My Office Complex for President Kuffuor

To even pick up the pen and write these thoughts of mine down on a paper, breaks my heart beyond my imagination but then it is the small price we can all pay on this journey of ours as a nation that we have embarked on. We have come to regard freedom of speech as deeply entrenched in our constitution and our culture.

Right of the bat let me set the record straight, I have never met President John Agyekum Kuffuor neither have I been a direct beneficiary of his government, why do I need to say that? Because I don’t want my opinion to be tainted by political bias on such an issue that needs clarity, unfiltered, and uncensored view. I am deeply passionate about what I see as a total affront not only on everything we as Ghanaian hold sacred in our culture be it Akans, Ewes, Gas, Dagombas , every stripe of the Ghanaian culture but it is a total sham and defies all common sense.

This whole brouhaha about President Kuffuor’s Office complex at Ridge in Accra, smells and stinks so badly to the highest heavens, I doubt that even the hard core NDC loyalist and more importantly Rawlings loyalist, will have a hard time defending it. For a man of President Kuffuors stature to have a bunch of undisciplined and scoundrels under the guise of Ga-Dangme Youth issuing ultimatums and throwing tantrums like spoilt children that they are, these actions are just beneath every civilized person’s comments and attention. To have the Ga- Traditional council (GaTC) and the Osu Traditional Council (OTC) also throw in their hats in this ugly ring is even beyond my understanding. These groups do not surprise me the least, heck they all want to curry favor from the present government, all they would do is to labor for the food that only lasts a short span, what short-sighted group of unprincipled and undisciplined people. We have this saying in our language that roughly translates into “Good living makes you forget your past”, for some of us we will never forget the past, and I am a relatively young man (33yrs), how can you possible forget the harrowing times of the 1980’s with public flogging and all. When there was no sense of what it means to be a Ghanaian, no pride in being called a Ghanaian. Yes I was very young but I never forgot all those food rationing days of the early 80’s, the general sense of insecurity and culture of silence and fear. Who among the OTC and GA TC can boldly say those were not difficult days?

Fast forward years later, an experienced, wise and humble leader assumes the reins of a country on the verge of bankruptcy, our macro economic structures were next to non-existent, corruption that was supposed to be rooted out after decades of a senseless Revolution, were all too common for everyone to see. Ministers personally lodging huge sums of state money into their personal accounts. Mansions built in the names of their yet to be born children. Oh I nearly forgot, you dared not criticize the government or else you risked getting your head shaved with a bottle(yes not a fancy USA made clipper) at the very seat of Government, the very seat that we vested power to defend and protect we the people. President Kuffuor for those who seemed to have a nano-second memory instituted a number of reforms that I can just rattle on and on. Time will never permit me to do that but just to name a few, laid down the very structures that any emerging economy needs; infrastructure, roads, bridges, I mean first class roads, not those quasi roads constructed in time past, under his rule one major tool of this global economy that no country can do without: communication, telecommunication industry grew exponentially, no let me say it’s growth exploded beyond what one could possible imagine, today a farmer can be in Asante Akyim wenkyi and find out through his mobile phone or any nearby GT pay phone, what the market is like in Kumasi central market, no need to undertake unnecessary trips with the farm produce(as simple as it might sound to you, tell it to those farmers whose lived dramatically improved), Cocoa producers enjoyed the greatest benefits, our business climate index climbed exponentially, we had over 2500% inflow of needed foreign capital, tourism boomed due to the overall peace and stability, I can just go on and on. For eight solid years, this man President Kuffuor gave his heart, soul and mind, strength to the service of our motherland and this is the thanks he gets from a bunch of lazy, good for nothing groups who undoubtedly are being encouraged in the shadows by those nefarious branch of the NDC. Have they no decorum when speaking to a leader of our country? No manners or shame what so ever!! To even issue ultimatum makes me angry and sad at the same time. President Kuffuor as gentle and imbued with heavenly wisdom as he is, will take all of this in stride, he is bigger than all these childish, sophomoric behaviors from the so-called Traditional councils. This all sad scenario parallel a similar story in the Scriptures, when King David’s life was being hounded by his own son Absalom and as he fled, a man from the family of the then deposed king Saul, cursed him relentlessly, I like what the servant of David asked his master “Why should this dead dog curse my lord, the king? Please let me go over and take off his head”. Well thank God we live under grace now and in a free country, so those councils who are supposed to be espousing counsel and wisdom have rather resorted to cheap stunts and belly-filling politics. I say shame on them. One wonders if all the problems in the Ga state is tackled with the same zeal and fervor, then we wouldn’t be having sections of Osu being dominated by drug addicts, prostitutes, we wouldn’t be having lawlessness beyond any civilized imagination in the sale of lands. When their own “leaders” are engaging in multiple acts of fraud and selling lands to ghost names, if they could tackle some of these problems in the same way then may be Accra wouldn’t be at this stunted stage of growth.

Now to President John Atta Mills, who I deeply respect, because he indeed is the authority of the land, he must exercise his authority and not allow those who are bent on settling scores from the last NDC regime. I have only this advice to our current President, remember that the election was not a mandate, on the country, for the ruling government to be roaming and behaving like a bunch of wild animals, seizing vehicles whether legitimate or not, trying to cower people into a state of fear, shutting down programs on TV not favorable to their agenda, just remember, the election was just settled with less than 45,000 votes, trust me, if you think the electorate is not watching what’s going on now and wondering when it might next affect them, then be prepared for your ultimate down fall. 40,000 votes that’s all!!! Scrape a bit here and there and the tip of your iceberg is gone down the ocean. Pride comes before fall so President Mills I hope you lead and not have that man in the background destroy what God’s purpose is for you and us Ghanaians.

NPP is not without blame, when they became fat and some ministers acted arrogantly towards the electorate, for all their good works, the few bad oranges in their midst brought the whole Party down to their knees. Lesson well taken, at least I hope.

Finally President Kuffuor, I know you will probably never read this article but nonetheless I want to say to you that for all the attempts to demean and destroy what you worked hard for, for your great service to this nation, for a young and progressive person like me and millions out there, we offer you this office complex: our hearts, minds and energy. Should those bandits and scoundrels succeed , remember that an office is not just a building, certainly not the one at Ridge, but an office is a place where great ideas flourish and we as young and old , from every part of this country and those in the Diaspora, as long us there is breath in us, we will continue to support you in your good works both locally and internationally, this Mr. President is a genuine office complex, that you can count on for as long as you’d want to use.

Thank you once again President Kuffuor and First Lady , our own mother Theresa, continue to walk with your head held high, for you have done great and good works, they are written not on tables of stone but in our hearts and minds and we will never forget!!

Mr. Ebenezer Hayfron-Benjamin . The author can be contacted through this Email: [email protected]