined to grant an interview on drug trafficking"! Indeed, if Obetsebi-Lamptey had not asked the NACOB boss to mention the goats, we would have missed the best part of the story. After declaring that he is keeping the names closely to his chest, Mr. Akrasi Sarpong further expressed disappointment in the manner in which the case involving the missing parcels of cocaine was handled in the past.

“In the past the police did a beautiful work. That work that was done by the police was not backed by the hierarchy of the police. It was done by officers who were down the line. Look we know what happened,” he said.

Security analyst, Dr. Kwesi Aning concurs:

"There is a long lasting relationship between narcotic money and the funding of political party activities in Ghana."


Our reputation as a narco-state would have been firmly established had the NPP won the 2008 Parliamentary and especially, the Presidential elections. Barely after two years of coming into power of President Mills, the tides changed. I was very relieved to read the General News of Thursday, 4 February 2010, U.S. Hails Ghana’s Track Record, The story read:

"The United States government has commented Ghana for the progress it has made in the fight against drug trafficking, saying the gains are impressive.

Johnnie Carson, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, at a meeting with President Mills at the Castle, Osu yesterday said the cooperation between Ghana and the US and other partners in the fight against drug trafficking and other cross-border crimes was yielding impressive results."
My reaction to the news on ghanaweb.com speaks for itself:


“Author: Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

Date: 2010-02-04 09:43:42

Comment to: BYE-BYE TO BUSH AND HIS NARCOTIC FRIENDS

Hi NANA Ø !!.

One reason why I worked day and night to ensure the defeat of the NPP at the last polls was the danger they posed in the development of a narco state with all the attendant problems of violent crimes and the inconvenience of having our private parts including anus carefully screened at all international airports each time you travel overseas, all because of these greedy bastards! We were quite close to it! It was such a pity to see Addo Kufour, the president's brother and then Minister of the Interior, running away from the BBC's West African correspondent Mr. Will Ross because he was not prepared to answer questions about the arrest and subsequent release without charge or trial of five women of the Executive Committee of the Women's Wing of the Dzorwulu NPP were busted at the Kotoka airport whilst attempting to board an airline bound to the United States with large quantities of heroin. Rumours have it that it took the timely and personal intervention of the President's wife, Madam Theresa Kufour to get these drug barons off the hook! Oh Ghana! Even our First Lady became complicit in the narcotics business!

This reports coming from the USA makes me heave a big sigh of relief! I am happy I supported the NDC against the NPP! And it gives me so much pleasure as this piece of news encourages me to do so again come 2012!

We shall not sit down and allow the illicit business of a greedy and unconscionable few to put at risk a dignified flight through international airports without curious anti-drug enforcement officials peeping through your anus simply because you are carrying a Ghanaian passport!

Thank you very much President Mills! You are a President worthy of respect!

Have a nice day Nana O!!.”

The problem is not simply one of dry bones being mentioned in a proverb, and old people feeling unease; it is also about how this unease is expressed. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey got the most nonsensical set of words ever to be uttered by any politician in the NPP expressing such perfectly understandable unease! And this “style” of leadership looks certain to continue. A famous Roman general once said “I more fear a stupid ally than I fear a clever enemy”. How right he was! With problems of cocaine abuse of his own to deal with, and hanging like a dark cloud over the party's flag-bearer's head, Akufo-Addo must be savouring the simplicity of the truth of the Roman general's rather candid observation.



Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!
Cheers!
--
Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

Blog: /nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/
Twitter: /twitter.com/TheOdikro



There are hypertext links to some of the news stories referred to in the article, which may not appear in this publication, interested readers who want to know more are invited to come to my blog: Feature Articles: http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/

Is the NPP An Integral Part Of Ghana's Drug Problems?

Feature Article, by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

I am very surprised that the NPP seems to be the only political party unilaterally feeling the heat of a declaration that was essentially meant for all the political parties in Ghana. All the other political parties have welcomed the declaration by the NACOB boss concerning the influence of drug barons on some politicians, and the threat that this represents to our body-politic. Why this is clearly amazing is the fact that the Executive Secretary of NACOB did not even single out a political party in Ghana. It was a general appeal or warning to all political parties. 

Let us have another look of what Mr. Akrasi Sarpong said:

“if any politician dares us (NACOB) and uses narcotics money for politics, that person will be sorry. Whether you are an NDC or NPP or CPP or whatever, you will be sorry!”

He did not mention any goat. All he said was that “his outfit has information that some politicians are heavily funded by drug barons adding that NACOB will deal with any politician caught to be using proceeds from the illicit trade notwithstanding the party that the person belongs to.”

Is the NPP a part of the solution or a part of the problem? That is the question!

One of the latest attempts to deal with the issue comes from Dr. Arthur Kennedy, whose complaint is that "On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with the NACOB’S boss sounding the alarm on drugs." Dr. Kennedy then postulates: "However, a careful reading of Mr. Sarpong’s comments, together with comments by other government officials show clearly that Mr. Sarpong’s comments may be part of a public relations campaign to link the NPP to drugs and thus dent its reputation and support." See: "The use of narcotic money in our politics".

What we would like Dr. Kennedy to throw more light on is a statement attributed to him during his ill-fated bid for the flag-bearership of the NPP. Some of us would like to know if he did or he did not caution “NPP delegates who would be voting to elect their presidential candidate to be mindful of some of the aspirants who have been going round splashing money on them because the source of the money could be a questionable one.”?

I read the story from the following link, never saw the original news story, that is why I am asking! I got the story from here: “Tell them that they may know”, by FOKAA (FRIENDS OF KENNETH ASAFO-ADJEI), Feature Article | Sun, 21 Dec 2008:

“If we do not take our time, one cocaine dealer would just take his money and buy this country and put our lives in danger.” – Dr. Arthur Kennedy. “Dr Kwabena Arthur Kennedy also cautioned NPP delegates who would be voting to elect their presidential candidate to be mindful of some of the aspirants who have been going round splashing money on them because the source of the money could be a questionable one.”

Also, whilst at it, is it possible for Dr. Kennedy to kindly elaborate on how he managed to examine Akufo-Addo with your bare eyes and be able to claim, as a medical officer, that "Akufo Addo does not a drop of cocaine in his blood"? I read the following on Ghanaweb General News of Sunday, 28 November 2010, "Akufo-Addo Doesn’t Have A Drop Of Blood Tainted With Cocaine - Physician"

"A certified medical practitioner" the story began, "says he can officially state that Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, flag bearer of the opposition NPP does not even have a minute drop of cocaine in his blood. He claims as a medical doctor who has handled several cases of drug abuse and addicts, he can attest to the fact that Nana Addo is not a drug addict."

Just by looking at him, "Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy says he is certain that Nana Addo has never been under the influence of drugs"!

I want Arthur Kennedy to answer the following:

"Is Arthur Kennedy telling us he has a medical laboratory attached to his eye sights?

Did he ask Mr. Akufo-Addo to even open his mouth for him to examine his teeth? You don't need to be a medical doctor to know that one of the symptoms of the premature loss of teeth is as a result of a long period of drug abuse.

Dr. Kennedy cannot tell an HIV infected blood from one filled to the brim with Plasmodium falciparum! What do we say when such a doctor wants to give a clean bill of health to a suspect with a toothless mouth and no hair on his head? We also know that in addition to the premature loss of teeth, the other visible symptom is the loss of hair?"

Kofi Wayo claims majority of the ‘cocaine politicians’ are within the NPP.

“A lot of these cocaine guys are in NPP, yes. I know the big men in NPP all knew about (jailed former NPP MP) Eric Amoateng. Now it comes out that Yaw Anfo-Kwakye, Akufo-Addo’s Chief of Staff (sic) was arrested before for drugs. So why does he still keep him? These are the questions that show we have no morals and ethics. And we suffer for it. Go to London or Paris and see how they search you because you are from Ghana."
 

The NPP has serious questions to answer Ghanaians about this, and I find the excuses they have been making extremely irresponsible!

Thank you for your attention.

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!

Cheers!

–

Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro

E-Mail: nanaakyeamensah@gmail.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheOdikro

Blog: http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/