Writing articles daily is not the kind of life I ever envisaged for myself. It is the reason I never became a journalist and instead, have taught History and Government to secondary school students for over 30 years.
Some events this week involving Ken Ofori-Atta appear to be turning me into a daily, rather than an occasional writer.
This week, Ken Ofori-Atta has thrown the Mahama government into stupefied silence, not once, but twice. So Agbesinyale has no choice but to take pen to paper, as we used to put it.
On Monday, a viral WhatsApp post indicated Databank, Ken Ofori-Atta’s 36-year-old investment banking firm, was one of the Bank of Ghana’s approved bond market specialists.
I didn’t think it was news. After all, Databank is the pioneer and godfather institution of Ghana’s Capital Market.
And with respect to the Bond Market and allied matters, even Mr Ofori-Atta’s most vehement critics would agree he knows quite a bit on the subject. Maybe one day, when a detailed history of Ghana’s Capital Market is written, Ken Ofori-Atta will FINALLY get his flowers.
Meanwhile, with this Databank matter, the government has been silent and the media is again in a comfortable lead with the “government” response. No official release on institutional letterhead? Nothing via institutional social media handles?
No quotes from officials sanctioned to speak? All that exists on media portals is an authorised dealer list purported to have been issued on February 10. This leads me to wonder whether the disclaimer was issued via the all-powerful, all-knowing Government WhatsApp group.
Moreover, as happened with Ofori-Atta’s release from ICE, there was a stupefied silence for nearly 48 hours before any action was taken. What kind of sore throat does the John Mahama government have? John Dumelo, Honourable, please send them some of your freshly-farmed ginger. Please consider this urgent!
In all honesty, this decision to exclude Databank is akin to the Ministry of Finance and The Bank of Ghana stating they are hosting a meeting for leading traditional rulers in Ghana and not inviting the Asantehene.
Not only would the organizers of a meeting in such circumstances look sheepish and foolish, but it would also look like they were lost and couldn’t tell their left hand from their right. It would come across as petty, vindictive, clueless, spiteful, incompetent, displaying poor judgment…feel free to add your own.
As for what this means for the extradition of Ken Ofori-Atta, anyone who understands how political persecution cases are built will know the Mahama government has given Ofori-Atta a priceless gift.
It is totally amusing that Oliver Barker Vormawor, as per his Facebook post today, is wondering why there is an obstruction at the State Department re the Ofori-Atta extradition?
Do the Math, Sir! And then throw in the Jakpa raid of Ofori-Atta’s home, the AG’s sponsoring of Ken’s ICE detention, and the vile, hateful rhetoric of NDC officials. The John Mahama/NDC government is a gift that keeps giving to Kenneth Ofori-Atta!
Anyway, now that Mr. Ofori-Atta is back home, maybe, the finance minister Ato Forson should humble himself and contact Mr. Ofori-Atta for some lessons.
After all, with skyrocketing inflation, COVID-19, the Ukraine-Russia war, a crazy world petrol price, a battered cedi, etc., Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta paid cocoa farmers regularly. He didn’t owe nurses and teachers for months upon months.
Ken didn’t “steal” teachers’ allowances. He didn’t turn Free SHS to “Some Things are Free” SHS. He kept the lights on. He didn’t leave our Ambassadors struggling to pay salaries.
Ken Ofori-Atta didn’t run a “Mahama is the hooooo” economy with all indicators going south and cost of living rising and galloping north.
So Ato Forson, do some, “force it” make we see!
G.A. Agbesinyale
(Political Activist, Human Rights Advocate, Citizenship Rights Promoter, Social Justice Warrior)
