I read with absolute disgust and complete disappointment, a statement attributed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Mr. Charles Abugre, that the “SADA guinea fowls are back”. The mind-bogglingly idiotic statement was part of a news report carried in the General News of Tuesday, 22 September 2015 on Ghanaweb.
Initially, I thought the statement meant production of guinea fowls had resurged in line with what one believed were strenuous efforts to salvage a hopelessly bungled project. As I continued reading however, that evidence was clearly missing. Then I thought the statement may have been made in jest, and wondered why given the drama, emotion and obvious deep political, social and economic discontent surrounding SADA in general, and the guinea fowl project in particular, Mr. Charles Abugre couldn’t restrain himself from what may have been a tantalizing comedic punchline. I was wrong there too. This was serious a serious statement, it appears, coming from the boss of the organization, at a National Development Planning forum?? And the basis for his claim? He had personally consumed a couple of the returning guinea fowls a few days earlier in Bolga. Which made me wonder whether the birds were tagged when they were hatchlings. Mr. Abugre should simply search his article on www.ghanaweb.com and he will find that as of yesterday September 24, 2015, there were 100 comments; plus, the statement has quickly become euphemism for the “What-not-to-say-as-CEO-of-an-inept-public-organization” meme. Even some comments have sought to characterize it as “northern” idiocy and ineptitude.
My attempts at making sense of what was clearly an idiotic statement by anyone alive were futile, and sadly, I realized that Mr. Abugre's comments were shamelessly consistent with the previous equally nonsensical excuse that the project failed because the guinea fowls had ran across the border to Burkina Faso. Mr. Abugre’s statement has cast such a terrible slur on CEOs and so-called “northerners” in particular, that I feel offended. If this is the caliber of managers at SADA then this man needs to resign his position quickly and in shame.
And here is how disappointed I was that it was Charles Abugre who uttered the buffoonish statement. Following the December 31 1981 Revolution, Charles Abugre was one of the leading university student voices, in the company of other stalwarts like Chris Atim, who went around secondary schools explaining to students why the Revolution was necessary. He made a very compelling case when he visited us at Nandom Secondary School. I can literally close my eyes and see him in my mind's eye, wearing his “Jesus sandals” (lorry tire sandals), chronicling the various inept governments that had pillaged our country's resources and banished us to a life of suffering - from the so-called LIBERATION of the National Liberation Council, through the REDEMPTION of the National Redemption Council, and finally, the SUPREMACY of the Supreme Military Councils I and II. I was impressed; the whole school was impressed then. That powerfully inspiring impression led to my representing my school at the Regional Representatives Council meeting later in Bolga, with Mr. Charles Abugre, Chris Atim and Sgt. Alolga Akatapore – Member of the PNDC in attendance.
Yet look at what he has become today - one of the garbage boxes effusing idiotic statements completely incongruous with the story I have just recounted above. What ignoble vicissitudes of life have so afflicted this once admired man to descend into buffoonish depths so low it makes our politicians almost Einsteinic?
I am desperately hoping that Mr. Charles Abugre didn't actually utter those words; perhaps, through the artistry of journalistic malevolence, this stupid statement was attributed to him. If that's correct he needs to issue a strongly worded rebuttal and demand an unqualified apology from kasapafmonline and ghanaweb for putting out a statement insulting Ghanaians in his name. Else this leaves a disgusting taste in the mouth and an odious residue of the malaise that has dominated every facet of our nation’s public institutions.
NB: Ghana’s Day of Shame – Part II, Coming Soon. Watch this space…

Francis Dery
Email: dery.francis@yahoo.com