Journalists across the length and breadth of the country waxed lyrically of their colleague and friend, Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong (KABA), at a special memorial service organized by the Multimedia Group yesterday for their departed presenter at the Multimedia’s Radio building which houses Joy FM, Adom FM, Asempa FM and Hitz FM.
Adom FM’s News Editor, Afia Pokua, described the death of her colleague as “a huge vacuum difficult to fill”
In an emotional tribute to the late afternoon political talk show host, Vim Lady, as the Adom FM news editor is affectionately called, further described KABA’s death as shocking and a loss to the Multimedia family and Ghana.
“Kaba is irreplaceable. His demise has left a huge vacuum to be filled,” Afia Pokua expressed.
Afia Pokua, who is also the host of Adom FM’s ‘Burning Issues,’ said the show KABA used to host, Asempa FM’s ‘Ekosii Sen,’ will never be the same as “there is not going to be another KABA.” Host of Kasapa FM’s Morning Show, Fiifi Banson, noted that “KABA transcends beyond Multimedia. Ghana has lost a great gem.” Mr Banson said the late KABA was not just for Multimedia but for the nation.
“Everybody must go through the wilderness of experience and this is our wilderness today. We are deeply in sorrow. But what I want us all to know is that KABA was bigger and transcends beyond Multimedia. The nation has indeed lost a gem,” he bewailed.
He prayed to God to grant the family fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Roland Affail Monney, described KABA as one of the best political show hosts the country has seen since Independence.
“He distinguished himself as one of the best political talk show hosts Ghana has ever since independence produced,” Mr Monney said.
“His sense of neutrality, objectivity, professionalism was always in full glow and this made it attractive for politicians from all spheres to participate in his programme,” he added.
Mr Monney, who taught KABA at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), said he distinguished himself among his peers and “within a short span, KABA shot into the limelight by virtue of the distinctive quality of his work.
“KABA’s contribution to political journalism and journalism in general and national development, democratic ascendency was so high and even at death, the mark he has left will continue to extol his name as one of the purest professional gems Ghana has ever produced,” he said.
He described his early demise as an “earth-shattering shock, a tragedy of shattering magnitude to the media fraternity and devastating consequences to the family.”
“It is said that the quality of a man’s life is not measured by duration, but by their contribution to humanity,” Mr Monney said, adding that “we are bleeding profusely.”
He expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, especially his wife and the young child.
Singer, Jackie Ankrah, was also full of emotion when she recounted the genuine love she shared with the late broadcaster. For her, the relationship she shared with the late presenter was more than love; it was mutual respect for each other.
The ‘Oda’ singer said her heart was broken. “It is well. That is what I will like to say to everyone, it is well. This is a time that hearts are breaking, my heart is breaking and everyone has been warning me please don’t cry and I just want to say, it is well,” she said.
Jackie Ankrah said she knew “that KABA believed in God and that’s something that he was proud of, his faith in Christ Jesus. I’m looking forward to the resurrection because I know that I will see my friend again.”
“This industry can be harsh and unfriendly and superficial and artificial and cruel sometimes and it was nice that I had KABA because KABA, I can say loved me, he really did love me, and I loved him too,” the singer grieved.
“He was such a beautiful soul,” Jackie Ankrah added. “I felt that he was brilliant… I think KABA and I just had mutual respect for each other, we didn’t just love each other, we admired each other, we respected each other.”
Jackie said she truly enjoyed KABA’s friendship. “I’m grateful that I had his friendship and I’m grateful that he lived and that he made such a huge impact.”
She urged people to love each other because life was short.
Ghanaians woke up to the shocking news of the sudden demise of popular radio presenter, Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong, aka KABA, early Saturday morning.
It began as a mere speculation on social media but ended up being true.
Sources said the young man who died in his prime age was rushed to the Surgical/Medical Emergency (SME) Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) Saturday dawn in a car dead on arrival.
One account has it that the Ekosii Sen host on Asempa FM was rushed from his Tesano home to the hospital, while another said he was brought in from a prayer camp (whose name is being held for security reasons) close to Nsawam.
But after examination, medical doctors and nurses at the hospital declared him ‘brought in dead’ (BID).
It is believed he died of what doctors suspect to be hypoglycemia (low sugar level), which he suffered as a result of being diabetic with a combination of high blood pressure (BP).
A day before, colleagues of KABA had disclosed that he had gone to the premises of the Multimedia Group, owners and operators of a chain of radio and television stations, including Asempa FM, where the deceased used to be a broadcaster, but realised he was not well since he could not climb the three or four stair cases that lead to the studios.
It was from there that some said he was taken to the said prayer camp, which he is believed to have been frequenting on regular basis.
But things were said to have gone from bad to worse as his condition degenerated, compelling managers of the supposed prayer camp to ask that he be sent to a hospital for medical attention. It was from there that some said he was taken to the said prayer camp, which he is believed to have been frequenting on regular basis.
But things were said to have gone from bad to worse as his condition degenerated, compelling managers of the supposed prayer camp to ask that he be sent to a hospital for medical attention.
Luck, however, seems to have eluded KABA considering the distance from the prayer camp to the nation’s premier health facility, where he was pronounced dead.
When speculations about his death started making rounds on social media, some of his colleagues rushed to Korle-Bu to verify situations for themselves.
Those who mustered the courage to enter the cold room where his mortal remains had been kept in transition to the mortuary could not help but shed tears.
There and then, news of KABA’s death spread like wildfire, throwing almost the entire nation, especially the Multimedia Group and family members, in a state of mourning.
