Life in Ghana is nasty, brutish and short. Are we in the State of Nature?

Fatai Ayinla, a Nigerian with whom I attended elementary school at Kusi Presby Primary and L/A Middle School recently paid a visit to Ghana. He narrated his ordeal at the hands of the Nigerian Police some few years ago.

It was the period of Christmas and the spirit of the season could be felt in the air. Not to be outdone by others, Fatai in company of two friends had gone to buy a goat to be used for preparing pepper soup.

On the way home, their taxi was stopped by the Police. “Oya park and bring out your parti-cola. Oh what do you have in the boot? Make you declare everything kia,kia. I can see a goat here, but don’t tell me it is yours. It does not resemble any of you and so none could claim it as his child. It means it is a stolen goat. Now, bring your receipt!

“Officer, sir, emm, well, u see nobody gives or collects receipt for a goat, fowl or chicken.” “My friend, don’t waste my time. It is either a receipt or to the station.”

Na so it be that no do, no do, my friend and his two other colleagues found themselves at the police station and then to the cells. It was only after some “Ghana must go bags” had changed hands that they were allowed to breathe the air of freedom.

The above episode brings me closer home to the huge amount of money blown which had entered the stomachs of over 151 members of the transitional team. Infact, I wouldn’t have made any noise if the NDC as a party had not deceived Ghanaians with her “I care for you” slogan. I would have adopted a “siddon look” as propounded by the late Cicero of Esa Oke, Chief Bola Ige, Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Nigeria. Silence, they say is golden. So why should I bother myself and comment on issues which will attract venom? I know the political Goliaths are anxious to fling their darts at me. But I remain unshaken in my belief that the truth will eventually emerge and justice will prevail. I shall never quiver. I will never surrender.

He, who dines with the tiger, ends up in its belly. My problem with the NDC is that all of them appear to be “Yes men and women”. Nobody criticizes an official policy or toe a different line from the official position. If the leader, like Napoleon of Animal Farm says yes, so be it. All, from the highest papacy to the lowest clergyman will toe the same line.

Just complain about the activities of its members, and they will jump the gun and quickly tell you that worst things had happened under the previous NPP regime. Why did you not complain at that time, they will ask rhetorically? And so push turns to shove and the rufu–rufu fighting continues unabated. Let us suspend this issue for now and concentrate on the open display of arrogance, opulence and dissipation of public funds-our own money by members of the NDC.Tell me, please, do tell me if it is true that the NDC blew over Gh¢361, 924.41 on the transition. At first, I did not believe it. It appears as if my ears and eyes were deceiving me. Couldn’t this be the work of jaundiced writers and columnists who were out to destroy the NDC with their cock and bull stories?

But no, hold your breath for a minute. Those who told us they cared for us have now shown by their actions that indeed they cared for themselves! Yes, they do care, but not for you and I. It is for themselves, their family and friends.

I remember a teacher friend of mine nicknamed Asuo Adede. He came up with the proposition “that a man must have a reward for the services he renders”. He would then go to the dining hall and take an extra plate. He expanded his deduction to include his family in which case, two extra plates went his home. Finally his deduction came to “A man must have a reward for himself, his family and friends for the service he renders”. You can guess the number of extra plates of food (ration) that went to his house on daily basis. And that is exactly what the Transition team has done to us. And that is exactly what the NDC done to you and me and to all of us.

They have chopped our monies nyafu-nyafu. But are you surprised? That is the African Politician for you? Na our money. Your money and mine! But is this not an act of stealing? From where did they derive the authority to “chopulate” our money just like that? Did they collect receipts for the tea, biscuit, spoons and saucers? We need those receipts to enable us do a proper auditing. And what happened to the spoons, the saucers, plates and the utensils? I hope they have not carried them into their homes just like the ex-speaker did. If they did that, then they would have no moral authority to condemn the ex-speaker. And if they ‘chop-chopped’ our monies without authorization, the BNI must invite them and find out on whose authority their stomachs went on such profligate spending like that.

Refreshment GH? 135,316.30. Can someone please translate this figure into opepepeepee for me? This is money swine regime. Where did they order their lunch from? Is it from Mr. Biggs, Papaye or…. We need to know the source of supply so that some of us can conduct our own private or individual investigations to ensure that no one has made a cut for him or herself. After all, we are in an era of probity and accountability.

Now to all those who participated in the transition: I have these posers for them. Is this an era of free lunch, free breakfast, free this or that? If they are going to be given some form of remuneration, what was the logic behind being given refreshment? After all, are there not workers in the various Ministries and the Corporations who are working but are not given such incentives? If they were gainfully employed, wouldn’t they have been buying their own food or refreshment? It was unethical or morally wrong to blow such an opepeepeepee on tea, goat meat, chicken, and others. By the way, was pig meat added to the menu? What about drinks? Let us know how many bottles of champagne were popped to celebrate such a “smooth transition”.

We are also aware that some members of the transition team were occupying some positions in the public service. And with such honoraria going to them, would it not amount to collecting double salaries from our coffers which this regime claims is broke? And then when one takes a look at the amount being paid to these so called men of vision transparency and integrity, one is at a loss to fathom which evil spirit might have entered their system to make them dupe the nation by collecting such a whopping sum of money for work covering two month which could have been completed in less than half the period. The chairman collected GH¢2,250 as allowance. How many Ghanaians earn that amount in two months? Indeed very few! And when you add free car, free fuel from the castle and free food (Three square meals a day) then one can say that this was the most “unkindest cut of all”. What wickedness made them go down the path of biblical Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? These wicked people who threw all decency to the wind and blew up this fantastic amount are operating freely. They have a blank cheque to execute their devilish and selfish plan without hindrance because their sponsor is the government.

Now, we would like to know the source of authorization. Who authorized the money to be paid out? From where did they get the money to be paid out to these greedy men and women who did very little job and ended up collecting so much? If the NDC claims the country is broke, where did they get this huge money to dole out to their cronies? I remember one of the Jokes students used to have about the late D.C.Kwakye of Oda in those days. It goes like this “You say farmers are not importance. If famers are not importance, the food you dey chop, from the where? If farmers are not importance, the abenkwan (palm soup) you dey chop, from the where?”

But I shudder to … emm,… err…, well…, think that the NDC Government has mortgaged our oil finds to some foreign interest for pittance just like Esau sold his birth right for pottage. Well, in this period of the NDC, anything at all can happen. In the coming days and weeks, the government propaganda machinery led by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa would be hard put to explain to us where it got the money to sponsor this free for all spending in a country whose economy this very government has described as broke. Can the NDC really look straight at the faces of Ghanaians and tell us that it has fulfilled to the letter the social contract it signed with the people? No, the party has taken us for a ride; the NDC has short charged us and turned us into pawns in this abracadabra game they are playing with our lives. How will J.B Danquah be feeling in his grave? I bet the man who gave this country the name Ghana will be turning uncomfortable in his grave. What about Kwame Nkrumah? He will feel betrayed by the antics of the NDC members who claim they are following his footsteps but every action of theirs is the direct antithesis of all that he [Nkrumah] stood for! And yet these people call themselves social democrats! I learn’t the tea was called “tea mpampa” (tea porridge) for if one dips his hands into the cups, it will not reach the bottom on account of its thickness.

Another aspect which beats my understanding is this. Did the transitional team not receive donations in the form of cash, bottled water, beverages etc? It will surprise me if it did not for when ordinary Ghanaians organize functions, e.g. church harvest etc, they receive assistance from manufacturers and producers of items like minerals, bottled water, pure water and cash. And if ordinary citizens like my humble self can solicit and receive assistance from such organizations/ companies/ producers, I wonder why a team put together by an in coming government could not do any such thing. The team was devoid of ideas and so it never occurred to it to make such a request I wish to recommend to the presidency not to give an award for commonsense to any of them.

Now, the Ministry for Information wants to take Ghanaians for fools otherwise it would not have come out with a belated statement that during the first two weeks of the incoming NDC administration, the President and his Vice used the facilities at the Accra Conference Centre and part of the expenditure incurred under refreshment should be attributed to entertainment of august visitors of the first two citizens of the country. How could a whole Information Ministry come out with such a bogus and shallow statement which cannot cling? Where is Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa? Did he see the statement before it was released to the press or is he the architect of that statement?

When the Finance Minister went to Parliament, did he make any reference to the presidency? He stated it in black and white that the refreshment was for committee members, security, the police, volunteers and what have you. No mention was made of the President or his Vice. This after thought is an affront on the intelligence of Ghanaians. And if I may ask, why was the allocation to the office of the president increased by over 160%? Wasn’t it to take care of such expenses? By this belated attempt to white wash an already dark situation, the Information Ministry has thrown the concept of fairness into the waste basket.

Now, can we know whether the NPP members took part in the ‘tea mpampa’ or not. What about the honoraria for her members? Did it extend to them as well? Well, I am asking these questions because NPP members on the transition team have denied receiving any money as allowance, honoraria or whatever you call it. Were there invoice or vouchers which were duly signed for by the recipients? If there were, we need to scrutinize those documents to ensure that those who signed them were the actual recipients. And if it reveals that some people have forged the signatures of NPP members to collect their own largesse, then we should not hesitate to make them guests of the BNI. After all, are we not in an era of probity and accountability? I listened to the newspaper review segment on Wednesday at Oman FM. The host, Fiifi Boafo had Head of the Transitional Team on Assets Disposals, Dr Don Arthur on the line. The latter said he invited a team of Architects from the Ghana Institute of Architects to assist the committee in its work.

According to Dr Arthur, members of the architectural team ate, drank and sometimes had supper on days when their sittings extended beyond the normal time. But the saddest aspect of it all was that in spite of their efforts in ensuring the success and completion of the task “behind schedule”, such people were not accorded any monetary incentives. Not even a single pesewa! All that they had was the mpampa, snacks and at times kenkey and nkyenam, fufu, and aponkye krakra and fufu and akrantie meat (grass cutter).

You see how wicked and selfish human beings could degenerate into. Why were the architects not given any honorarium, Fiifi Boafo wanted to know from Dr Don Arthur why the architects did not qualify for the honoraria? For an answer hear him feigning anger at the question posed to him. “Have they elected you their leader or spokesperson? Have they complained to you?” and the phone went dead! Earlier, Mr Ibrahim Adjei had asked for the reason why the sister of Hannah Tetteh should be on the transition team. Does it not amount to a conflict of interest? He had queried.

The Transition Team went beyond its natural mandate. Dr Arthur said his sub-committee took three months to complete its assignment, whereas other committees took two months. Who authorized the extension and how the extension was funded. If the committee had not been given a blank cheque, would it have gone beyond the time frame and its budget? This shows a lack of vision or focus.

By the way, were members of the various sub-committees drawing free fuel from the Castle? What about cars? Were we all not here when a top member of the NDC told us that the people we see driving government cars were doing so because they were doing government work and so were entitled to those luxuries? This is on record and can be verified from authentic sources. Can Dr Duffuor tell us how much was expended during the retreat of induction course for NDC appointees at Akosombo? We need to know. If they forgot to ask the NPP when it was in power about how much was spent on similar exercises, it was their own fault. But we are asking them because they claim this is an era of “probity and accountability”

I cannot end this piece without commenting on the modus operandi of the Bureau of National Investigations. Whenever anyone complains, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, one of the two Deputies at the Ministry of Information comes to its rescue. Doesn’t the BNI have a Public Relations Department? If the Bureau is not being manipulated by government, why should the information ministry come to its defence anytime it is criticized? I have stated it before and I am doing it again. It is an advice to the youthful Deputy Minister and he will do well to listen well and good. His utterances after the abortive trip by Stephen Asamoah Boateng at the airport gives the impression that there were sinister motives by faceless individuals to either kidnap the former Information Minister or harm him. I am not holding brief for Asamoah Boateng. If he has committed a crime against the State, he must be made to pay for it. But Okudzeto Ablakwa’s threats that government may slap legal actions on Zuleka, Asamoah Boateng’s wife over what he described as ‘obstructing justice’ when he prevented BNI agents from seizing the passports of her husband, her children and herself’ calls for serious investigations. The BNI has issued a categorical denial that its agents were responsible for the fracas at the airport. It therefore behooves on Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to reveal the identity of those agents who he personally sent to the airport to molest Stephen Asamoah Boateng and his family. With Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s threats and the denial from the BNI, can we, ordinary citizens of Ghana sleep with at least one eye closed or open, not to talk of sleeping with both eyes closed. This is a serious matter which calls for proper investigations by the security agencies, land the earlier the process is started, the better all of us will feel safe and secure in this land of our birth. Sympathizers and staunch members of the NDC are always quick to point out that the NPP did worse things with the BNI and used the so-called botched attempts to arrest Tsatsu Tsikata in church to buttress their point.

For the sake of prosperity, let me state here what actually happened. And I am quoting from view/unit@ghanareview.com. Two policemen from the CID went to the premises of Asbury Donewell Church in Accra to effect Tsikata’s arrest. The Attorney General’s Department did not make any specific order for the arrest of Tsatsu Tsikata. Rather, it was the evil machinations of one, Sam Awortwi, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Legal Department and Boss of the Special Investigation Team who was hell-bent on embarrassing the Kufuor NPP administration who sent the two operatives to do what they did. The two operatives had told the congregation that even though they were not happy with the operation, they had been instructed to carry it out. They also told them that if the congregation wanted the arrest to be aborted, they should get in touch with a particular radio station to make noise on the air. “As a matter of fact within minutes, the incident was on air. Certainly, this was a clear case of a well-rehearsed plan to embarrass the NPP government. Deputy Commissioner Sam Awortwi went underground immediately after the botched operation. He switched off all his communication gadgets and therefore all attempts by his superiors to get in touch with him proved futile.

It later emerged that both Tsatsu Tsikata and Sam Awortwi were the best of friends. They were mates (from Form One to Upper ix) at Mfantsipim Secondary School, Cape Coast and were at the Law School together. That notwithstanding, the NPP administration did the best to repair the damage under the circumstances. The police officers involved were interdicted. This story must be told in its entirety and not as if it was a deliberate plan by the NPP administration to prevent Tsatsu from worshipping God. That stage-managed arrest gave the NPP administration a very bad name. It was indeed bad!

And so, if BNI claims it had not sent its men to stop Asamoah Boateng from travelling, then it means some bad citizens who are hell bent on embarrassing the Mills administration were behind the whole show. Such people should be found out and punished to serve as a deterrent to others to undermine the security of the state. But how were such people able to gain access to restricted areas at the Airport. Infact, this is a serious matter which demands proper investigations. Did workers at the airport connive with evil some desperados to compromise the security of the country? This is a litmus test for the Mills’ administration. In the next couple of days or weeks, we expect to see many heads roll at the airport. Those agents of darkness who managed to gain access to the country’s exit point deserve nothing but an encounter with the BNI.

I, personally was vehement vociferous in condemning some obnoxious policies of the NPP administration because I felt they would rather alienate a lot of people from the party. I was of the opinion that if the party had listened to those pieces of advice it would have gone a long way in making it attractive to floating voters. I will continue to offer constructive criticism as long as God gives me breath. But now, with the way things are the BNI is going about its operation, It appears like a monster which has been let loose on defenceless citizens.

Who can look straight into my eyes and answer these questions as truly as he/she can. Is the country broke? Is Ghana gradually moving towards the state of Nature (Thomas Hobbes) where life is nasty, brutish and short? That is how it appears to me. Who will contradict me and who will concur?

Daniel Danquah Damptey Danieldanquah_damptey@yahoo.com 0243715297.