“Self-Praise”, they say, “is no recommendation”. That is the problem with Fmr President Kufuor. For some strange reason(s), which I cannot fathom and are still digging deep, to assimilate, Kufuor as President, has been doing everything possible to “immortalize” himself.

First was putting himself on stamps, then we heard he was going to put his face on the Ghanaian currency, which he couldn’t do because of the public outcry. Then came the “Blink, Blink 50Cent” as the icing on the cake of Kufuor’s self-aggrandizing personality, his efforts to create personality cult of himself. He “Bokassaied” himself by awarding himself and his accomplices (NPP cronies and their media collaborators) expensive Gold Medal Chains worth thousands of British Pound Sterling. His reason for awarding: winning an election.

Many are Ghanaians who felt relieved when Kufuor’s term of presidency (a presidency he won by the machinations of Ambassador Murray of Great Britain) wound down, thanking God for the end of the self-gratifications. But alas! We are all wrong. It wasn’t long before Kufuor was back again in the news vying seriously for the Mo Ibrahim Award. With the money that Kufuor accumulated for himself during his eight year tenure, it was evident that the money ($5M) associated with the Mo Ibrahim award per say was not the motivation but it was part of his quest to create a demigod of himself. It was therefore a big disappointment to Kufuor and his conspirators when the award committee (including our own Kofi Annan) could not find a winner. In fact Kufuor’s partyman, Akufo ‘Kapwepwe’ Addo was even happy he did not win.

Once again a prominent media (BBC) have spoken and Kufuor and co are sad that his name is nowhere on the list of 50 Eminent/Iconic Africans of all times. As usual they are doing everything to rubbish these great sons/daughters of Africa, of the likes of Nelson Madiba Mandela, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry John Rawlings.
The question is what at all has Kufuor accomplished for him and his followers to think he is of such importance to Ghana left aside Africa? Is it the hotels he built, the shopping malls, or the wealth he accumulated for him and his family, so they will never see poverty again while Ghanaians he stole from are impoverished, that made him think he is of any significance to Africa? When Northern Ghana was under water with people dying, Kufuor was in the UK in plush Hotels drunk with whiskies and Vodkas. Rawlings would have been in the waters with “the people”, in an art of genuine concern. This is what we call a Leader.
For Kufuor and his cronies to try to be comparing his (Kufuor’s) accomplishments (if there is any at all) to that of Rawlings’ is like comparing apples and oranges; the only thing in commons is they are both fruits but an apple is an apple and an orange is an orange. They both might be Fmr Presidents but Kufuor in the deepest part of his own heart knows there is no way he can compare himself to the accomplishments of Fmr President Rawlings, a selfless honest man who is truly interested in the welfare of the ordinary people. A man who never thinks about himself but all he thinks is “the People”, “the people”, “the people”; a man whose selflessness was recognized beyond the borders of Africa and was a recipient of numerous international awards including Hunger Award, a reward he used in laying the foundation for the ordinary man to get access to a higher education, University of Development Studies.
Congratulations President Rawlings, this is a well-deserved recognition. Congratulations to all others who made the list including our own Osagyefo and Kofi Annan.

NDC Virginia