The Asantehene Neither Needs The Validation Of Bishop Dag Heward-Mills - Nor That Of The Asante Youth Association

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, is a committed Christian, who like other such Christians,  attends Church services, whenever he is able to do so. On such occasions,  prayers are offered on his behalf, to ask for God Almighty's blessing, to ensure his well-being, and to promote his welfare - to enable him tackle the onerous responsibilities placed on his shoulders, as one of our homeland Ghana's preeminent traditional rulers.

In return, the Asantehene pays homage to his Maker, the Lord God Almighty, and expresses his gratitude to Him, for the  munificence that has resulted in the many blessings, showered on him, since his enstoolment as the 16th Asantehene. 

There is no question that the Asantehene  has earned the respect of the whole nation, for the many behind-the-scenes interventions, in which he  has played the role of honest-broker, accepted by all parties - all of which have contributed to the continued stability of our homeland Ghana, over the decades since his enstoolment. There is, his contribution to the peaceful resolution of the Yaa Naa dispute, for example. For that, and all the other interventions, we salute him. The Asantehene of today, is most certainly not the untested neophyte,  of yesteryear,  koraaaa. Full stop.

That is why it is so sad that such a devout Christian, who is a peacemaker-bar-none, will have his name bismirched, by lawless thugs, who think they are more Catholic than the Pope himself, so to speak - and, apparently, operating on the absurd Dark-Ages notion, that the Kumasihene is their god, had the temerity to attack a Kumasi Lighthouse Chapel, in which congregants were said to be worshipping, driving them out eventually, and locking it up afterwards,  allegedly. Monstrous.

It is intolerable that in a Republic, in which the rule of law prevails, those barbarians threatened to physically assault the worshippers inside the Lighthouse Church building, as a reprisal for sentiments apparently expressed some 20  odd years ago, by Bishop Dag Heward-Mills,  in what it turns out, was a private meeting amongst Lighthouse  Church pastors, who were discussing pertinent issues of that particular period in time, with their Bishop, which had been recorded.

Let there be no doubt about it, but this is a matter that if wrongly handled, by those in Manyia Palace,  whose job is to protect the image of the Asantehene, could end up resurrecting longstanding demands by some Ghanaian nationalists, calling for the abolishment of the  traditional system, dominated by Chiefs  -  so that Ghana could focus on  becoming an African meritocracy,  successfully transformed through the efforts of its many world-class  young-solid-achievers. Yooooooo...

In light of that, and given the unreserved public apology, graciously issued by Bishop Heward-Mills, it is vital that those whose responsibility it is to protect the image of Manyia Palace, understand clearly,  just how crucial it is that this matter is de-escalated swiftly. Sycophany never built anything of value anywhere in the world - and it never will.  Yooooooo...

Let them begin the process, by issuing a public statement, condemning, in no uncertain terms,  the lawless and unacceptable  actions, of the arrogant and verbally-violent-extremists, whose backwardness is such that, incredibly (in what is a new-digital-era),  they think that somehow, the Kumasihene is a god.  Amazing.  Unbelievable.  Abominable. Haaba.

With the greatest respect, those whose job it is to protect the image of Manyia Palace, ought to accept, and understand, clearly, that the matter of the positions and societal-roles, of the progeny of the ruling-élites of the precolonial tribal entities, as sovereign rulers, in an independent Ghana, was settled in the elections of 195l, 1954 and 1956. Case closed. Full stop. Yooooooo...

We must also never forget, that  in all of those free and fair elections, organised by the British occupiers of our beloved country,  at the time, the deep-thinking and clear-minded-masses, voted overwhelmingly, in favour of Nkrumah's vision of an independent Ghana, which was a meritocracy,  in which there was social-mobility, through personal endeavour - not societal-advancement through entitlement-dreams, sponsored by vile-nepotism and inherited privilege. Haaba.  

Finally, for the avoidance of doubt, in a strictly legal sense,  there are no Kingdoms, anywhere, in our Republic - in which sovereignty resides in the citizenry. Full stop. This is a storm in a calabash. The Asantehene neither needs the validation of Bishop  Dag Heward-Mills   -  nor that of the vile myrmidon-thugs, amongst the  mostly-decent-minded, but musguided membership, of the Asante Youth Association.  Enough is enough, ooooooo, Amanfuo. Yoooooooo... 

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What Kind Of New Leadership Does The GJA Need Today?

Never in the annals of the history of Ghanaian journalism, have the elections to select the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), been so crucial, than is the case today. Freedom of expression, in our homeland Ghana,  is under siege - as media houses, and media professionals, are regularly assaulted (both physically and metaphorically), by their many  illiberal-enemies in our corruption-riddled society. 

What Mother Ghana desperately needs, today, are a GJA leadership made of principled media professionals, who will seek to expand the frontiers of freedom in our country, yet further - by seeking a reinterpretation of the constrictive aspects of the constitutional roles of the National Media Commission (NMC), and the National Communications Authority (NCA),  for example.

The Ghanaian media landscape, most certainly does not need a GJA made up of mercenary-and-cynical-hacks, who will  work secretly, in tandemn with our would-be oppressors, to constrict freedom of expression in our dear Motherland.

The next leadership of the GJA must be world-class individuals, who will have the integrity, quickness-of-mind,  creativity  and independent-mindedness,  needed to enable them outmanoeuvre the dark forces ranged against the work of Ghana's media professionals, who constitute the fourth pillar of our democracy, and serve as accountability-watchdogs, in an African  democracy that is imperilled by the unfathomable-greed slowly destroying it. 

In light of that, it would therefore be disastrous, for Mother Ghana, were the wrong type of media professionals (lackeys and highlings of today's dominant-dark-forces - the big-thieves-in-high-places - who secretly wish to impose a tyranny on Ghanaians to enable them perpetuate their rule), to be selected to run the GJA.

Let it not be said of us that when freedom of expression was under siege, and 

and the dark clouds of tyranny loomed over our country (whose very existence as a free society in which the rule of law prevails was threatened by powerful and greed-filled elites), regime-cronies, and sycophantic praise-singers, were elected to lead the GJA. No. No. No.

Media professionals in Ghana must never lose sight of the fact that a key feature of the 4th Republic, thus far, has been the evolution of a self-serving political-duopoly, made up of the two largest political parties, in Ghana, the ruling New Patriotic Party  (NPP), and the biggest of the opposition parties, the National Democratic Congress  (NDC).

When in opposition,  they are both  sanctimonious, and give the world the false  impression that they are fighting for common-good-causes, critical for the overall well being of ordinary people,  and working hard to protect the national interest, at all material times. Nothing could be further from the reality actually motivating most opposition politicians, however. And it is important that the new GJA leaders instinctively understand that motivation underpinning life in the political wilderness in Ghanaian politics. 

Alas, the grandstanding and playing-to-the-gallery tactics, whiles in opposition, are merely meant to entice the electorate  to vote for opposition politicians, and enable them to successfully  emerge from the  political wilderness, which all the NPP/NDC duopoly's members, dread to be banished.

Conversely, when in power, the need for ruling party's to fund their operations, nationwide, and thus make it easy for them to retain power, when election time comes round, simply means entering into alliances with Ghanaian society's big-thieves-in-high-places, whose sole aim in entering politics, is to create wealth for themselves, their family-favourites and dark-money-specialist  regime-crony-tycoons. 

Alas, only a new GJA leadership, made up of bold, fearless, imaginative and independent-minded  media professionals,  who are accutately aware  of the machinations of the party-hardliners that collaborate with the perfidious thieves-in-high-places, who dominate both the NPP, and, the NDC, when in power, can protect freedom of expression in today's Ghana. To elect lackeys and sycophants of the current govenment,  to lead the GJA, would be tragic.

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U.S. $170 Million Ghana Power Generation Company Judgement-Debt Saga - Both NPP And NDC Failed Mother Ghana Terribly

According to its website, the UN Commission On International Trade Law (UNCITRAL),  supports the Sustainable Development  Goals (UN SDGs), including ending poverty everywhere. It is a pity that that did not occur to the UNCITRAL tribunal panel members, who sat in London, when they ordered Ghana to pay US $170 million, as judgement debt, to the Ghana Power Generation Company  (GPGC).

Was it not obvious to them that the poor citizenry of  a highly indebted African nation, would ultimately suffer further deprivation, if their government had to pay judgement debt? Surely, that should have made them  bend over backwards, to prevent ordinary Ghanaians, from becoming the victims, yet again, of elite-perfidy, by granting the extended  period Ghana's tardy lawyers pleaded for, to enable them put in an appearance to fight the case?


There is no question that bribery must have secured that contested power purchase agreement. How else could that obviously inimical-to-the-common-good power purchase agreement, have been procured, by the Ghana Power Generation Company GPGC), other than by egregious-inducement -  of public officials whose fiduciary duty, it was,  to protect the national interest, at all material times, in the first place? Those who signed that bloodsucking-abomination of an agreement, during the Mahama-era, may have to go to jail, one fine day, oooo. Yooooooo...

Furtheremore, how possibly can those whose job it was, in the  Akufo-Addo  administration, to protect Mother Ghana, justify not acting with patriotic-dispatch, in ensuring that a matter in which Mother Ghana could  be forced to pay as much as some U.S.$170 million, in judgement debt, if it didn't secure well-intentioned legal representation (and thus lose  a winnable  clearcut-case, of an egregiously-induced power purchase agreement), was ably defended  -  regardless of their personal challenges to do with the December 2020 election campaigning and dealing with the dangers of the coronavirus, I ask?

They too, deserve to be investigated, and sanctioned, for causing financial loss, to the Ghanaian nation-state. In the matter of the UNCITRAL tribunal U.S.$170 million judgement debt awarded to GPGC, in London,  both the ruling New Patriotic Party  (NPP), and the National Democratic Congress  (NDC), regime of former President Mahama, let Mother Ghana down terribly. Pity.

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The Government Must Listen To Abdul Malik Kweku Baako - And Cancel The AMERI Sputnik5 COVID-19 Procurement Deal

Africa's secret-enemies, desperately  want the tragedy that has befallen India (which, sadly, has been overwhelmed by the Delta variant of  COVID-19), to occur in Africa too - but Insha Allah, that will not come to pass. However, it is crucial that  Ghanaians unite, and force the greedy self-seekers, amongst our ruling-élites, from taking advantage of the temporary supply chain challenges, in procuring COVID-19 vaccines, to line their pockets, yet again, at the expense of the masses. Yabr3, ooooo. Yooooooo...

The recent Sputnik5 COVID-19 procurement deal, with the Dubai-based AMERI,  must be cancelled swiftly. It is hypocritical and nonsensical for any public official to use the lame excuse that diplomacy, thus far, has failed to make COVID-19 vaccines available to Ghana - when there has not been a direct call, to either Russian President Putin,  or U.S. President Biden,  by President Akufo-Addo: appealing to them to help a longstanding African ally, of both those two great world powers, to make vaccines available to Ghana, on an emergency basis. 

Furtheremore, both sides in Parliament, ought to come together, to pass a new law, under a certificate of urgency,  banning the procurement of vaccines for all global pandemics, from sources, other than the manufacturers, directly, and, or, global multilateral vaccine alliances, such as the Gavi COVAX AMC, making vaccines available to financially-challenged, but relatively well-managed  emerging nations, such as our homeland Ghana. 

The ruling New Patriotic Party's leaders would be wise to heed the advice of their own very good media friend, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako,  and cancel the price-gouging AMERI COVID-19 procurement agreement.  Enough is enough. Haaba. That kind of big-thieves-in-high-places self-seeking,  will definitely lead to a loss of  public confidence, in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. That, God forbid, will be disastrous for Mother Ghana, oooo. Yaaanomuaa, Ghanafuo,  abr3 mu, ooooo. Yooooooo...

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How The IGP Can Turn Ghana Into A Heaven-On-Earth For The Law-Abiding Nationwide

Ghana's Inspector General of Police (IGP), can turn Ghana into a heaven-on-earth, for the law-abiding, simply by turning our beautiful country, into a hell-on-earth, for all criminally-minded individuals. Full stop. No libilaba.

And, if the IGP, and the top brass of the Ghana Police Service, finally ditch the calcified colonial-mentality-ethos, currently underpinning the institutional-culture of law-enforcement agencies in Ghana, our nation will then become a paradise for honest people nationwide. 

That is because the new no-one-is-above-the-law-mentality, replacing the old colonial- mentality that made them kow-tow, in knee-jerk-fashion, to our ruling-élites (which will then permeate the Ghana Police Service),  will make them carry out their duties, just  like their British counterparts, do, daily -  ensuring that the law in our democracy,  is truly  no respector of persons, finally. Case closed. 

The newly-confident Ghana Police Service,  will thus focus, on,  and, target, the biggest crooks of all, in Ghana, proactively  - regularly arresting the big-thieves-in-high-places,  who dominate our country, regardless of whichever ruling political party happens to be in power, at any given point in time, in our 4th Republic. That will be heavenly, paaa, ankasa, ooooooo, Ghanafuo. Wow. Nice. Cool.

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We Must Stop Thieves-In-High-Places From Targeting Ghana's COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Programme

At all costs, we must stop our nation's thieves-in-high-places, from targetting Ghana's COVID-19 vaccine procurement programme. What is wrong is wrong: Our leaders must not compound the abomination that big-thieves-in-high-places seeking to profit from the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, represents, by making excuses for the price-gouging that took place, in the shabby story of the purchase from dubious characters in Dubai, of the Russian manufactured Sputnik5 vaccines, at U.S.$19 instead of U.S.$10 per vaccine.

 

Humanity now faces a new era of serial pandemics as zoonotic diseases increase with the destruction of forests globally. President Akufo-Addo has rightly stressed the importance of having our own vaccine manufacturing plants to produce safe vaccines year round. Speaking personally, I have now lost faith in the Sputnik5 vaccine, and even if it is the only one Ghana can procure, going forward,  I will do without it, and rather focus instead  on staying safe in disciplined-proactive-fashion.

I am pretty sure that there are many other Ghanaians, too, who have also lost faith in our nation's coronavirus vaccine programme, which has now been targeted by the greed-filled big-thieves-in-high-places, amongst our mostly shortsighted ruling-élites. Ey3 ensem piiiiiii...

As a wise and aspirational people, before Ghana starts producing vaccines locally, we must ensure that our ruling-élites stick to the agreed national plan, to procure vaccines mostly from the Gavi COVAX AMC,  if we are to prevent them from playing Russian roulette with our lives, in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, nationwide. At all costs, Ghanaians must stop the greed-filled and powerful thieves-in-high-places, in the current administration, from targetting our nation's COVID-19 vaccine procurement programme. Full stop. Enough is enough. Haaba. Ghanafuo abr3, oooo. Yooooooo... 

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Let Thy Will Be Done Lord God Almighty - Make Ghana's President Akufo-Addo Declare The Atewa Forest Reserve A National Park

 Dear God Almighty,

As an act of atonement, Ghanaians  planted countless  trees, on 11th June, 2021 -  and will now make it an annual event, to be known as Greening Ghana Day. 

Lord God Almighty, please let President Akufo-Addo take to the skies, with the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia 11, and fly over the whole of Akyem Abuakwa, in one of the Ghana Air Force's  helicopters, to survey the damage done to our natural heritage, Kwaebibirim,  by greedy gold miners.

As soon as they touch down again, please touch their hearts - and let President Akufo-Addo ignore the advice of all his technocrats, and declare the Atewa Forest Reserve, a national park, from which all mining will be banned. 

It will save what is a declared Globally Significant Biodiversity Area  (GSBA), which is also the watershed for three major river systems, the Densu, Ayensu and Birim rivers, from which treated water is sourced, treated and dustributed, to over 5 million people across southern Ghana, from destruction. Awurade Nyankupon Tw3diepong, Okyenman, di3,  y3n enma, enseii, da.   Let thy will be done, O Lord God Almighty.  Amen!

We Must Unite And Work For The Common Good Of the Generality Of Ghanaian Society

Ghanaians need to unite to work for vital common-good causes. Sadly, most of the members of our nation's  political class, although pretty close to each other  (albeit in scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours fashion),  delight in giving the world  the false impression that  they  dislike each other intensely. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.

In that respect, they are doing enormous harm to Mother Ghana, and abnegating their leadership-responsibilities to  the masses of the  Ghanaian populace - for the Covid-era challenges we currently face,  as an aspirational African people,  are enormous. We must unite to confront those challenges - all of which could destabilise our very beautiful and relatively peaceful country.  

What we need to focus on - instead of the never-ending-bickering - is the creation of a truly enabling environment, which empowers Ghana's private sector's  young entrepreneurs, to successfully develop new start-up businesses, which  can create wealth that remains in Ghana, and generate jobs galore, nationwide.

Above all, the more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media, ought to demand that all our nation's  politicians (who, in any case, across the spectrum,  constanty insist that the private sector is the engine of growth for Ghana's real economy, in their view),  must now unite and support the  government's 5-year Greening Ghana initiative, designed to create new green capital for a new national green economy, tomorrow, and the World Bank-backed  Ghana Economic Transformation Project's Ghana Enterprise Agency's (GEA) Grant Support for SMEs initiative, to ensure the  success of both those laudable longterm  initiatives: for the common-good of  the generality of Ghanaian society.

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Western Democracies Must Not Aid And Abet Crimes Of Africa's Ruling-Elites' Ruthless And Murderous Big-Thieves-In-High-Places

Terrorist groups, people-smuggling syndicates, human traffickers, ransomware criminals, cyber-fraudsters and armed robbers are amongst the biggest global security threats, worldwide.  That is where bilateral security collaboration between Western democracies and emerging nations ought to be focused on. 

In the COVID-19 era, activists speaking truth to power, to protect their countries from the big-thieves-in-high-places amongst ruling-élites across Africa, are heroes deserving of praise. They are not definitely not criminals.

That is why  Britain's (and the EU's) secret services, should not aid corrupt African politicians, to harass the continent's activists  -  using phising-strategies to disrupt  and fake their online posting on big-tech's  social media platforms. 

That is a crime against humanity deserving of prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Western democracies should never aid and abet the crimes of emerging nations' ruling-élites - who properly defined, are ruthless and murderous criminals,  robbing their countries blind in broad daylight. 

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Is Ghanaian Democracy Now Being Undermined By Judicial-High-Handedness?

"Would-be authoritarians at times seek to capture courts and deploy them in

abusive ways as part of a broader project of democratic erosion, because
courts often enjoy legitimacy advantages that make their antidemocratic
moves harder to detect and respond to both domestically and
internationally."

      

      - David Landau and Rosalind Dixon (Abusive Judicial Review:

Courts Against Democracy)

Is Ghanaian democracy  being undermined by judicial-high-handedness? Were that so, it would be ironical - for the Martyrs to the rule of law monument, stands at the  entrance to Ghana's Supreme Court building.

As it happens, that monument is dedicated to the memory of three High Court judges (Justices Kwadwo Adjetey Agyepong, Poku Sarkodie and Mrs. Cecelia Korangteng-Addo), callously murdered, in 1982, during the brutal military dictatorship of the Provisional National Defence Council  (PNDC).

Subsequent Investigations into their murder,  revealed that they were taken from their homes at night, and taken to the Bundase Military Training Camp,  where they were murdered - and set alight, to burn, on the 30th of June, 1982. As a result of a downpour of rain that day, their bodies weren't burnt beyond recognition, aiding their identification when the gruesome crime was discovered.

The monument dedicated to their memory (which displays the sculptured-busts of the three high court judges),  is known as the Martrys to the rule of law. Unfortunately, a bust of Major Acquah was not added to that of the three high court judges. Pity.

It is important to point out that there were other heroes, such the media's P. V. Ansah andTommy Thompson,  who also lost their lives, in the fight to restore Ghanaian democracy and establish a new system, anchored on the rule of law  - a development that was made possible,  when the 1992 Constitution was promulgated, and presidential and parliamentary elections held to usher in civilian rule, and mark the end of the military-dominated dictatorship of the PNDC. 

It is therefore ironic, that today,  somehow the impression is fast-gaining ground (perhaps unfairly, since for all we know,  perhaps  in reality, they might be saintly individuals, who mean well for our homeland  Ghana, in their own unique-ways), that a gentleman whose  critics insist is the most partisan Attorney General, ever, in Ghana's history, thus far, Hon. Godfrey Dame, is allegedly working in tandem with the current Chief Justice, using fear (of being charged with contempt), to cow regime-critics, who resent the idea that judges in a democracy are beyond criticism, and that critiquing them openly,  undermines our  democratic system. 

With the greatest respect, judges are public servants, who, like other public servants (compensated amply with taxpayers' cash, let us not forget),  are accountable to the citizenry - and thus can be freely criticised when the need to do so arises, in the supreme national interest: because no one in our democratic  system of  governance,  including even the President of the Republic of Ghana, is above criticism. Full stop. 

To say otherwise,  is self-serving nonsense - by stealth-hardline-plutocrats masquerading as democrats, seeking to use fear, to prolong and perpetuate, the domination of Ghana, by the greedy and clever big-thieves-in-high-places, amongst our mostly self-serving ruling-élites. With respect, it is thus not unfair for any patriotic Ghanaian, to say, today, that Ghanaian democracy is now being undermined by judicial-high-handedness. Cool.

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Is Hon. Dominic Ayine Being Persecuted?

 "At the heart of the First Amendment is the freedom to engage in vigorous public debate, and the Constitution guarantees that citizens, including lawyers, have the right to criticize public officials, including judges."

 -  Nokofiooo,  from the U.S., Ghanafuo.

Has the time now come for judges in Ghana to be made to understand clearly that they are definitely not above criticism, anaaa? And does the latest move against Hon. Ayine by the Chief Justice  amounts to witch-hunting, anaaaa? Pure and simple? Some people don't know when to let sleeping dogs lie, koraaaa.   Hmmm, eyeasem, ooooo...

The judiciary in this country still doesn't get it: Ghana is neither a dictatorship, nor the personal fiefdom, of a privileged few - whose wish is that we are cowed: to allow their dream-kleptocracy to evolve into a banana  republic sans dissenting voices: so that judgement-debts will become the new way to create, loot and share.

This is a liberal democracy, ooooo, surprising though it might be to some   -  and Ghanaians are free citizens with constitutionally  guaranteed rights: not the serfs of our ruling elites. Sod off, wai, Massa. Who born dog?  My name is Kofi Thompson  - and I fear nobody in Ghana. Let them come and  pick me up.  Yabr3 wu! Haaba.

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Speaking Truth To Power Is Neither A Crime In Ghana - Nor Is It In The UK Either

 One hopes that the UK's visiting Home Secretary, Priti Patel, will use her favourite Parliamentary  cop-out-phrase, "I can't comment on individual cases", to deter the nosey-parkers here, who think they can use Britain's Home Secretary, to collar some of  us. It won't work, wai. No way. Full stop.

She knows perfectly well that there will be hell-to-pay big-trouble for her, if the UK media gets wind of such an egregious data-privacy-invasion-fishing-expedition,  wai. Clueless sods.

 

Wherever in the world we go to, we will continue to criticise Ghana's big-thieves-in-high-places, and their gormless regime-lackeys, saaaaa,  till Truth-Kingdom cometh, ooooo. We are fearless, wai. Full stop.

Ghana aban, Kofi Thompson is not a criminal, wai - and speaking truth to power is not a crime, koraaaa,  oooo. Yooooooo...

Massa, stop wasting scarce state resources  on someone harmless, who is a patriot who loves Mother Ghana passionately - and still supports President President Akufo-Addo 100 percent: but loathes his party that has now evolved into a criminal organisation in all but name, in order to obtain party-funding. Repeat: Speaking truth to power isn't a crime in Ghana - and neither is it one in the UK,  either.   Who born dog? Haaba.

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To Whom The Cap Fits...

Human nature can be very complex. When Captain Smart, the famed broadcast journalist,  stated recently, that he was shown begging-text-messages from journalists by two politicians, I smiled ruefully to myself - and wondered if he was referring to me. That would be slander, oooo, Massa. Yooooooo...

Once upon a time, I was in the office of a very good personal friend of mine, who also happened to be a senior cabinet minister, at the time, when he called Captain Smart. My relationship with that particular politician, was well known by a few 'senior journalists'.

Our relationship  was based on the understanding that if he messed up, I would not spare him, if it was in the national interest, to either expose or criticise him. And it was the same for him too,  if I also messed up ethically as a journalist: he would never intervene to rescue me from my own foolishness.  Case closed.

It  was an understanding that worked well for both of us. Today, as it happens, he is in a very powerful position - but I keep my distance from him. That day he called Captain Smart, in my presence, I gave him the title deed to a large parcel of land (containing over 200 plots)  as repayment-assurance for some emergency cash I needed quickly. As it happens that land still belongs to my family - I am not a lazy chap and my brain  works paaaaa . That wasn't begging, ooooo, Amanfuo. Yooooooo...

The second politician, was someone whom I once risked my life, for, by informing him of top secret plot, by the Bureau of National Investigations  (BNI), to frame him up, try him in court, and then jail him. I gave a written statement, of that top secret BNI plot to frame him up, to the  law court, where he was being prosecuted, through his lawyer. When his then boss heard what I had done, he marvelled that a Ghanaian journalist could  do such a thing.  Such is life.

To thank me, that framed-up politician,  offered me a large wad of big-denomination-cash.  I refused it outright,  and told him that I wasn't that kind of person - and that in any case, I would do same for anyone else,  who was being persecuted, by the system, to please the  powers that be. Simple.

I would therefore be surprised,  if such a person showed my text message (sent to him last year), to anyone else - for I approached him during a crisis, which can befall anyone, and which virtually any honest person in a crisis situation, would also not hesitate to do same, and approach a supposed  friend, whom he or she had once risked life and limb for. I have  always thought of him as a real gentleman. Hmmm, eyeasem, oooo...

Finally, I am also disappointed in my young green-causes  friend,  who since he went to Ofori Panin Fie, at Kyebi, not too long ago, now ignores me completely. Eeiiii, nipa eny3, oooooo. Wonders.

Massa, the question to ponder over is: Where were those arrogant sods at Ofori Panyin Fie (who today think that they have a legitimate  right to takeover my family's freehold  lands,  in Akyem Abuakwa, as if Ghana were their personal fiefdom), when my late Grandpa, P. E. Thompson Esq, was forking out thousands of pounds to acquire those lands, between 1921 and 1933 - and going to the added  expense of having them all surveyed, and registered, at the Deeds Registry, at Christiansburg, in Accra?  Massa, Kofi Thompson eny3, easy-walkover, saaaa, koraaa,  ooooo. Yoooooooo... 

Finally, I have kept the title National Review  managing editor, on my LinkedIn profile, as a  virtual-till-the-end-of-time-protest, in condemnation of an alleged collaborative-plot between the BNI, and a pro-NPP media professional - executed when they got wind of the fact that I was planning to establish a newspaper of my own, to be known as The National Review: and promptly published a  fake-edition of the yet-to-be published newspaper  that distastefully caricatured the late  President John Atta Mills, of blessed memory. Hmmm, eyeasem,  oooo...

That pure nonsense-on-bamboo-stilts, eventually ended up at the then Kabral Blay-Amiher-led National Media Commission (NMC),  with me successfully refuting outright,  that monstrous  made-up-stealth-shebang. So, when you come across that LinkedIn  profile, dear reader, it is a perpetual-virtual-protest, with a diabolical-story behind it, wai.  Small boys are young, ampaaa!

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Must Ghana Toll Its Entire Road Network - And Look To The Private-Sector Globally To Self-Finance The Construction And Rehabilitation Of Roads?

One of the issues that cause the most disaffection, amongst rural demographics nationwide, is the dreadful condition of Ghana's rural road  network. That disaffection  has the potential to undermine our democratic system. We must therefore look to the private sector for funding the construction of new roads and to rehabilitate all existing roads - as bad roads actually hinder economic activity, cause accidents, damage vehicles and give rise to citizenry-disaffection nationwide. 

In media vox populi, after media vox populi, respondents across vast swathes of the GhanaIan countryside, have indicated clearly that they will not vote in upcoming national elections,  if existing rural roads where they live and work in,  aren't rehabilitated. Clearly they have not had their fair-share of the democracy-dividend: and that is a national security issue. 

Some estimates indicate that Ghana's total  road network  amounts to 67,291 km - out of which 42,394km happen to be rural roads, while 12,785km out of the total are urban roads. Since the 1992 Constitution was promulgated, every administration elected to power,  thus far, has done its best to find funding, to enable it  build new roads  and rehabilitate existing roads. 

If funding were available, there is no question that  Ghana would have some of   the best roads on the surface of the planet Earth - for it is an aspirational-society lucky  not to suffer from a dearth of competent entrepreneurs in the  road construction sector of its national economy. The time has therefore now come for our ruling-élites  to walk the talk, and actualise their mantra-of-convenience that in their view, the private sector ought to be the engine of growth for Ghana's real economy. 

 Let them now be bold and imaginative -  and move to invite road construction companies from around the world, noted for using bleeding-edge technologies, to come and  self-finance the building of new tolled roads, and to rehabilitate existing ones, nationwide: and turn Ghana's entire road network  into tolled roads to recoup their investments tax free, over a period of 35 years. 

In that regard, one humbly recommends the  affordable and cutting-edge  Ecoroad road construction technology, developed by the giant U.S. road construction company, Terrafusion International, to our ruling-élites. The company can partner private-sector Ghanaian entrepreneurs, the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces and local communities, nationwide, as joint-venture  public private partnership projects (PPP), on a build, operate and transfer basis. If we are to achieve our national-goal of becoming competitive enough to attract the investment needed to make Ghana the hub of manufacturing for the African Continental Free Trade Area, we must have a modern and workd-class tolled roads network nationwide.  Self-financing road construction companies will make that possible in shortest possible time--frame. 

 

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A Quick Note To Terrafusion International - Developers Of The Innovative Ecoroad Road Construction Technology

 Hello,

Ghana desperately needs your innovative Ecoroad road construction technology, to enable it  modernise the entirety of its national road network, especially those across rural Ghana.

If your company can self-finance the construction of new tolled roads nationwide, with the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, and local communities,  as joint-venture  public private partnership projects (PPP), on a build, operate and transfer basis, Ghanaians will willingly pay tolls on all those roads - even for periods as lengthy  as 35 years, to enable your company recoup its investment here.

If this is feasible and doable, why don't you talk to officials at the Ghana Embassy, in Washington DC,  as well to the relevant  country desk officers, responsible for Ghana, at the U.S. State Department in Washington DC, about the idea?


Thanks.

Kind regards,

Kofi.

WhatsApp: +233576564600.

Tel: +233558852619 & +233277453109.

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Ms. Aku Akufo's Unfortunate And Ill-Judged Marie-Antoinette-Type Provocation

If you are cursed to possess one, one of the most irritating things about what some refer to as a "posh English accent", is that it invariably gets in the way, most of the time, when dealing with people in Ghana. It is vastly overated, in one's humble opinion - and one hates it with a passion for that reason.

If one correctly understands the controversy  generated by Ms. Aku Akufo  (who is said to have stated that she cringes when she hears some Ghanaian government ministers speaking),  the implication is that she would rather all our ruling-élites had posh English accents. Hmmm, eyeasem, ooooo...

Saying that she cringes when she hears some government ministers speaking (because they don't have  posh English  accents, anaaa?), is an extraordinary thing for someone from a privileged background to say  -  if it is fact-checked fact, and not fake news, that is. Eeiiii, Oman Ghana - enti yewieye paaa enei?  Asem kesie, bi, ebeba debi ankasa, ooooo. Yoooooo...

Most irritating of all, is the implied-aspersions she cast, on Ho Technical University-type of tertiary institutions across Ghana. Yes, by all means let's celebrate all those Ghanaians who excel in some of the world's best universities abroad - but let us also aim to turn the Ho Technical University-type of tertiary institution, in our nation, into world-class centres of learning.  Haaba.

For a retired old fool like me, who has no formal education, whatesoever, to speak of, it is monstrous for any privileged Ghanaian, to imply that some of our universities  produce only mediocre students. Unconscionable. Disgraceful. Abominable. Unpardonable. And, finally, for Ms. Aku Akufo to cap all that egregious-arrogance, with  careless-talk, about some Ghanaians being envious of privileged people of her ilk, on top, too, and in the same breath, is pure and unadulterated Marie-Antoinette-type provocation, and an incitement to boys-abr3 violent-street-demos, ooooo. Yooooooo...

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