Nana Kofi Sarpong …A Wasteful Ghanaian Product

I Rest My Case!!!

Nana Kofi Sarpong

…A Wasteful Ghanaian Product

                                   By Theophilus S. Gbenda (Moe Fire)

The name Nana Kofi Sarpong has been around for a while. The name goes with respect because in the Ghanaian society, ‘Nana’ is a title meaning ‘Chief’. The actual name therefore should be Chief Kofi Sarpong.

A Ghanaian by nationality, Nana Kofi Sarpong, the man on the spotlight, is amongst the few foreigners active in the local media landscape. His record in the profession until recently was one of admiration. His reputation as a small time writer (not necessary a journalist as he claims) started running to the dogs when under the former Sierra Leones People’s Party, he lost focus and began meddling in our local politics by sing-praising the powers that be at the time.

Sarpong specializes in commenting mostly on cross border or international issues, with his latest focus on Ivory Coast, calling for a military intervention to oust Laurent Gbagbo. His President, Professor John Atta Mills, is on record as being the first Head of State to give Gbagbo a moral boost by indirectly backing the two sides to the conflict when he said “It is not the business of Ghanaians to determine who should be president of Ivory Coast”.

In fact, President Atta Mills made it categorically clear that in the event of a military intervention which he denounced, Ghana will not contribute any troops and that the country does not stand ready to accommodate an influx of refugees from Ivory Coast.

Sarpong has a lame-duck approach to journalism and therefore hardly writes very critical articles. Of course, he cannot afford to be critical because he is a foreigner and has to secure his residential status in the country. Giving the circumstances, Sarpong has reduced himself to a soldier of fortune, shifting loyalty from Kabbahism to Koromaism, and being boastful about that.

Because he has been in the country since the early 80’s does not make him an expert in Sierra Leonean politics, and therefore has no business associating me with any political party.

By referring to me as a supporter of the SLPP simply because I have the gut to write extremely critical articles, is an indication that he lacks what it takes to make a reasonable judgment.

While I understand Sarpong’s  predicament when it comes to critical writing, I however don’t think he should be obsessed with my writings to an extent of attempting to throw okra on the mountain of hope I am strenuously trying to climb with the determination of bringing that hope down to my suffering people.

As if he is in the moral or professional position to question my critical stance on national issues, Sarpong has the temerity to refer to me as an enemy of progress in response to a piece I wrote cautioning my friend and brother, Sheik Sesay of the Exclusive Newspaper, against being unethical and cheap - in which the name ‘Nana Kofi Sarpong’ was mentioned in passing.

Sarpong’s name was mentioned in the said article because he happens to be one of the stooges of Sheik Sesay, who like Mohamed Sankoh of One Drop fame, has been behind all the praise-singing articles being published in the Exclusive Newspaper, with Sheik Sesay as author.

It could be noted that in the past couple of years since the All People Congress assumed power, the Exclusive Newspaper has been carrying strings of boot-licking headlines and articles, all tailored in praise of President Ernest Bai Koroma. Some of the headlines read ‘Ernest Koroma is God-sent’; “Ernest Koroma is the best president ever”; “President Koroma will win 2012 hands down”; “Why President Koroma is getting popular daily”; ”Ernest Koroma is my father”; “No Ernest…No APC”; “The future is bright under President Koroma”; “Barrack Obama endorses Ernest Koroma”; “Ernest Koroma is a Christ”; and “Ernest Koroma has no class in the SLPP”.

All the headlines, backed up with gigantic photographs of the president, have no substance when you read the actual content. It’s all exaggerated praises amidst so little that have been achieved in terms of changing the lives of the vast majority of the people.

In my view, such headlines will only make a leader become complacent, thinking that all is well.

My article was therefore intended at getting Sheik Sesay and his hustling pen pushers (Mohamed Sankoh aka One Drop and Nana Kofi Sarpong) back to their senses and to start looking far beyond the headlines where the realty lies.

Also, my article aimed at awakening the sleeping brain of Sheik Sesay to the fact that he is a multi millionaire by virtue of the fact that his newspaper makes an average turnover of Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Leones per edition and therefore has no reason in the world to bring down himself so low as to publishing praise-singing articles in exchange of a few hundred dollars and bags of rice which he himself can afford even without reference to his hefty bank accounts. Isn’t that utter cheapness?

Being one of the dirty brains behind the ‘cheapness’, I deservingly referred to Nana Kofi Sarpong as an “Idle Ghanaian”, and I will go a step further to call him a priceless Ghanaian, out here in Sierra Leone to further corrupt the system and at the same time promote backward or gutter journalism.

Ghana, as far as I am concerned, is an ideal society, and therefore Ghanaian citizens are expected to be ideal. Sierra Leone is ten times behind Ghana in terms of everything including development, and I can simply state that Sierra Leoneans have a lot to learn from their Ghanaian counterparts.

To crown it up, let me here opine that the idealness of the Ghanaian society was the sole reason why United States President Barrack Obama, made Ghana his very first country in Africa to pay a working visit. Why not to Kenya…his homeland?

It goes without saying that Ghanaians are first class citizens of Africa, and this could be traced right from the days of Kwame Nkrumah – the man all Africans are supposed to be proud of, and the man whose worldwide record and recognition remains a source of strength for all forward looking Africans, especially those of us with a pan-Africanist mentality that has no room for ‘cheapness’.

Like the saying goes, “There is a black sheep in any family”. Nana Kofi Sarpong is just that – a black sheep in the Ghanaian society and a curse to the African dream of getting our leaders to perceive performance as a sacred obligation and not a favour.

Just take a look at him – he’s shabby in his dressing, awkward in his appearance and empty in the head. There’s a saying that goes like this, “The more you think you know the more you know you know nothing”. Sarpong is toying with the idea that he knows everything and is therefore proud to refer to his stupid self as a “Critical minded journalist and an experience editor”. I don’t have to beg to differ, because it’s arrant nonsense.

Can you imagine him threatening me in my own country that “The next time Gbenda steps on my toes I will put him in a crucible of challenge to test his pulse in intellectualism in journalism”. He went on to state rather foolishly that “Gbenda should not smoke marijuana and be induced into writing rubbish under the guise of journalism”.

It is only an intellectual pigmy, as Sarpong has aptly manifested himself that will put up such very weak arguments.

What is the link between my critical writing and marijuana? Sarpong, as if he is getting mad, indicated that I am a regular visitor to ghettos. The question is, what evidence has he got to substantiate his bogus claim? It’s libel!

It’s an open disrespect to me, being one of the toughest journalists in town. Record shows the kind of issues I deal with. In case Sarpong does not know, let me make haste to inform him that the Theophilus S. Gbenda whose name he is attempting to mess around with, is a very busy and forward looking young man.

Apart from Theophilus being the Chairman of the Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives which is an arm of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), he is also the Station Manager of Culture Radio FM 104.5 and one of the most outspoken human rights activists in the country. No time absolutely for ghettos. In any case, why do I need to go to the ghetto…for what? Maybe he has been accompanying me there…

What has Sarpong achieved thus far since he became involved in journalism? He cannot even sustain his ‘Critic Magazine International’, not to talk about maintaining a good home or leading a descent or progressive life.

It’s only a failure in life, as Sarpong is, that will work under a nonentity like Mohamed Bangura, the disgraced former chairman of the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC), and go on writing articles in the name of others in exchange of a few leones to make ends meet.

Sarpong is approaching 60, but still maintains a childish mentality. Take a look at the collar of his shirt and you’ll see for yourself that he’s a damn filthy guy and a bloke per excellence.

I can vouch that he is not a Ghanaian in the true sense of the word. You can call him a vagabond. He resembles a goat…so you can as well call him a goat. Those who know him say he is a celebrated drunkard who frequents ‘Bode Ose’ adjacent Sam Bangura Building, where you have scores and scores of prostitutes lined up in the street waiting for reckless guys like Sarpong to pick them up. It is almost certain that after intoxicating himself with much liquor, he goes on mesmerizing with prostitutes, since he cannot afford or maintain a decent woman at home. He’s such a fucking idiot.

I hang my case!