Today, media professionals from across the Ghanaian media world, will bid goodbye to a brilliant young rising star amongst our nation's broadcast journalists whose life was tragically cut short by a sudden illness - the late Kwadwo Asare Baffuor Acheampong, affectionately known throughout the media fraternity as KABA.
The award-winning KABA's sudden death shocked many because he was so young and had made such an impact with his thought-provoking radio talk show on Asempa FM, from the stables of the Multimedia Group Limited.
In a sense, many of the powerful and influential figures from our national life who will attend the funeral service and burial of KABA, will be paying homage to the Ghanaian media generally.
In that regard, it is gratifying to note that the more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media have now made the fight against high-level corruption a top priority nation-building task - as their contribution to help make their nation a much better place for all its citizens.
Speaking personally, one hopes that our country's present crop of younger generation media professionals, will honour the memory of KABA, by eschewing partisanship in their work - and focus instead on their watchdog role in society as the fourth arm of government, which demands transparency and accountability from the other three arms of government: the executive; the legislature; and the judiciary: on behalf of the ordinary people of our nation.
It is said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Journalists in a developing nation dominated by a kleptocratic elite that is ruthless and incredibly selfish, have a moral obligation to help protect the society of which they are such a vital and important professional grouping, at all material times.
KABA was a shooting star who streaked briefy across the firmanent of our national life. He devoted his short working life as a broadcast journalist to fighting against corruption.
I shall never forget how during an episode of his Ekosii Sen radio programme, he masterfully wove his own desire to retire when he reached the statutory retirement age, and enjoy the benefits of his Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions - as his retired father was apparently doing or had done - into the conversation to illustrate the importance of rooting out corruption from SNNIT because it posed such a threat to pensioners in the evening of their lives.
This blog prays that KABA's soul rests in peace - and that his friends and family find consolation in the fact that Ghanaian society really does appreciate the contribution KABA made to his country's overall betterment, during his relatively short life on this earth.
Above all, we pray for peace of mind for those he left behind who mattered most to him: his wife and fellow broadcast journalist, Valentina, his eight-month old daughter, Nana Yaa, and his parents Madam Felicia Asabea Ampenyin, and step-father, Mr. Thomas Ampenyin.
KABA, nanti yie. KABA, due eni amanehunu!
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