It is very true that politicians often make promises that they are not either intent on fulfilling or are simply not able to follow through with. But this is not necessarily because politicians are, on the whole, pathological liars. Some definitely are, of course, especially desperate opposition politicians whose main focus is power grab. In the case of Mr. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, the ace broadcast journalist and legally trained Information Minister, the problem could very well be due to his super-hectic schedule as both a parliamentary representative and a full-time major cabinet operative in the Akufo-Addo-led government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In the latest of such accusation, a radio-broadcast journalist by the name of Mr. Samuel Maura is reported to have caustically accused the former Joy News’ Super-Morning Show flagship news and current affairs program host of having reneged on a promise that he recently made to the members of the Upper-East’s Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA). In the main, the promise or pledge was that the Information Minister would deliver the sum of GH? 10, 000 as his “humble contribution” towards the celebration of the maiden awards ceremony of the aforesaid region’s branch of the GJA. Well, as I write (1/18/20), we are told that the award ceremony about which Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah made his pledge took place about three months ago, with absolutely no cash or even check having been delivered by the Information Minister (See “Journalist ‘Fights’ Information Minister Over GHC 10,000” MyNewsGh.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/18/20).

Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah, as already noted, cut his professional teeth, at least partly, in the media arena so he must understand the gravity of his pledge, if, indeed, he had actually made any such a pledge at all. We, of course, have absolutely no reason to doubt that the aforementioned journalist who has decided to very publicly take on the Information Minister or troll the latter, as it were, might have misunderstood whatever statement of assurance or pledge Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah allegedly made to the executive operatives of the Upper-East’s Regional Branch of the GJA. Nevertheless, it just occurred to me last night that the Information Minister may still have a prime opportunity to follow through or deliver on his alleged monetary promise of pledge.

Now, we must hasten to add that we really don’t know what Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah’s version of this story may be, since we have yet to learn about his version or side of the same from the proverbial horse’s own mouth. Still, poring through the aforesaid news report, it just occurred to yours truly that the Upper-East Region is the same geographical location where Mr. Adams Mahama, the former New Patriotic Party’s Regional Chairman, was fatally doused with liquid acid by the younger brother of one of the victim’s most ardent political rivals or downright enemy, namely, Mr. Paul Awentami Afoko, then the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party. The prime criminal suspect himself, as we would be shortly informed, went by the name of Mr. Gregory Afoko. This most tragic incident occurred in the heart of the Dumsor-inflected turbulent tenure of the now-Candidate John Dramani Mahama, who was also widely known to be chummy with Mr. Paul Afoko.

Now, we are not making any sinister suggestions here, although the same cannot be said for the equally brutal circumstances under which Mr. Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu reportedly met his bedroom-stabbing death, in particular the bizarre story about how the Chief Investigator of that case, Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare, was abruptly yanked off that most horrible case shortly after the prime suspects had been arrested. Dr. Dampare, the Commissioner of Police (COP), and at the time the Greater-Accra Commander of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), would be hurriedly transferred to a post that inescapably reeked of punitive demotion. Now, we need to know from the extant Mahama-appointed Inspector-General of the Ghana Police Service (IGP), Mr. John Kudalor, what really happened here, especially when we are also confronted with an eerie situation in which the same suspicious characters are fiercely fighting to get back to the helm of our national affairs and thereby continue visiting their “Boot-for-Boot” reign-of-terror on a largely defenseless Ghanaian citizenry.

At any rate, I was just thinking that perhaps Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah has a prime opportunity to deliver on his alleged pledge donation of GH? 10,000 in the form of an award to be established in the name of the brutally slain Mr. Adams Mahama. Indeed, I vividly remember the great sleuthing reportorial work that journalists in the Upper-East Region did in facilitating the prompt arrest of the criminal suspects. As for having the latter successfully prosecuted and put away for good, however, is a prime topic for another column altogether down the pike.

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., PhD

English Department, SUNY-Nassau

Garden City, New York

E-mail: okoampaahoofe@optimum.net

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs