For months, Ghana, a ?poor' country of about 20 million people has allowed itself to be mesmerized by the apiate of sensationalism engineered by the frantic, raving voice from a distance of a woman who has consistently shown to be inconsistent.

Perhaps, in mitigation, one may excuse the woman, whose chronic verbal about-turns and scoffing tone of serial radio call-ins suggests a person who might have a button or two missing from her remote control.

But, should foolishness not be the description for a nation - with even half the challenges of Ghana - that devotes thousands of hours of production time, newsprint and energy to the rabid balderdash and blather of a woman who appears to exhibit symptoms of delirium?

Leading this Gizellian barmy circus have been the media, and politicians, including a former President and former Vice President of this country. While the motives of the non-aligned media houses may be reduced to pure yellow journalism, the politicians and pseudo-politicians urging her on, at least share her mainsprint: to fatally wound President John Kufuor. The difference, however, is that she owes no allegiance to our motherland, Ghana. She is no patriot of this country. In fact, she does not even live here. But, they do and they are prepared to overlook the suspect credibility of their star witness and also any wider collateral damage her off-course allegations may cause to the very nation these politicians work night and day to have the opportunity to lead.

This indeed must be a foolish country. Rather than soliciting contributions to contract the servces of an excellent psychiatrist fro this woman, her ?friends' have rather spent money on hotels, etc to accommodate the fantasies of their phantom guest.

The so-called "Friends of the Truth' are today refusing to accept the truth that their star witness had, in the first place, no desire to come to Ghana. She simply had no turn of mind to extend her flight of fancy to land on the grounds of reality. Instead, they are making a "passionate appeal to our government through CHRAJ and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to avail this woman the extension of her visa so that this woman can travel to this country to testify."

The truth is, as at yesterday, the material witness had not even made any attempts to apply for an extension of her visa, which expires Sunday. Once it expires, her option would be to apply for a new visa. But, should the application of such a character be approved? The simplicity of her excuse for not turning up is a masterpiece.

"According to Ms Yajzi (sic)," says Alhaji Bature Iddrisu of Friends of the Truth, "She had traveled on American Airlines to Europe, ready to travel by British Airways to Accra, when she was informed that her reservation has been cancelled. From all that we have heard so far, the authorities of the international carrier, which initially took her reservation, decided at the last minute to cancel it, allegedly following a call from undisclosed sources.

She called yesterday to claim to have received the information about the cancellation through an anonymous call. She had the sense of mind to relay the information to her ?friends' in Ghana but apparently never found it necessary to cross-check the information with authorities of BA.