Right, we’re back at it again. And it portends to be a vicious cycle, says author Gordon Offin-Amaniampong
In 2003, when institutions in Nigeria failed to work and corruption held its sway, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) pressurised the West African nation to establish its own Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to combat money laundering— also known as 419 in that country.
Nigeria had been named among 23 most corrupt nations in the world.
And one man was tasked to purge the system. Renowned anti-corruption chief Mallam Nuhu Ribadu became the Commission’s first executive chairman.
“With no money and no office, in four years I built that institution into one of the most successful and formidable anti-corruption agency not just in Africa but the world”, says Ribadu.
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Indeed where there’s will there’s way. But more importantly it takes commitment, self-discipline, self-will power, honesty and integrity to make institutions workable, irrespective of their geographical location. Besides, it doesn’t matter how strong and how financially/or logistically well-resourced the institutions might be, if they lack these key elements, they can’t be result-oriented.
Above all, agencies, commissions, bodies whatever you may call them must be independent and impartial. Therefore, under no circumstances must they be undermined or coerced by the powers that be to suit their quirks.
Fact is you cannot train a bulldog to be wild but tend to stop it from harming a kinsman who comes to rob, kill and destroy. That’s not what they’re known for.
Bulldogs owe their name to the fact that they were once used to guard, control and bait bulls.
What’s my point here?
Simply, institutions must be built to mirror these strong animals. And I think it will be apt to say, any country without a strong legal and institutional framework is fit to be labeled a ‘toothless bulldog’
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting CHRAJ is a toothless bulldog but as someone made an allusion, it lacked the courage and mettle to deal with the Ford gift story. Plus, perception has engendered growing mistrust in institutions across the nation—- fueling the recent public outcry.
Not long ago the nation’s apex court (Supreme Court) received loads of criticism when it jailed three media men on the grounds of contempt. In the wake of that ruling, cabinet ministers signed petitions seeking the release of the ‘Montie Trio’.
The CHRAJ’s ruling on Thursday the 30th of September concerning president Mahama’s Ford gift saga looks like fire in a garbage dump. The embers may appear dead at the periphery but beneath the seemingly cool site lies hellfire, says this writer.
And it isn’t surprise to me that already there had been wide-ranging reactions from civil society groups, individuals, and political parties as well as a statement issued by the president’s own lawyer following the outcome.
Mr. Emil Short a former commissioner of CHRAJ thinks the ‘controversial issue’ isn’t over yet.
And here’s why: “How did the president come to know this gentleman in the first place?” he asked.
“From what I heard about the initial evidence, the introduction was made by this Burkinabe to the vice president for one single purpose. The purpose was so that he could win contracts because he tried for so long but was not winning a contract. That was the purpose of the introduction. And that purpose should be a matter for serious examination.”
Mr. Short continue\d: “Definitely from what I see at the moment, there are more questions than answers and I don’t think we are anywhere nearing closure to such a controversial issue.”
The eminent international lawyer asked the following questions:
“Was the president called?
And was he asked pertinent questions?
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Another CHRAJ member, former chief investigator, Prof Ken Atafuah has also waded into the issue. According to him once the commission found president Mahama guilty breaching the gift policy, it ought to have been ‘braver and courageous’ in finding him guilty of breaching the conflict of interest law.
“I cannot comprehend how the commission was able to conclude that he didn’t breach Article 284 of the constitution,’ he noted.
Article 284 (chapter 24) of the 1992 constitution of Ghana states, “ A public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts or is likely to conflict with the performance of the functions of his office.”
These reactions followed the commission’s claim that it had successfully accomplished its mission. It described the nearly four-month investigations as ‘extensive’ adding president Mahama only violated the gift policy regime for public officers.
Meanwhile, the ruling had been hailed by the president’s attorney Tony Lithur, saying it was an act of vindication for his client. In a statement he commended CHRAJ for tackling all the issues arising out from complaints against the president.
“The thoroughness of the investigations conducted by CHRAJ and the manner in which it has tackled all the issues arising from the complaints are commendable,” he said/.
Mr. Lithur was hopeful this would finally nail the body in the coffin. But that seems to be a far cry. The ghost of the deceased’s saga appears to be coming back with wild horns amid allegations that the president is somewhat being protected by the commission.
So is CHRAJ protecting the president?
Sydney Casely-Hayford, a member of OccupyGhana believes CHRAJ is protecting the president against suits in relation to the Ford gift saga.
According to him CHRAJ had done ‘a poor job and this {report} was a ‘whitewash’ to try and block anything that anyone comes up with to try and sue him further and it is not good enough.”
Further, the commission had been slammed by the Communications director of the NPP Nana Akomea. He pointed out that the investigation done by the commission in president Mahama’s acceptance of Ford gift vehicle was ‘carelessly’ and ‘unprofessionally’ done.
“This work CHRAJ has done is shoddy and will go down in history as one of the shoddiest work done by any public investigator.”
In October 2012, a Burkinabe contractor, Mr. Djibril Kanazoe who’d won three contracts awarded by the government of Ghana disclosed during an interview with a Joy FM’s (an Accra-based radio station) investigator Manasseh Awuni that he gave Ghana’s president John Mahama a Ford Expedition vehicle valued at $100,000.
So closure or not closure we live to see where the pendulum will swing.
Social Media & Wild rumours: Where would this trend end?
As they increasingly drip into politics, entertainment, sports, chieftaincy and other areas the enigma grows reports Gordon Offin-Amaniampong
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There are some videos/messages you see or read that break you down—you become emotional. There are some that inspire and move you to do extraordinary things. There are wow videos.
And there are others that seek to split your sides or crack your ribs or make you have belly laughs. That’s right you laugh till you drop flat on the ground!
The New Media is doing all of the above now—taking them to levels that make one wonders, what’s going to happen next. Question as to who’s doing what and how it’s going to be done often remains problematic.
In short, users have to deal with it anyhow. And do you think that’s hyperbolic?
Wait till you get swooned or someone gets the last laugh of you.
Fact is you absolutely have no clue, what you’re going to see/read the moment you switch your cell phone back on. It could be a prank message about the death of a loved one or a video made up to create panic and fear.
In recent times, we’ve read such news regarding the deaths of Her Majesty the Queen of England Elizabreth, boxing legend Mike Tyson, African billionaire Aliko Dangote and Ghana’s football maestro Abedi Ayew Pele and many more.
Suffice to say every hour generates something new, something eerie and sometimes one is bombarded with ‘Passco’ videos. ‘Passco’ is a term secondary school students in Ghana used back in the day. And it simply refers to past examination question (s).
Better translation something that’s outlived its usefulness or of no significance.
Indeed what users see/read every day on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp platforms are mind-blowing. Ordinary people are doing extraordinary things with their smart phones in every habitable place (s) on the planet— fusing humour into areas such as politics, entertainment, sports, relationships, religion etc.
Where does this trend take us to?
I have no idea. It’s a mixed bag. Sometimes the goods are good and other times they come in bad taste. There are absolutely no gatekeepers in this field. Someone wrote: “If you can’t watch them just ignore or delete them and stop whining.”
Over the past week or so my eyes had seen a lot and I have had my ears full.
I saw two clips posted on WhatsApp. Both videos had gone viral on social media. The first footage probably ten seconds had two main characters—Man and Snake.
And the other one had a man who appeared like a preacher or teacher feasting his audience’ ears with miracles and prophecy stories— admonishing Christians to be wary of latter day Prophets. And I must tell you I loved both videos to pieces.
They grabbed my attention; they tickled me from head to toe. And in the end I asked myself:
Is this not what life is all about?
Try and put a smile on your face, because when you smile the indwelt being gets excited.
It makes the day’s activity hold its sway and everything around you attracts that positive vibe. That’s my thought. I’m still beaming with smiles as I write…
Anyway, this is how the scene unfolds in video one, which I intend to dwell on: The man looks like a famer who’s either heading home or going to farm. From the scene, one can tell it’s a —typical backcountry setting, yet there’s a camera to capture what transpires.
I told you, you never know who’s doing what and where the message/video is going to come from.
As the farmer walks down the craggy dirt road, the second character (Snake) is snaking its way from the scrubland. They’re destined to cross path, but none has any idea—who, where, what, when, why and how that’s going to happen. Suddenly that moment brings itself.
And the laughter begins…
Instantaneously the man falls to the ground upon sighting the snake. It looks like a cobra. Cobras are naturally dangerous. That might’ve scared the crap out of him—spewing his heart into his mouth. In fright he drops a bucket of water rendering the ground slippery as he wobbles helplessly.
The cobra doesn’t get it easy too. The weight on him seems too heavy to bear, as he struggles to free himself from an imminent danger. Who can stand Man, the one fearfully and wonderfully made by the Most High?
A close look reveals, the man grabs the cobra lifts him high and the squirmy, slimy, sleazy guy falls like a meteor from the sky—from one end of the battleground to the other side of the road near the bush. The man he encountered runs away without looking back.
Happy ending no one is killed. All they left behind was hilarity!
So, the new media is capable of doing many things. And I pray people behind these rib-cracking videos will do more to inspire our politicians. It’s my hope also that they would minimize and if possible curtail these wild rumours which tend to put society on edge.
Preferable videos such as ‘the Generous Duck’ feeding the red fish would tremendously help.
How cool would it be if politics were devoid of insults, hatred, lies, fear, earth-shattering statements and clashes?
Of course social media have by far done more good for politicians than harm in the 21st century politics. The new media have put many politicians at the top rung of the political ladder.
Many of them today are tweeting, face-booking. They’re on WhatsApp and other networks engaging millions outside their geographical locations.
Some have successfully launched their campaigns to run public offices on these platforms.
Take 2016 democrat presidential nominee for example: When Hillary Clinton joined Twitter in 2013, major news outlets immediately rushed to publish stories about her Twitter account. The Guardian, the Washington Post, the New York Times and Huffington Post treated the whole twitter story as breaking news.
Reporters Emma Axelrod and Amalia Perez believed; “\By joining Twitter, Clinton bolstered its legitimacy as a serious platform for political discourse.”
Clinton’s Twitter biography modestly declares that she is a “Wife, mom, lawyer, women and kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState, author, dog owner, hair icon,, pantsuit aficionado, glass ceiling cracker, TBD…”
In short Clinton used Twitter to brand herself as humorous person as an appeal to young voters.
But it’s pretty hard to trust the players in this game. The irony is that they sit with their political opponents at pubs and taverns to quaff.
And thereafter mount on political platforms and spew hatred that tend to rile up their supporters to resort to clashes and skirmishes. They spread hatred, throw insults as if they’re hurling stones at birds and peddle lies that are potentially deadly to cause division and acrimony.
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