By Ekua Kwansema

Sometimes the sudden change of events leads to a chain reaction that works for the common good of the whole society. I am saying this because Kojo Mpianim, this man who nobody knew very much of before Kufour appointed him as his chief of staff when he became president in 2000, became a tin god who wielded so much power that even people in opposition tended to fear him.

Kojo Mpianim who was called “Headmaster” by his close associates even though he has never held a chalk in the classroom, at the height of his glory thought he owes nobody in Ghana any explanation for what he does on behalf of the country. This man could walk to Parliament and refuse to answer questions related to anything he does and at the end walk over the august body with impunity. Probably Mpianim thought his glorious days were permanent.

I guess it never crossed Kojo Mpianim’s mind that in this world no condition is permanent and that everything that has a beginning has an end. He thought he can continue to bully Ghanaians with his stone-cold face and attitude all the time. This is why even when we have a new government in power, Mpianim still thinks he can continue to fool around with his terrible attitude.

Kojo Mpianim and his cronies terribly messed up the budget for the Ghana @ 50 celebrations. You do not need any rocket scientist to tell you that something was amiss with the Ghana @ 50 accounts. Not when so many contractors and vendors are still owed millions of cedis two years after the event ended. Not when proper accounts have not been rendered two years after the event ended.

Coming back to my first statement that sometimes the sudden change of events leads to the common good of the society, I can say with certainty that if the NPP had won the 2008 elections, we probably would not have heard about the Ghana @ 50 issue again. I can bet that all issues on the proper rendering of accounts would have been swept under the carpet and the supercilious and disrespectful Kojo Mpianim would have walked free.

It is only in Ghana that a chief executive of a high visibility government entity would be dismissed for non-performance only to be appointed and given a hefty budget of $20 million to manage Ghana @ 50. Of course I mean Dr. Wereko-Brobby who was dismissed as chief executive of the VRA only to be appointed by Kojo Mpianim to manage Ghana @ 50 celebrations.

My simple question to Mpianim is, if he has doled out $20 million to somebody to conduct business on his behalf and the event ended two years ago, would he wait that long for the person to render accounts? If the money voted for Ghana @ 50 is Kojo Mpianim’s money, would he not demand accountability from whoever was responsible for the budget just months after the event ended?

Kojo Mpianim’s rush to radio stations to cry foul on the report released by the Auditor General on the activities of Ghana @ 50 to me is childish and stupid. If he has nothing to hide why should he wait for a letter to be written to him to fill in the holes in the accounts of Ghana @ 50 when the secretariat ended its activities two years ago?

I know that when your back is against the wall and you have no shirt on you start to feel the pinch. That is the situation Mpianim finds himself today. If he nothing to hide, he and Wereko-Brobby should stop jumping from one radio station to another and tell Ghanaians what they did with the money. This has nothing to do with a kangaroo court. It is about accountability. It is about telling Ghanaians what happened to their blood and sweat.

I thank God that somehow for the first Kojo Mpianim is being made to answer for something. Mpianim has always thought he can roll-over Ghanaians with impunity and get away. If I were him, I would send my report long before the deadline. Since he claims he has nothing to hide, he should rather spend his precious time and prepare a detailed statement of account, telling Ghanaians all the monies they collected and how they spent it backed by receipts and proper documents.

I urge the transitional teams of both parties to work hard to resolve this issue. Somebody must be made to pay for it, if the accounts do not tie. To often tin gods who had nothing to show before they entered politics have taken our poor country for a long winding ride.

ekwansema@yahoo.com