Opinions of Saturday, 8 October 2016

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

A Ghanaian PhD holder behaving childishly on the Internet

Prof. Kwaku Asare Prof. Kwaku Asare

By Rockson Adofo

A Ghanaian US-based Law Professor, Mr Asare, a man of integrity who understands statutory and constitutional laws inside out, published a response to a query sent to him by another fellow Ghanaian asking whether or not someone without a law degree can practice law as a profession.

In his response, he cited Nana Akufo Addo as having no law degree to argue his point that yes, without a law degree, one can still practice law depending on the country and the time. He said even though Nana Akufo Addo has no degree in Law but Economics, he was, and is still, a competent lawyer, and could at the time and still, practice as a lawyer.

Just at the mention that Nana Akufo Addo has no law degree, another PhD holder, Mr Borkor, my fellow internet columnist started wading in with his own infantile and tribal insinuations intended for discrediting and wounding Nana Akufo Addo.

Let me not spend much of my precious time tutoring this fellow internet columnist who really lacks knowledge of how law is practiced even in the advanced countries.

I do not want to be more specific but I know for a fact that in most of the Corporate Law firms, most of their lawyers have no degree in Law but in other disciplines such as Economics, Banking and others yet, we call all of them lawyers. They and those with degrees in Law have all been granted certificates to practice law.

I see them renew their certificates every specified number of years. I know this for a fact but just that I do not want to cite any of these internationally reputable Law firms to buttress my contention in order not to incriminate myself somehow by carelessly revealing their secrets which are confidential and must always be held as such.

Therefore, all the publications being churned out by Mr Borkor to deride Nana Akufo Addo is absolutely childish. He had better conduct intensive research to inform himself of the professional qualifications or degrees those practicing in the Corporate Law firms in America where he is domiciled, have, but are all called lawyers.

I find it weird how this fellow internet columnist who is clearly walking with his stomach and is absolutely tribal in all his write-ups, hates Nana Akufo Addo to the core. I am strongly opinionated that a PhD holder that worth his salt will not be exhibiting such acts of tribalism and degree of irrationality as are displayed in the publishing by Mr Borkor.

Ghanaians are suffering back home owing to the corrupt NDC government in place with a clueless, incompetent and more corrupt person as the President of the country yet, my fellow Ghanaian, Mr Borkor, a PhD holder, is 100% supportive of the rot in perpetration and perpetuation in Ghana by his political party.

He should rather be ashamed of himself that while fellow Ghanaians in their tens of millions are suffering economic hardships and lawlessness under the regime of the current NDC government, he has the shameless audacity to mock Nana Akufo Addo for not having a law degree but is still a legal practitioner.

Borkor had better go to drink from the overflowing fountain of wisdom of Professor Asare than to sit in the comfort zone of his US apartment to write such unhelpful stories.

Whether Nana Akufo Addo has a Law degree or not, he is a known successful legal practitioner who has never engaged himself in any corrupt practices unlike President Mahama that he supports with all his palpitating heart, soul and mind.

The wind of change is so great that any nonsense written about Nana Akufo Addo will not stick. The majority of Ghanaians have come to realise that they are suffering under the nepotistic and incompetent administration by President Mahama hence they do not want him at the helms of affairs any more. They need a change to see how better or worse the other side of the coin is.

I am giving my fellow internet columnist an assignment today, Friday 7 December 2016. He is to find out from the Corporate Law firms in America where he lives if all their lawyers do hold degrees in law without any of them holding a degree in other disciplines and yet, they are all called lawyers and are practicing law.

Is he aware of the two-year training given to the graduates who are employed by the law firms and are classified as Emerging Future Leaders, before passing out to become Associates and then Senior Associates and finally Partners of the Law Firm?

Let me take this opportunity to refer fellow readers to my publications on same subject on Ghanaweb and Modernghana titled, “What a vital and must-hear recorded message” (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/What-a-vital-and-must-hear-recorded-message-475112) and “What A Vital And Must-Hear Recorded Message to Ghanaian Electorates Going Into Election 2016! (http://www.modernghana.com/news/724890/what-a-vital-and-must-hear-recorded-message-to-ghanaian-elec.html), respectively.

After you have visited any of the two mentioned web sites of your choice using any of the above provided web links which were both published on Thursday 6 October 2016, then click on the following web link to access the message.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3z_t5nER5NbNnV4YllNSXFIak0

Once accessed, please do as are stated below, following the instructions in the very order as indicated.

To listen to the recorded message, please follow the following four steps.

1. Click on the highlighted web link

2. Double-click on the "arrow" pointing downwards on your right hand side by the "sign in"

3. Click on "Download anyway"

4. Click on "Open" at the bottom of the page and the recorded message will start to play.

(Written on Friday 7 October 2016)