The Real and Forgotten Heroes: Arthur, Yeboah & Poku

The Real and Forgotten Heroes: Lt. Arthur, Lt. Yeboah and 2nd Lt.Osei Poku!

As a student of behavior and culture, I find it interesting and intriguing that in Ghana, we continue to reward and dignify the very behaviors that account for our current woes and will continue to do so. We reward bad behavior and jubilantly expect good outcomes. Take Ghana's main airport in Accra. Why should we name it after a coup maker and nation wrecker called Kotoka? What really did this man contribute to our national development? Imagine visiting Ghana with a friend and having to explain what Kotoka did and why it is critical that we have our main airport named after him. We are trying to build a democracy but our heroes are nation wreckers and coup makers. What part of the lessons on reinforcement theory did we seriously miss?

Kotoka, for those of you who don’t know, was part of the cabal that overthrew President Nkrumah. He is nothing short of an imperialist tool who joined hands with other quislings and our NLM nation wreckers to do Ghana in. A lot of problems we experience now can be traced to the culture of coups. Are these the people that we dignify today? Imagine a nation wrecker and terrorist like Baffour Akoto being promoted as champion of democracy and federalism. Oh these shameless men! Has the UP/NLM/NLC/PP/NPP no shame at all? These were the people, that if listened to, Ghana as we enjoy today, will never exist. These malignant narcissists were willing to bite their nose to spite their sullen faces. Now, they want us to believe that they are heroes and wanted Ghana as is!

Instead of dignifying these malcontents, why don’t we dignify heroes like Lt Arthur, Lt. Yeboah and 2nd Lt. E. Osei Poku? Folks, these were the real heroes who tried to save us from the tools of the enemy from within and without. For those of you who don’t know, Arthur, Yeboah and Osei Poku, are the gallant young men who stood up to the heist tagged NLC. On the 17th of April, 1967, these gallant young men stood up to the rogue NLC regime and challenged their very existence. They challenged the lies, corruption and self enriching orgy that the NLC and their UP/NLM/PP/NPP friends were frolicking in. In the course of their effort to drain the swamp, Kotoka, the chief quislings, met his ultimate death. Later, Rawlings killed Afrifa out of spite. Kotoka’s self avowed juju protection could not save him from the hot lead that poured from the guns of these men. While I glorify not death, I make no apology or show no remorse for quislings who have destroyed or delayed our promising future.

Arthur, Yeboah and Poku challenged the political mandate of the NLC (Notorious Liars Council) and pointed to the corruption and wanton destruction that these small minds were putting Ghana through. If today we enjoy democracy and a free opposition, it is because of the blood of these young officers. We should actually take Kotoka’s stinking name off the airport in Accra and instead put the name of these gallant men on it. Never must we reward nation wreckers like Kotoka, Afrifa, Deku, Halley and co! At least Arthur and co, tried to remove from office, a military dictatorship, premised on lies, deception, corruption and self aggrandizement. In contrast, Kotoko, Afrifa, Deku, Halley and co, enamored by their small western controlled minds, removed a duly constituted government from power. I have no problem if a military movement removes from power, an illegal and self-serving military government manipulated by outside forces.

What Yeboah, Arthur and Poku tried to save us from was the senseless discontinuation of programs and practices that served the national interest more than it did the parochial interest of the NLM matemeho liars and the potentates that they grovel to. I can’t figure out the primal destructive genes that seem to rudder these nation wreckers brigade. What is it about us that makes it priority one to throw the baby out with the bath water? Why remove a constitutional government and then throw out everything it tried to do? Why not sift the good from bad? It certainly can’t be all bad. Can it? Yet for the small troglodytic mind, anything not coming out of their limited bandwidth is puke! Lord have mercy!

You see, some are anchored by blind hate for the other. They are so full of hate that, like male lions taking over a pride, they will destroy all the existing offsprings and father their own. The problem is that these mental dwarfs don't have the corner on good ideas. Indeed as a result of this small minded behavior, other political factions are inclined to retaliate. In the end, this creates a cyclical vindictive political culture that does not operate in the interest of the people. So, are we better than lions if we continue to behave like small minded creatures? Those guilty of this mindset are the ones with small crab minds that Nana Addo enjoys talking about. Unfortunately for him, his party or tradition suffers from an infestation of such. Sorry Nana! History does not lie! Baffour Akoto and his cohorts are such men who should be nothing but sad footnote of Ghana's history.

Lately, we have the flag bearer of the NPP championing free education. What he has not admitted is the fact that the tradition that he represents, destroyed free education as we know it in Ghana. His were the people that opposed Nkrumah’s free education and removed him from office. Not only did they remove him from office, they discontinued programs that were benefitting the country and moving us in the right direction. A lot of these loud mouths and blowhards that you see at the moment are products of Nkrumah’s free education program. Had it not been Nkrumah’s free education policy, a lot of these people will be rotting in their villages. Instead of admitting that they were wrong, they shamelessly tout Nkrumah’s ideas without giving him the credit he deserves.

My fellow Ghanaians, are you not fed up with these starts and fits? Today we have a civilian government, tomorrow we have a military junta. Today we have NPP development plan, tomorrow we have NDC development. Where is Ghana’s development plan? Where is the people’s development plan? The real last credible development plan was Nkrumah's 7 year plan. Why can't we have continuity instead of this yo-yo rhythm? Are you not fed up with these self absorbed men who cannot find humility in admitting mistakes? Whenever Ghana is placed on the skids of parochialism, our development is compromised. We must stop those who must have it their way or ruin it for the whole. We must not reward those who hail terrorists and coddle violent extremists amongst us. We must reject those who continue to call for tribal genocide. The cost of tolerating these egomaniacs and lying charlatans is our stunted development and regression.

Let me admit here that I support subsidized education. Indeed, I fully support subsidized healthcare as well. My pet peeve is our knack to reward bad behavior that stalls our development and expect good tidings. My caution to Ghanaians is this: Buyer beware! These latter day self conferred saints and political charlatans steal from you and sell you the very things they stole from you. As if the latter crime is not enough, they will turn around and hail themselves big minds and miracle workers! God save us! The truth must be told to the youth! Viva Ghana!

Nii Lantey Okunka Bannerman (Widely hailed as the double edge sword) (I don’t give them hell, I just tell the truth and they think its hell)