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Kwesi Pratt should be the last person to pontificate on the affairs of the country.

Webmaster — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:57:52 +0000

My attention has been drawn to a feature article published in the New Punch on Tuesday, 3rd November, 2009 which was given wide publicity during the newspaper review segment by a panelist on Peace FM. I received numerous telephone calls from friends and admirers, both known and unknown ones to tune in to Peace FM and listen to a lively discussion going on on an article I had written. The calls were very persistent and I had to oblige my constituents. At that time I did not know the so-called article that I had written. By the time I tuned in to the station, the programme had almost ended. It had to do with appointments made by the Mills administration which was totally at variance with the Constitution and tilted in favour of one particular tribe and region.
Why the late reaction: Many people have questioned why I did not react early enough. Many friends and relatives called me immediately the programme ended to react. I told them I needed to remain focused on a very important assignment I was undertaking. It had to do with the annual Harvest and Thanksgiving Service of the Church where I worship. I was the Chairman of the Harvest Committee and did not want any thing that will divert my attention from the assignment. Moreover, since I did not listen to the entire discussion, I needed to have an idea of how the discussion went in order to do justice to the subject. And my patience paid off because by the end of last week, I had all the relevant information I needed to enable me react appropriately at hand. I there crave the indulgence of my admirers to bear with me for this late reaction.
Who is the author of the feature? Before I go into the merit or demerits of the contents, I would like to state that I am not the author of the said article. Anyone who has accessed Ghanaweb before will bear me out that the so-called article was a comment on some of my write-ups by on contributor who writes under the assumed name of “The Law of Karma”. This is the truth and anyone who doubts this contention can check the authenticity of this on Ghanaweb. It surprises me that hypocritical Kwasi Pratt who has arrogated to himself the mandate to make disparaging remarks about those of different ideological persuasions and the so-called ‘enlightened” panelist who descended to the gutter and bashed me from all angles could not fathom the true identity of the author. If Kwesi Pratt and his fellow pretenders had read the article with a fine toothcomb, they would straight-away have known that such an article did not originate from my end. I have my own peculiar style of writing and any commentator on national issues must be discerning enough to get to the truth before passing judgments. Is Kwesi Pratt telling us that, inspite of all his bravado and ‘paa-paa’ he has never visited Ghanaweb before? Wonders, they say will never end.
I had some discussions with Baby Ansabah, Editor of the New Punch about appointments by the Mills administration. I told him somebody had compiled a list of such appointments which seem to tilt in favour of a particular tribe. I told him I would send a copy for his perusal and necessary action and this was exactly what I did. And up till the time the programme was being aired, I did not know it had been published with me as the author. I believe Baby Ansabah decided to use my name because I was the one who sent it to him and what I sent to him did not include the name of the author and so would not blame him much. I would not like to take credit for what is not entirely my own. But let it be noted that I am not the author of the script.
My initial Reaction: While I associate myself with most of the sentiments expressed in the write up. I would like to state that I take strong exception to reference to President Mills as “simpa panin”as “Rawlings poodle”. Mills is our President and we should accord him the respect he deserves. The Lord says we should not touch his anointed and this also applies to President Mills. Even though the NDC denigrated the presidency under Kufuor by calling him unprintable names with even ex President Rawlings calling him ‘Atta Ayi, a thief and a murderer, I have decided since the election of Mills as President not to tread such a path. I will give respect to whoever respects should be accorded. And this principle I will try to uphold no matter the circumstances and as long as the Good Lord gives me breath. This much I pledge.
Back to the substantive issues : As stated earlier, I wholeheartedly endorse most of the sentiments expressed in the article by the writer. Truth is bitter, but we must call a spade a spade in order to shame the devil. We must not sweep under the carpet such a volatile issue which is capable of upsetting the apple cart. We are all Ghanaians and the country belongs to all of us. Appointments to certain positions must be seen to reflect regional and tribal balance. Recently, some Chiefs from the Western Region expressed their displeasure over the fact that none of their people is holding any cabinet position, after the removal of George Sipa – Yankey.. The fact that such traditional rulers see the issue as an anomaly which is agitating the minds of people from their traditional areas brings to the core the need to redress such perceived wrong-doings, if I may call it so. We learnt that when Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak was sacked as Minister, the people insisted that his replacement should come from the Zongo community or someone of Northern extraction.
Those who are shouting themselves hoarse and condemning me as if I had done a great deal of injustice to my country have no sense of national history and love of their country. Let us examine the contents of the said article. Is it true that more than one third of Presidential appointees come from a particular region and tribe? This is the crux of the matter! Is it conformity with the spirit and tenets of the constitution? If it is true, on what basis were those appointments made? Is it on competence? If it was done on merit, couldn’t the President have appointed people of the same/similar competence from other tribes or Regions? If this had been done, the accusation of tribalism would have been avoided.
Sensationalism: Kwesi Pratt and his group of uninformed panelist including the moderator of the Peace FM programme would have been justified in their attacks against me if what was presented was not based on facts. It surprises me that the moderator of the programme allowed the discussion to go in the direction Kwesi Pratt was taking. Any moderator worth his sauce on a very sensitive national issue would have made attempts to call me for clarification. But he fell too much in love with the direction clueless Kwesi Pratt was taking that he virtually gave his birth right to Kwesi, who then had the cake and the knife and so decided to cut the biggest portion onto himself. With a blank check and nothing to hold him in check, Kwesi Pratt bamboozled and intimidated the other panelist to toe his line.
The write-up was not based on sensationalism like what triggered the mob attacks against Ghanaian nationals in Cote’d’Ivoire after a football match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Assec Mimosa. In that issue, the reporter published pictures of accident victims of some Ivorian players and presented them as Assec Players who had been attacked and beaten up after the football encounter between those two teams. That was wrong and evil and should be condemned by all.
My stand and belief in Ghana: Let me emphasize the fact that I am not a tribalist, but I speak what I know to be the truth without minding whose ox is gored in the process. I had publicly taken a principled stand against my own friend and classmate from the same town during the NPP parliamentary primaries on the grounds that the other candidate from another town was better. I made myself an enemy to most people from my town who told me to the face that I was a saboteur for blocking good things from coming to our town. I told them we should not be greedy and should allow other towns and villages to also enjoy the benefits of democracy for it was unfair to have both the District Chief Executive and the Member of Parliament from the same town. If I could go against my own friend, classmate and townsman, you should by now know the sort of stuff I am made of.
I have also told members of my family that if any of them wants to contest an elective position and I find the person not capable, I will ask the one to step down and if he/ she doesn’t heed my advice I will personally campaign against him/her because the incompetence would be brought to bear upon the job should he/she win the position. That will be a smear/stain on the family.
I do not hate any tribe. I have publicly stated that the Asantehene occupies a very unique position when we talk about chieftaincy in the country. I have at the same time also stated much to the displeasure of some Akyems that the Okyenhene’s position cannot be equated to that of the Asantehene. I am not a blind nationalist of the Iddi Amin type who sees everything about his nation/tribe as right. I hold Ewes in very high regard, for they are very nice people and I value their friendship. Three of my brothers are married to them and my father’s nephew who is the chief of my father’s village is also married to an Ewe.
But the issue we are talking about is beyond that. What we are saying or asking is: Do the appointments reflect Regional/Ethnic balance being spoken of in the constitution? If it is, then I stand condemned, Baby Ansabah stands condemned and the authentic writer of that piece, “The Law of Karma” too stands condemned. If it does not, why should we be silent over it? Why should Kwesi Pratt and his one-sided panelist haul me before Pontius Pilate to crucify me? If as one of the reasons why people are calling for the abrogation of the Vodafone agreement is that ex President Kufuor alone held discussions with officials of the company, even though that did not breach the constitution of the country, why should we remain silent when President Mills appointments is clearly in breach of the Constitution?

Questions for Kwesi Pratt and his Panelists: Let Kwesi Pratt and his group of hypocrites be sincere with the truth for once, because what goes up must surely come down. The hypocritical stand taken by Pratt and his panelist has exposed the chameleonic nature they are hiding beneath the mask of patriotism which they have used into deceiving or hoodwinking the vulnerable people of Ghana for long. I am throwing an open challenge to Kwesi Pratt and those who constituted themselves into the Sanhedrin on that day to tell themselves what they did when the NDC circulated a list purported to be relatives and cronies of Ex-President Kufuor who were appointed into his administration?

Let Kwesi Pratt and his group tell Ghanaians what they did when Ben Ephson, editor of the Dispatch attempt, albeit unsuccessfully to sow a seed of discord between Ashantis and Akims? What did they do? They maintained a stony silence!
Hypocritical Kwesi Pratt and his likes should tell Ghanaians whether President Mills has not breached the Constitution by appointing more people from one ethnic group and Region into his cabinet and other public corporations, to the disadvantage of other tribes and regions? Is this right? Let clueless and visionless Kwesi Pratt and his gang of nation wreckers tell Ghanaians whether appointments so far made by the Mills administration is in the spirit of oneness and nation building .

Do Kwesi Pratt and those who constituted themselves into my accusers really love the country? I guess not! If they do, why should they unleash their rabid dogs after my blood for bringing into the public domain an issue, which, if not rectified, is capable of plunging the country into the precipice? What did Kwesi Pratt and his panel do or say when a group calling itself the Ga – Adangbe Youth Association issued a fatwa to ex-President Kufuor to vacate his “office”if he indeed loves himself? Those hypocrites remained like eunuchs with no balls hanging between their legs. But today, such hypocrites and unpatriotic elements in the country have got back their voices to speak as if they had just come down from outer space because the character involved is common Daniel Danquah Damptey. What advice have these men offered President Mills to be always guided by the spirit of the spirit of the constitution when making appointments?

Were we all not in Ghana when a learned Professor wrote a book disparaging other tribes while heaping praises on his own tribe? What did Pratt and all those vilifying me for touching on a subject which bothers on ‘no go area’ do or say when that book came out? Today, such a person has been honoured with an award which happens to be one of the highest portfolios in the land – the plush office of Chairman of Council of State. What did they say when the appointment was announced? Nothing! You see how hypocritical Kwesi Pratt and his colleagues could be.

One among the lot: What I did was to alert my fellow countrymen on a very dangerous precedent or agenda being vigorously pursued by the Mills administration. And if because some of us are saying that the perceived injustice being perpetrated against people from other tribes is unfair, unjustified and unconstitutional, others like Kwesi Pratt and co will crucify us, so be it. All that we have sought to do is to bring it to the notice of the President to rectify the anomaly. Let me state for all who care to listen that I don’t care what part of the country the President comes from, provided he can perform the task well. All that we are after is that the President must act within the frame of the Constitution.

Maybe, the President is not aware of this fact. Maybe, those hypocrites who act as his advisors have chosen the path of stony silence because it falls within their hidden agenda. Whichever be the case, we have alerted Ghanaians about the dangers such a trend could lead to.
I owe nobody any apology. I stand for the truth and I shall utilize every atom of energy in me to do what is right for my country. I shall not kowtow to any earthly power, no matter how intimidating that power might be. And if, because I am saying the truth, someone wants to eliminate me, let the one go ahead. We shall all appear individually before the judgement throne of the Living God one day.

But I would like to remind such people to beware of the power of a determined peoples will to resist all unjust laws. We should never forget the fate that befell the American soldiers in Somalia. We should also not forget the fact that the Americans at the time of the Vietnam war possessed the most sophisticated weapons ever to be developed in the history of warfare in its armoury, she could not defeat the Viet Congs.
Advice to Kwesi Pratt: Kwesi should be circumspect in his public utterance for he alone is not the repository of knowledge and intelligence. He speaks as if he is the only enlightened and knowledgeable person in Ghana. But as he always says, he cannot be more catholic than the Pope. Kwesi Pratt claims he is a socialist and always repeats the communist mantra of Karl Marx like a parrot. He spoke against Kufuor’s son acquiring a bank loan to buy what they nick- named, “Hotel Kufuor” When it suited him, his wife too obtained a loan from the bank to build a house. If Kwesi wants to live by the tenets of Communism/Socialism, let him renounce the title deeds to the house and give it to the masses/workers. This will be his own contributions to the cause of Socialism.
Those who live in Glass Houses should not throw stones. Kwesi Pratt is disaster waiting to happen. This is the simple truth, Massa.

Daniel Danquah Damptey
E-mail address – danieldanquah_damptey @yahoo.com

‘ATTRIBUTING THE SATELLITES SUCCESS TO ME IS BLASPHEMY’ – T.B. JOSHUA

Webmaster — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:10:30 +0000

On the heels of the recent controversy sparked by insinuations that Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua had claimed glory for the Black Satellites World Cup victory through his prophetic insight to Coach Sellas Tetteh, a similar event seems to have thrown a spanner in the works of the pastors critics…

A mere fortnight after the Satellite debate was at its hottest, revelations have emerged how coach of the current Nigerian U-17 Team, John Obuh, also received prophetic insight from T.B. Joshua concerning the Golden Eaglets last match with Argentina in the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup. Prophet Joshua also debunked the allegations of claiming glory for the Satellites triumph, referring to such statements as blasphemous and uncalled for.

On Sunday 4th November, a recorded conversation between the Nigerian cleric and Eaglets coach John Obuh was played back to The SCOAN congregation, an event broadcast live to the world via Emmanuel TV. Obuh was said to have called Joshua on Thursday, the day before the Argentine match on Friday.

“I told you in under 2 to 5 minutes they will score,” Joshua was heard telling the coach. “I want to assure you – your people are going home one ahead. That is the promise of God. But for five minutes they will be very dangerous – let us mark our home. 15 minutes to go will be for us – we must make use of it.” Coach Obuh told Joshua he had already informed the players of the prophecy. Another conversation was then played between Joshua and the Eaglets assistant coach Abimbola Samuel in which he told him in a local Nigerian dialect, “Your boys will work a penalty when it is 15 minutes to go…”

As events would have it, the match followed in the footprints of the revelation, Argentina scoring in the first two minutes, Nigeria winning a penalty in the last 15 and eventually winning by one goal to top their group and advance convincingly to the knock-out stages.

Speaking to the enthralled congregants, Joshua clearly defined the role of a prophet in such scenario, demystifying the rumour that he was attempting to ascribe glory to himself. “I cannot help anyone to win any match – I am just a servant,” he carefully explained. “A prophet is to tell God’s opinion. It’s a blasphemy, sin against Holy Spirit if you say a prophet is the one who helped someone win a match. I am a gentle donkey. I am just a donkey Jesus is riding on. If somebody drops beautiful clothes, attires on the floor for the donkey to march on, it is not the donkey they dropped the attire on the floor for, but the One on top.”

He further explained how the opinion of God can guide the team concerned, but the prophet who delivers such message has no say whatsoever in the matter. “There is nothing I can do – I am just a servant. I cannot touch it, I cannot alter it. It is God that can alter anything. A prophet doesn’t make a team win – a prophet only tells you the mind of God. When we know God’s opinion, it will help us to guard against mistake and error…”

The storm that erupted in Ghana over the Satellites Saga seems not to have deterred or discouraged the Nigerian pastor, who is widely known as one of the most persecuted pastors in Africa. Using his own life experience, he encouraged the viewers and those present that they must pass through both schools of persecution and praise as part of the necessary preparation for the journey ahead. “I feel strong in challenges, believing that personal improvement and fulfilment come through the continual process of learning from both negative and positive experiences,” he explained.

Recalling the words of his late mother that have been a source of inspiration for him, Joshua lyrically expounded, “When times are stable, and the sea is calm and secure, no one is really tested.” “People will challenge you, question you, try to get you off track,” he bluntly told the audience. “Don’t listen to the temptation to act out of character.”

On the presumption that such precise prophetic revelations can be dished out according to his own will, Joshua made it clear that the God of all nations who reveals such mysteries shows no partiality, attending equally to all who come to Him in humility and sincerity. “A prophet is a prophet to all nations irrespective of where he is from, and God is the Father of all – and He treats His children equally. For those who come to Him in humility, He opens His heart – and if you receive a prophet because he is a prophet, you receive a prophet’s reward…”

On the reason for the seemingly sudden burst of prophetic revelations about football, the pastor explained it is simply part of God’s mission to save souls, especially those of young people. “God wants to win the souls of young people – and young people today are into games such as football,” he clarified. “If they now see God’s hand in their midst, they will begin to believe God. It’s a game that unites other religions and Christians, even pagans – everyone unites when it is time of the game.”

Speaking on the qualities of true ministers of God, Joshua pointed to the importance of contentment, saying it is the lack of contentment that often causes people to engage in petty and unnecessary criticism of others. “When you are content – you will not compare yourself to others, you will not stand and begin to accuse your fellow brother or pray to rebuke and destroy them… The principle of a contented man is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” Instead of criticising from afar, men of God should do what is good to change the bad they see, Joshua admonished.

The same service also witnessed the testimony of an armed robber who had come to the church last week armed with a gun, and the presentation of a brand new Mercedez car to a physically challenged man who had been begging for food with his three children for many months, his electrical shop having burned down a week after his wife tragically died. The reformed robber was supported with N200,000 while the physically challenged man had earlier been given N330,300, all part of Joshua’s extensive charitable activities.

SOURCE: All Voices

NPP Looting Spree: I am ashamed I was NPP party Activist

Webmaster — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:14:52 +0000

I usually tried my best not to meddle in the murky waters of politics with my articles because of the wrath it exudes from readers. Nonetheless I am obliged to write this piece because of my personal involvement in the activities of NPP prior to 2000 elections. Just like many other Ghanaians I heeded to the call for a ‘Positive Change’ in the 1990s and volunteered as a party activist. One key factor influenced my decision. I was convinced the party had the men capable of fixing our tattered economy and bring back smiles on faces of the dog chain sellers on the streets of Accra. Affordable houses will spring up so Ghanaians will live in descent homes once again.

This is because the party is supposed to be full of men who have been successful in their various fields of endeavours. Self made and accomplished men, seasoned lawyers, economic giants, talented engineers, business moguls etc. Most of who owned houses in the plush areas of Accra before coming into politics.

Yes I heeded to the call and spent most of my youthful days as activist for the NPP. In my constituency West Wuogon (West Ayawaso) I was a NPP ward secretary which means I was highly involved in the party’s activities at the constituency level. My involvement in the party brought me into direct contact with Party Constituency Executives. For instance I met many times with the late Colonel Addai Dauh, the then constituency Chairman, George Amoo former MP for the Constituency, Dr Safo Adu etc. Together with some other activists we campaigned in hostile NDC strongholds of the indigenous Ga people in constituency at the peril of our lives.

Horrors of corruptions

Little did I know I was doing all these for the party leaders to visit horror on the loving people of Ghana? I am so angry with the leaders for this betrayal. This was not the ‘positive change’ they promised us during the party forums at the university of Ghana campus in 1990s which made us joined in droves

News about sordid deeds perpetrated by NPP on the poor people of Ghana is all over. Corruption and looting at very high echelons of the party is rife on the internet. Bizarrely instead of refuting these allegations the perpetrators brazenly justified their actions. There was this so called diplomat who was reported of transferring a Japanese grant into his personal accounts and he came out to give a long Kweku Ananse story in his defence. The following allegations were all justified or defended shamelessly.

Kwamena Bartels giving state money to his children, involvement of Kuffour’s son in the hotel gate incident, his daughter’s shopping mall sprees. Hackman Owusu Agyeman affordable houses loot, Ghana@ 50 benders, the mystery of the jaguar cars and the Sahara gate? The 50 cent bling bling chains and ‘dongomi’ honours.

I feel so embarrassed because during our campaign days most of the electorates kept saying ‘NPP leaders are thieves, greedy’ etc. A cousin of mine made a poignant assertion to the effect the NPP leaders will sell the country if they win the election. He was perfectly right. The NPP leaders have not only looted state lands but bungalows as well. Almost half of affordable houses meant for teachers, nurses, workers etc were plundered when they were still under construction. I just can’t imagine how I am going to face my cousin and many others in the future without them blurting at me ‘we told you so.’

The thievery of Kufour had turned JJ Rawlings into a hero. Kufour’s marauding attitude has made mockery of IK Acheampong’s ‘kalabule’ and ‘fawu to beji golf’ (golf for sex) era. Kufour’s looting spree has made us missed Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Within the short time Nkrumah spent in power he built the Tema harbour, municipality, motorway, the Akosombo dam, schools and colleges, universities etc.

Kuffour’s insensitivity to the plight of ordinary workers has brought value to SSNIT flats housing schemes under JJ Rawlings. SSNIT flats were built not only in Accra but also in most regional capitals. In Accra alone we have the Adenta, Sakumo, Dansoman SSNIT flats. How a ‘man with vision’ could prioritised a building of presidential palace (Taj Mahal) over affordable housing scheme for workers and Bui Power project for our industries. This really beats the imagination. With all these so called luminaries in the party all they could boast of is such mediocrities as School Feeding Programme, NYEP, and NHIS etc.

What has got me so infuriated is the level of human suffering I witnessed in my constituency on a recent visit. Hard core foot soldiers of the party who I worked with during those difficult days are still starving. According to the few I spoke to immediately the election was won the party leaders who were always on the grounds with the foot soldiers quickly vanished to inaccessible lofts to join in the sharing of spoils of war. This began the era of 8 years of looting and property acquiring democracy (PAD) till the people of Tain said enough was enough.

Acute water shortage is one of the major problems of my constituency. At least after 8 years of NPP misrule I expected these counterfeit ‘self made men’ to fix the problem. I was so dismayed when I found out the problem has rather exacerbated. On my visit out of the 21days I spent the taps flowed three times. Each time it lasted less than 20 minutes and in trickles. It could not fill a pail let alone the overhead tank hanging above the house.

Currently some of these shameless party leaders are struggling over who will be the next best plunderer. I believe they don’t realise the harm they have done to the image of the party. I suppose this is not the type of vision great pace setters like JB Danquah, Dr Abrefa Busia etc had in mind when they laid down their lives for the tradition. These gracious pace setters will curse these thieves in their graves for bringing shame to the party. One thing the leaders could do to redeem the image of the party is to go on their knees and beg for forgiveness from the people before dreaming of going back to them for their mandate again. They should also throw their weight behind Atta Mills in his quest of cleaning the mess they left behind.

Francis Kwaku Egu, UK

Kwakuhull@yahoo.com

OPINION: OF TB JOSHUA, SELLAS TETTEH, MEDIA HYPE AND A PROFOUND PROPHECY

Webmaster — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:47:22 +0000

The recent revelations of TB Joshua’s prophetic insight and instruction to Coach Sellas Tetteh regarding the Black Satellite’s historic World Cup triumph have ignited a surprising storm of criticism, the news spreading like a proverbial fire across the nation with frenzied argument and dispute arising in its wake. A glance through the flood of heated responses posted on various online news sites seems to paint a unanimous picture, pointing to a profound principle: “What people don’t understand, they criticise.”

Firstly, I think it is imperative to state that if you do not have a thorough knowledge of the ministry and antecedents of Pastor TB Joshua, it would be almost impossible to absorb or appreciate the uncanny accuracy of this prophetic revelation. From a purely rational angle based on worldly experience and exposure, it sounds either farcical, fraudulent or fabled. However, this sort of supernatural scenario and the ensuing controversy is not new to the Nigerian Pastor. From the onset of his ministry, he has persistently stepped out of the crowd and achieved unique feats that were consistently met with misjudgement and argument by some, as well as adulation and acclamation by others – just as it was in the time of Jesus Christ (John 7:12).

The common thread of questions that seem to throng Ghanaian minds in the light of this disclosure are: Why didn’t Pastor Joshua choose help his own nation Nigeria who were disgraced in Egypt? What is his motive for unveiling such clips to the world? What on earth is he doing recording his phone call with Tetteh? What is God’s interest in football? Some have also impertinently made untold demands of his prophetic gifting, as if it were a mere button you press to obtain instantaneous result.

I would like to address these points to the best of my ability. To begin with, prophecy does not originate or proceed from the will of any mortal man, nor is it the product of any reasoning factors or faculties (2 Peter 1:21). According to dictionary definitions, prophecy is an inspired declaration of divine will and purpose, foreknowledge of presently hidden things which cannot be known by the natural light of reason, the foretelling of the future through a direct revelation from God. It’s not magic; it’s not predetermined, nor is it something to be dished out according to individual will or wish. The prophet is not the instigator or the focus of a prophecy – he is simply a mouthpiece of God, a communicator between the visible and invisible.

TB Joshua’s prophetic ministry did not begin last Friday in his discussion with Coach Tetteh. There have been numerous and verifiable records of his predictions coming to pass pertaining events of both national and international relevance. These include the death of iconic pop legend, Michael Jackson, the release of Ingrid Betancourt from the Colombian jungles, the recent plane crash in New York, amongst countless others. On the football front, he has accurately predicted the outcome of the last two Super Eagles qualifiers between Tunisia and Mozambique. Aside, each Sunday Service at The SCOAN unveils the remarkable prophetic gifting ministered by the Prophet to individuals who attend his church, with Joshua uncannily telling them intricate and accurate details about their lives, the solution furthermore provided. For those in doubt, his services are broadcast live on Emmanuel TV – raw, real and radical.

In respect of the recording, any viewer of Emmanuel TV would know that Prophet Joshua is a meticulous and emphatic keeper of records. I was astounded upon viewing clips of his early life and ministry in a documentary titled, ‘My Testimony’. When an unknown and unkempt Joshua started his Synagogue with a mere 8 members, he called a cameraman and asked him to record it. Every single step of his ministry has record – down to when his church was destroyed thrice by the elements. From a logical viewpoint, it seems ludicrous, but it was inspired by the vision that one day people would see the record and glorify God for the extraordinary journey He has taken His servant on. The same vision that propelled Joshua to record his humble beginnings also prompted him to record his telephone conversations with Tetteh, for the same purpose of glorifying God and teaching the masses a vital and valuable lesson in faith and obedience. Joshua saw the vision and had such courage and confidence in its validity, for God had not failed him in times-past. Besides, if the record was not there – the same people criticising today would be liable to doubt, demanding for the evidence.

As for Joshua’s motive, the answer correlates to the question of why the prophetic message involved football. Football is a proven powerful and practical force that unites people across age, faith, race and creed. The potential for people to submit their lives to Christ as a result of this prophecy is enormous – and without seeing, our generation without faith and hope would simply not believe, hence the need to unveil this record to the world. God’s glory is paramount and forefront, not the messenger He chose to use in this particular instance. The notion of Joshua taking the glory for the Satellites victory is ridiculous. We all know the brilliance and resilience of our boys that saw them through the entirety of their games in Egypt to the trophy.

Now to the role of Ghanaian media, headlines such as ‘SCANDAL: Tetteh confirms pastor made Ghana U20 team selection’ are uncalled for and unrepresentative of what truly occurred. Both Joshua and Tetteh’s roles and words are being distorted by media who want to unnecessarily hype up the scenario. Coach Tetteh sought to know the opinion of God concerning the final, knowing that God’s opinion can guard and guide them against error and mistake. Upon hearing from God, Joshua revealed to him that no goal would be scored, penalties would determine the outcome and Dede Ayew should take the first penalty kick. Simple. This does not in any way undermine the Satellites skill and stamina, nor does it take away from Tetteh’s coaching abilities and instincts. It only emphasises the importance of God in all facets of life, a revelation the Ghanaian president John Atta Mills can also testify to. In his own case, he sought the mind of God before election time, and Joshua told him there would be three elections and the results would be announced in January. Both individuals sought to know the mind of God from His servant, it was revealed – and they came to pass, to the glory of God and the good of Ghana. In any case, anyone watching the final cannot deny God’s involvement – the higher hand seeming to guard the Ghanaian posts and frustrate every Brazilian attempt on goal, even against 10-man Ghana.

I would advise all still doubting to watch Joshua’s television station: Emmanuel TV and judge for yourself. To the blind critics, consider the words of a wise man: “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39)

Tawia Acheampong, Accra

Uphold Ghana’s good image

Webmaster — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:50:52 +0000

The International Relations Director of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Hon. Kofi Attor has called on Ghanaians living abroad to “uphold the good image of Ghana in their respective host countries. Mr Attor said there was nothing honourable than “behaving well and abiding by the laws of a foreign country.”

The former Ho Central Member of Parliament was speaking at the Inauguration of the NDC chapter in Lausanne, Bordonnet, Switzerland on Saturday. He urged members to “attend meetings, pay their dues to enable the branch stay stronger and expand.”

The Chairman of NDC in Switzerland on his part called on Ghanaians to remain solidly behind the NDC. He said the NDC is the party that is honest with the people of Ghana. Mr. Albert Kwasi-Kuma Adzayi said he was happy the people of Ghana made a choice between the NDC, “a party that provides opportunity for all” and the NPP “a party that provided hope for family members and only friends.”

Mr. Adzayi challenged Ghanaians in the Diaspora to avail themselves to opportunities in host nations. He said Ghanaians should “not copy blindly the notion of Western democracy. We need to take part in the democratic process of our host nations.”

The forty-six year old Chairman said the challenge of his chapter is to “bring together NDC members in Switzerland and to make our party more attractive to new members.” He said the party would help Ghanaians who are yet to be integrated into the Swiss society and encouraged Ghanaians living in Switzerland to “take up membership of the NDC.”

Before his election, Mr. Albert Kwasi Kuma Adzayi was a member of Swiss canton de Vaud assembly of Le Chenit(Swiss National Assembly) for pass 7years. He is a Federal Translator working for the Swiss Government and founder of the Association of Africans in Le Vallée de Joux in the Canton de Vaud.

Albert Adzayi was a founding member and the first Chairman of Ghanaians Overseas Resident Association (GORA), a member of Ghanaian Association of Vaud, and one of the initiators of the Ewe Association of Switzerland.

The following officers were duly sworn in as the new executive body of the NDC in Switzerland

Albert Kwasi-Kumah ADZAYI Chairman

Robert MYLES Vice Chairman

Johnson AMUZU Secretary

Francis JENAL-BLAY Deputy Secretary

David KUKUIAH Organiser

Edem KUMAKU Deputy Organiser

Alberta MATTEL AWUKU Women Organiser

Evelyn DODOO Deputy Women Organiser

Patrick Y. FIADONU Youth Organiser

Patrick Fiadonu Financial Secretary

Herman M. Awuku Treasurer

Seth AIDOO Public Relation Officer (PRO)

AKOTTO Charles Deputy PRO

Ernest ADZAYI Propaganda Secretary

There he goes again! ‘Essikado Abrantee’ Ato Kwamena Dadzie.

Webmaster — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:17:50 +0000

I have been reading from Ato sometimes and I can agree with him on some of the things he says but his problem has always been the way he says it. If my memory serves me right this is not the first time this character has been given some sound advice. Sometime ago, I read an article by one Kweku Afful a.k.a Dr.Objective to Ato titled: A courteous Letter to Ato Kwamena Dadzie but Ato rubbished his advice and now Prince Kumah has also sounded the same advice but look as his so-called non-response which I view it as a coward and rain beaten chicken-like response anyway.

I see Ato as someone who hasn’t got any respect for the elderly and is bent on doing everything possible to introduce a silly culture of impunity into our beloved Ghanaian society in the name of democracy. Ato really comes across to me as someone who might have grown without the needed training deemed fit for a well natured Ghanaian child sorry Ato if am wrong but that is what you have made me believe about you sir. He seems to find solace in trying to castigate others to gain popularity with his dry jokes. I was so surprised to read from him again this morning referring to the Presidential inauguration of January 7 2009 as one in which His Excellency rumbled, fumbled and stumbled is this something to joke with when you know the man had an eye surgery just before the elections. How can you be that arrogant young man?

Ato I don’t know who your elders or mentors are but you need a good talking to. Democracy is good but when attitudes like yours is not checked we will be breeding vagabonds and foul-mouthed sycophants into our country. To those who will come to your defence all the time they need to understand that Ato’s attitude stinks and you must tell him the truth and stop encouraging his stupidity. The day he writes that about you or someone you respect and cherish you will really find a really to laugh at the wrong side of your jaws. (Anyway send your comment, it’s a democracy I no bi so?)I will be waiting for your response. How could Ato castigate Zita for inviting him to her Facebook list of friends? Her crime obviously is to try and encourage dirty talkers like Ato to have audience with her rather than hiding behind the cameras and the internet to spew untrue and unguided opinions about people with his stereotypical idiosyncrasies.

I know you are reading this Ato, if you don’t want to response don’t respond rather than writing a line to say it’s a no response and you won’t be talking to faceless non-entities ah you made me laugh. You think your Essikado krachi status without a degree or honours qualifies you to call people non-entities you are a coward yourself who hides behind the internet to take a swipe at men whose achievements you envy. Those people usually leave contact details and if you really want to be in touch with them you can contact them and if you learn to clean your mouth properly and wash your hands well they will give you some audience definitely.

As a true Ghanaian who believes in preserving our heritage of respect for the elderly, I will be happy to see Ato taking this advice on board rather than trying to show off to the few hot heads that support your silly and sarcastic write-ups which you try to defend by saying its satire. You see people like Ato will say stuff like my democratic right! They will make references to the Western world to justify their stupidity but they forget that the level of indiscipline that comes with irresponsible statement like the ones Ato vomits through his vent pipes daily can be very serious. Let me tell you the West is struggling with some of the excessive attributes of freedom of speech. The schools are full of notorious criminals who are been encouraged to fool around in the name of democracy. By the way we haven’t got that kind of money to spend on correctional centres like the West so we don’t have to allow such weeds like your nuisance character to generate indiscipline in our society.

I support people like Dr. Objective and Prince Kumah to say wise up young man give honour to whim honour is due and remember the ten commandments honour your father and mother which doesn’t apply to you biological parents alone but anyone at least older that you. With this behaviour Joy FM will always restrict you to trotro mate shows (bits and pieces on the programme of your good mentors like Kojo etc.) Be humble enough to listen or else your stupidity will catch up on you very soon.

Thank you very much Essikado abrantee Ato Kwamena Dadzie.

Captain (Rtd) K. A. Otsin.
P.O. Box 1420
Kumasi, Ghana.

Email: ka.ostsin@ymail.com

Mabay & Johnson verdict is a smear

Webmaster — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:26:24 +0000

The UK Southwark Crown Court has no bases admitting into evidence accusations of fraud against another without allowing the accused party opportunity to rebut the accusations even if in a case of a plea bargain. The action is in violation of any legal instrument that guarantees natural justice. It is a smear on Ghana and an attempt to show our country as corrupt.

Mabay & Johnson admitted two counts of conspiracy to corrupt officials in Ghana but how did the Southwark Crown Court find the company guilty of systematically bribing foreign officials (including alleged Ghanaians) with so called “white man’s handshakes.” What kind of evidence was tendered in and why did court and the UK SFO not invite the accused persons to challenge the accusations?

According to the Judge, Geoffrey Rivlin QC, Mabay & Johnson had entered into a “binding undertaking” to make reparations to Ghana, Jamaica and the UN Iraq Fund. Is Mabay & Johnson paying Ghana reparation for levelling unchallenged accusations in a court?

These questions need to be answered by the A-G and she must advise Ghana to seek redress in the International Court of Justice. It is not for Mabay & Johnson to determine how much Ghana gets in reparations for unduly damaging our country’s name. The compensation they are offering is not high enough to ameliorate the damage to Ghana’s image. The whole judgement is flawed and is a travesty of justice against the Ghanaians mentioned, save Boniface Abubakar who has admitted guilt.

The Mills led government’s approach to the allegation against a handful of its officials is a significant effort in the fight against corruption. But energies must be focused at protesting against the mention of Ghana’s name in a case that for now is implausible until proven otherwise by a competent court.

These developments must be a warning to Ghana in its dealings with Britain which seems to validate fraud. It is already emerging that another British company operating in Ghana purportedly paid a £100,000 bribe to former President Kufour as kick-back in the Ghana Telecom deal.

Ghanaians must beware of English officials bearing gifts, especially when undertaking contracts. Many UK companies have a culture of kick backs and Mabay & Johnson was just one of the many that uses “the white man’s handshake” – bribery – to corrupt institutions. That seems to be their stock in trade.

The plea bargain by Mabay & Johnson is a pretext to deflate attention from their violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 661 and 687 and a breach of the UK fraud Act 2006 which upon conviction would have made their officials liable to “imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years or a fine or both.”

The entire ruling a smear and makes a mockery of the British justice system which has come under severe criticism especially after the pathetic circumstances of a transfer deal which saw the release Abdul Baset al Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight that killed 270 people.

Accomplishing the “I care for you” agenda is a profoundly serious affair and the challenges are enormous. The country requires huge inputs from the men and women the president has appointed and that is why we must not distract them from performing their duties.

The men and the former First Lady are being accused without any evidence and it would be a loss for our country to deliberately bring people down based on allegations by a bunch of corrupt English aristocrats. It would be a severe loss for our country to penalise the mentioned officials for nothing.

Mohammed Mubarak (Ras Mubarak)

mmubarak79@yahoo.com

Students and Politics – Our Selfish and Greedy Student Leaders

Webmaster — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:24:01 +0000

Our educational institutions have for years been infiltrated by power hungry students who will do anything to be student leaders. These students’ supremacists joggle for leadership positions through fair or foul means. Paradoxically they do that for their own personal gains. Many of these warped mind student leaders use the bare backs of innocent students to reach the cosy top. After realising their dreams they develop amnesia and like the voracious politicians become oblivious of the withered backs that served as their ladders.

What makes the situation more sickening is some students acquire loans or dispose off family heirlooms to fund their inert ambitions. Vote buying and rigging is rife during elections for positions. The level of manipulations that go on at some of these academic institutions is mindboggling. Ironically the same deranged elements carry their obnoxious behaviour to the national level. This explains why are we still marking time with our development agendas because we are often been led by villains and thieves.

Student aluta

An incident happened during our sixth form days at St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast and to me it mirrors events in several other schools in the country. One of our mates by the name Apoa apparently had nursed his ambitions to be school prefect even when he was yet to pass his GCE O’ Levels. However when the time came for choosing the school prefect the then headmaster Mr Gyasi Appiah (Asuo) had different idea.

Such gracious positions are not given to students who break school rules willy-nilly. It’s not meant for students who sneaked out during curfew hours to meet curvy girls in woody grooves behind Holy Child or Wey Gey Hey campuses. The headmaster threw his support behind a very talented and well disciplined student by the name Pius Mensah. Then hell broke loose.

The hawks in the school (all paddies of Apoa) led by Yalley ‘K’ (whose dad was a former IGP) will have none of that. They thumped war drums, sang war songs and before long the Asafo warriors of Ogua town were mobilized from all spheres including the Baka (lagoon) enveloping the school. The combat line was drawn. It’s either Apoa or no one else. Asuo swiftly rescinded his decision to save his head but it was too late for him. A few months later the hawks had him removed as head.

The prefect of Augusco though did not live in a Taj Maha comparable to Kuffour’s own at Flag Staff House he had a cosy and well furnished room. He was assured of his weekly rations of milk and sardines from the matron. He had allergies to school dinners unlike the rest of us so special meal was delivered to his palace. It’s only an idiot who will allow such a lavish life slip away.

The war drums nearly reverberated when we were in the second year at Legon some few years later. This was during Commonwealth Hall JCR election. Some equally hawkish students led by a powerful vandal (name withheld) wanted their preferred candidate to be the JCR president. These hawks massaged and massacred the election figures in favour of their candidate but father Bacchus intervened. The peoples’ choice Newlove Mamattah won the election. A friend described his triumph as a ‘divine intervention’ because of the intensity of manoeuvring that took place.

Now and then some determined students struggled for leadership roles in JCR, SRC, NUGS, GNUPS etc on our campuses. These guys do not have the magic wand to change fortunes of students. These vermin recognize such positions give them the coupons to grace land. It allows them parade corridors of powers to grass on students in return for freebies. And for that reason the crown must be claimed all cost even if through deceitful means.

There were instances where candidates are imposed on students through dubious means. For example during the same years at Legon the same hawks in Commonwealth Hall wanted the NUGS president to be a vandal. To achieve this aim they had to trade with their equally hawkish counterparts at Okponglo (Sabbah Hall Annex B) who also covet the position. A pact was made to give Sabbah hall the SRC presidency in return for the NUGS president. Vandals were coerced to back Haruna Idrissu (the current Minister for Communication) as the NUGS president. This decision was taken after series of covert meetings at the secured vault of father Bacchus’ shrine. Other contesting candidates like Eddie Baden (Eddie Young) etc became mere spectators in the race.

Students’ forums

These overtly ambitious students have a cunning way of weaving their way into students’ body politics. Their modus operandus is by being regular speakers at students’ meetings and forums at the hall levels. Commonwealth Hall organised series of such forums at the observatory. Haruna and co were regular contributors. Their contributions were extended to the bigger SRC forum usually at Central Café, Legon.

Bizarrely majority of students just like the larger public are easily influenced by florid speeches and use of ornate English vocabularies. The speakers often ‘chewed’ English vocabularies from the Oxford dictionary and ‘poured’ them out at these forums under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Word, words, meaningless words, ‘fiafitormiasis’, ‘jimijimifoomism’ ‘julorkwakweism’, ‘minimpinim’, ‘bankudinicov’ etc. The forum ground will be set ablaze and students will lose their heads in the process.

Almost immediately the ‘blefo’ speakers become celebrities and warm their way into the hearts of the ladies. They will announce their intentions of contesting for positions in JCR, SRC, and NUGS. With their heads in the clouds students will vote massively for these glory seekers. Just after winning the elections the leaders develop bonds with government in power. Some few years down the line they will become serving ministers of state or diplomats. You see the trend?

Student politics in the UK

I got a bit involved into student politics in UK and I must say I did not witness power struggle on such magnitude. I served as Secretary of Post Graduate Student Union of the University of Hull. I again served briefly on the Student Union of University of Huddersfield among others. During all these times something struck me most. The executive members were so selfless. They focused mostly on getting the job done and also make impact on students’ lives. They don’t think of financial gains or ripping off the system clean. Or grassing students to the government for political favours

Conclusion

It’s very important to admire gifted orators. It’s not everyone who has the skills of keeping audience awake when they are suppose to be sleeping. What we should realise is not all those good speakers have what it takes to bring a change. Some of these glory seekers are just drained barrels making loud noises just in an attempt to reach the top. Students must be on the lookout so as not to be swayed by these honey- tongued speakers who are oblivious just like the politicians of students’ needs.

Francis Kwaku Egu

Kwakuhull@yahoo.com

Gold Fish Has No Hiding Place.

Webmaster — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:18:22 +0000

It was an innocuous remark or statement which was not meant to generate any controversy. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was on a familiar terrain doing what he knows best. It was a friendly advice to the publishers of a friendly newspaper called ‘The Thunder’ which had just made its debut in Kumasi. “Name and shame mediocrity and incompetence, praise and encourage the upholders of integrity, political morality, selfless patriotism and competence”, Nana told the gathering. Good advice, admitted the self appointed “executioner” of the speaker.
Jealousy Go Shame:
But no, to Alfred Donkor Odzidzator, the Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party in the December, 2008 Elections, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has committed an act of blasphemy. Alfred Donkor Odzidzator then elected himself as the arrowhead of all those who feel uncomfortable with the prospect of Nana once more clinching the flagbearership of the NPP to administer the coup de grace by doing everything within his power to bring Nana down. Alfred Donkor Odzidzator wants to outshine, outpace and outsmart Nana Yaw Amankwaa of New York, the self-anointed hyper critic of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Nana Yaw Amankwaa, the pseudo-politician masquerading as a dye in the wool NPP activitist, but in actual fact, a mole has been doing all he can to destroy the hard-earned reputation of Akufo-Addo.
Perhaps, Alfred Donkor Odzidzator hopes, by his strong hatred for Nana, to reposition himself at the forefront of those NDC serial writers who are poised to become some of the most powerful and influential members in Mills government today. After all, a serial invocator of some strong deities in Ghana has alleged that 80million Cedis was shared out among his fellow serial callers.
Gold-Fish Has no Hiding Place:
A colleague first drew my attention to the write up. After reading the entire piece, my initial reaction was to banish it into the dustbin of history. What was the purpose of such write-up? Why did he have to drag Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s name into his mischievous write-up in the first place? Is Nana the only person in a political party to have made a similar political statement on such an occasion? Is Nana the NPP or leader of the party? What happens to the principles of collective responsibility in governance? Why make Nana the main target of attack for the so-called failures of the NPP?
Why I was debating within myself as to why Nana should be the focus of such unwarranted attacks, the answer as if I was in a trance, quickly came to me. Goldfish has no hiding place!
Have they just woken up from their long drinking spree?
The obviously confused Alfred Donkor Odzidzator goaded on by his mentors and masters asked rhetorically whether it was just lack of appreciation on the part of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the very serious financial challenges facing our country and indeed the entire world. Has he as well as those who sent him just woken up from their deep slumber or just landed from outer space to realize that the world including major nations like the USA, Britain and the rest were facing financial challenges? When did they realize this? If they have just regained control of their reasoning faculties, they must regard themselves as the most inept, clueless and visionless leaders that unfortunately have been foisted on this dear nation of ours.
Instead of publicly acknowledging their deficiency and lack of expertise as to how to bring succour to the teeming unsmiling faces of Ghanaians, the contraption called the NDC has, according to Dr Ekow Spio Gabrah deliberately decided to whip us with scorpions in line with Rehoboam’s vision, by putting aside the Team A and use Team B to actualize their evil agenda of further impoverishing the average Ghanaian. They are romancing with agents of darkness to further drive us down to the lowest rung of economic abyss.
Odzidzator’s Lack of appreciation: If people like Alfred Donkor Odzidzator do not know, a little bit of education would do. He and his sponsors must appreciate the fact that the World Economic Recession did not just start with the inception of the Mills Administration. It had started midway into the second term of Kufuor’s administration and the NPP government had put in place measures to cushion its negative effects. When they were told at that time to show understanding and maturity, they did not. They hit the town with their ‘Wahala’ and ‘Yewuoo’ demonstrations by castigating Kufuor’s administration with glee, pretending that we were in the best of times and that the Kufuor regime was insensitive to the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.
But now that they are in the saddle of affairs, the reality of the seemingly unending hopeless situation has dawn on them and they are asking for understanding and patience. Patience for what? Have they forgotten the fact that if you stay too long in the river, the currents will sweep you away?
Retreating According to Plan: – This brings to mind, the behavior of British troops in the face of attacks from enemies during the Second World War. An era of invincibility had been built around the British troops. The War opened the eyes of the African to the realization that the white man was human and fallible and indeed made mistakes. When the battle went against them, their officers ordered them to fall back and when questioned, the whites would reply, they were retreating” according to plan”. This is the same attitude, your party, the NDC has adopted by asking oppressed and hardworking Ghanaians to be patient with you.
Is the Ghanaian economy sick? Odzidzator states, “if Nana wants to find out why our economy is sick, he shouldn’t look further than the eight years of the NPP administration of which he was the defacto number two man when he spent most of the time following Kufuor round the world instead of staying at home to manage the economy and create opportunities for all Ghanaians”.
In addressing Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the defacto number two man, I will not dwell so much on it since it is already an open secret that a Goldfish has no hiding place. But on the issue of Nana and Kufuor travelling around the world, I have this much to say. As Foreign Minister, why should Nana stay at home? Was he the Minister for Finance and Economic planning? Didn’t we have a competent person to take charge of that portfolio? We did and everybody including their Founder and top NDC members testified to the competence, economic and business acumen of the then sector Minister. This was part of the tribute they paid to the late Baah Wiredu during his funeral. When Ghana needed funding from the IMF, did the ruling NDC government not give credit to the NPP administration for the able and efficient manner the regime handled the economy? The records are there and if Alfred Donkor Odzidzator is lost in his reverie, he should ask his Minister for Finance and Economic Planning for records and facts. In Government every sector Minister has his own area of jurisdiction. Straying into another person’s area of jurisdiction is likely to rock the boat as is happening between the President’s Spokesperson, Mahama Ayariga and the Communications Director, Koku Anyidohu.
Their travels brought lasting benefits to the country, without which the state of the economy would have degenerated to a level unprecedented in the history of the country. Without the efforts and personal ingenuity of Kufuor, Aliu Mahama, Nana and the entire NPP Administration, the feeding formula, which, prior to the inception of the NPP admin was 0:0:1 or 0:1:0, would have plummeted further to 0:0:1/2. The NPP administration brought it up to 0:1:1 or 1:0:1. But in the light of what we are seeing and experiencing now, I cannot say exactly where we are being led to.
HIPC Gains: It was the travels by Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo that culminated into the adoption of HIPC which yielded many lasting benefits for the country. Odzidzator and his cohorts should not overlook the fact that when NPP opted for HIPC, many were the hawks in the NDC who criticized it, but when the gains started accruing, they were among the first to clamour for them. This was one of the things Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo sought to portray in his address to the gathering at the launch of The Thunder which rather unfortunately, Alfred Donkor Odzidzator, either out of mischief or misunderstanding decided to throw dust into people’s eyes and minds.
Kufuor and Nana’s negotiation skills: Nana Akufo-Addo was not done yet. His accompanying Kufuor on his numerous trips led to the cancellation of most of Ghana’s debts by her creditor countries. They also resulted in the signing and accessing of the Millennium Challenge Accounts. Do not forget the contributions of our donor countries into the NPP laudable programmes like the School Feeding Programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme. Yes, Nana did all this with a masterstroke.
And have we forgotten about Kufuor’s trip to strike an oil deal with his Nigerian counterpart at the time the crude left by the departing NDC regime could only last less than two weeks. What about the cars ex – President Obasanjo of Nigeria donated to Ghana’s Police Service? One must not overlook the fact this was one of the impeachment charges brought against Obasanjo by the Nigerian Legislature. Yes, those were the benefits such travels undertaken by the NPP brought to the country.
Oil? Kufuor and Nana stabilized system. Ex-President Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo travels brought about stabilization in the energy sector. Crude was in abundance during the NPP’s regime, so much so that there was never a period that we experienced long queues as we are now having. It is the crude we imported during our time that TOR has been using since the inception of Mills’ administration. This is a fact testified to by management of TOR. We never run down TOR with debts as alleged by Odzidzator and his NDC. Can Odzidzator and the numerous packs of rabid dogs in the NDC tell us the exact debt of TOR? President Mills, His vice John Mahama and others like Kwame Ametor have each been conjuring different figures from God knows where about the total indebtedness of TOR.
It was the prudent and pragmatic policies of the NPP led by ex-President Kufuor, Aliu Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo and the rest that led to the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the Western Region. At least, that was a vast difference between the NDC and the NPP on how we executed the mandate to scout for oil. Nana Addo and the NPP utilized the funds for its primary responsibility – the search for oil. We did not use the funds to prospect for salt as was done by the GNPC under the NDC regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Patriotic Ghanaians, which of the two parties, the NDC or the NPP should be charged with causing financial loss to Ghana through misapplication of funds?
Sale of Government Lands: I am not going to defend the indefensible. Sale of government land, no matter who is involved is bad. Why blame Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for an action which all political parties since independence has been guilty of? Has Nana bought any of such lands? And does Alfred Donkor Odzidzator know whether Nana spoke against such an action or not. And if he did, does he have to come out and make a public declaration of it? The impression should not be created that the act of selling government lands to party members and cronies has started under the NPP regime. The NDC is as well guilty of this constitutional coup against our motherland. What happened to the Achimota Forest lands? What about the SSNIT buildings at Sakumuno and the Atomic Energy Lands at Kwabenya? Who are the owners of such lands?
If Alfred Donkor Odzidzator wants to be true to himself, his God, his conscience and the constitution of the land he claims to love and cherish, let him ask his party, the NDC to publicly publish a list of owners/buyers of all such government land taking retrospective effect from the period of our independence. It is only after a comprehensive list of such buyers has been published that we shall know the real usurpers of our lands. It is only then that we shall know who the real thieves pontificating as angels are. It is only then that people like Alfred Donkor Odzidzator who have no sense of political history and has yet to come to terms with the facts that it pays to get one’s aces together than to tackle men of impeccable pedigree like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the flimsy excuse that they hold different political beliefs from theirs.
Irresponsible Spending: Odzidzator states, “had he stayed at home, Akufo-Addo would have noticed the irresponsible spending going on all over the place – some of which were off balance sheet and unreported to parliament. From the premise, the writer has already shot himself in the leg because since Nana did not stay at home, he did not notice any irresponsible spending going on, if really there was any such thing. What irresponsible spending is he talking about? Is it about using state funds to buy pampers for one’s children and buying chinchinga for one’s constituents and passing the bill for payment to the State? Is it about taking one’s girlfriend to Cote d’Ivoire, Germany and many other places at tax payers’ expense? Is it about sending Ministers on shopping spree to Manhattan and other places at the time we were told our coffers were empty and Ministers were yet to be paid? Is it about creating so many transitional teams in order to give per diem to their numerous members and also ‘blowing’ so much money on tea mpampa?
Was it any wonder that one of the NDC MPs claims, the Cedi is always appreciating the dollar? And at the rate the rot is going on in our system, the cedi will very soon appreciate the dollar at a geometrical progression.
Corruption in High Places: Odzidzator talks of corruption and blames Nana for it. I will not totally absolve the NPP regime of this cancer. But should we make it appear as if it was only the NPP that engages in this canker worm. We must condemn it whether it involves the NPP, the NDC, the CPP or any other party. He talks about Ghana@50. Yes, a lot of malfeasance went on. But let us wait till the end. But if we want to get to the root cause, let us at the same time focus on what went on at Ghana @ 40. Let us revisit the Muntaka issue. Let us focus our attention at the rot that is taking place at the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority.
Let us look into the source of funds Ama Benyiwa Doe is using to finance her storey building. If in less than six months after bagging the portfolio of Central Regional Minister, she could afford to put up such a magnificent mansion at the time school children, according to Alfred Odzidzator, are studying under trees, then the issue qualifies to be in the Guinness Book of Records and also as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Wonders will never end. When Kufuor’s son bought a Hotel, all hell was let loose, thanks to the evil machinations through twisting of facts, misinformation and misrepresentation of facts by NDC packs of wolves led by Ama Benyiwa Doe. What about the District Chief Executive in the Volta Region who beat Ama Benyiwa Doe to it by being the first to show off his newly found status? He is alleged to have stated he won his jackpot from the Department of National Lotteries? If indeed he won lotto as he alleges, can he show us the cheque issued to him by the Dept. of National Lotteries?
Was it not the NDC, led by their General Secretary, Asiedu Nketiah who stated it at a public forum that the 17 presidential aspirants of the NPP were thieves and that they were going to meet to elect the Chief of such thieves? But nature does not work in a vacuum. They have been caught in their own evil game. And this is an aspect I want Alfred Donkor Odzidzator to focus his attention on instead of transferring his unwarranted aggression to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his innocent victim.
But now that it has happened, what are Alfred Donkor Odzidzator and his sponsors going to react? I am referring to the bribery scandal that has hit his dear NDC party? I mean the Mabey and Johnson issue. At every public forum, both local and abroad, their founder never fails to call ex-President Kufuor a rogue and a thief. This reckless accusation and disregard for international ethics has so much emboldened their members that some of their ‘baby’ ministers who have no idea of the role ex President Kufuor and Nana Akufo Addo have played towards steering the Ghanaian ship of state have also lost the Ghanaian traditional respect for elders by referring to them as rogues, criminals and thieves. But the God-Father never sleeps. With the disclosures that have implicated some leading members of the NDC, who then is a thief, rogue or criminal? I am patiently awaiting an answer from Alfred Odzidzator and his sponsors.
NDC members, “Onyame ahu mo oo”. (God has seen through your nefarious activities) A court of competent jurisdiction in the United Kingdom has opened the can of worms and your people have no hiding place. It was one of such things that courageous Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was speaking to the management of the Thunder newspapers about.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo Constitutional Rights: Nana was our Presidential candidate during the December Elections and has our mandate to speak for and on behalf of our Great Party. Moreover, he had been invited to speak by management of the newspaper. And the topic he selected would not have attracted any controversy if Alfred Donkor Odzidzator had not decided to be mischievous by hitting below the belt.
Has any of the NDC members criticized ex-President Rawlings for lashing at Mills for what he Rawlings describes as the slow pace of the Mills’ governing style? Ask any NDC fanatic and he will tell you that is Rawlings style and as a citizen of this country, he has equal right like anybody else to make known his concerns about how the nation is being administered. So, if Alfred Donkor Odzidzator cares so much about the state of affairs of the nation, he should direct such concerns to the founder of his contraption, ex-President Rawlings and d the current President, Evans Atta Mills. It was an uncalled and misplaced aggression, full of venom, hatred and vice to make Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the object of such attacks.
Nana’s concern for the ordinary Ghanaian: Hear the novice of Alfred Donkor Odzidzator. “Since when did Akufo Addo develop any concern for ordinary Ghanaian? For eight years his party practiced trickle-down politics that rich business should be assisted to make money so that through their profits and generosity the benefits will trickle down to the poor? He asks Nana what has trickled down to ordinary Ghanaians and if it has, “how come in less than 8 months Ghanaians are already suffering?
These are my answers to those posers. Yes, the party preaches property owning democracy with equal opportunity or a level playing field for all. Through its laudable policies and pragmatic approach to issues, the party was able to assist many poor and middle income earners to carve a niche for themselves in business. Top party notches’, including Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ensured that the ‘largesse’ spread to all who took advantage of such opportunities. It did not cater for NPP members only. It covers all Ghanaians of different political persuasions. P.V.Obeng, Togbe Afede, Ibn Chambas, to mention but only a few were some of the known NDC members who were sponsored by the NPP Government for top International positions within the Sub-Region. The first two were given Board positions under the NPP admin. And if Alfred Donkor Odzidzator does not know, let me state it for all and sundry that it was Nana Addo’s advice to ex-President Kufuor that culminated in Government endorsement of Ekow Spio Garbrah’s application for the top Commonwealth position he now occupies.
What has his party, the NDC done to assist any known supporter of the NPP? Nothing! They have even denied Ghanaians their daily bread by sacking them from their jobs as if NPP sympathizers were alien passengers from outer space. When you complain NDC apologists will jump at you and retort, “but your party also sacked our members from their jobs”. This is partially true. The difference here is that, it was only those holding top managerial positions various companies and public corporations who were ordered to stay at home by the then incoming NPP administration. It wasn’t extended down to the ordinary workers as the NDC has resorted to.
If Alfred Donkor Odzidzator and his think-alike are opposed to property-owning democracy, let them renounce their claims or title deeds to their lands and properties and will them to the State. Let such people offer their buildings free of charge to the teeming workers who have no where to lay their poor heads. Such people should realize that nowhere in this world will two individuals be equal in all things. Give say Ghc1000.00 to different people to start their own businesses. Because not everybody is endowed with the same managerial or business acumen and skills, one business will flourish whiles another may not.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP introduced many laudable programmes to cushion the effects of the World Economic Recession. Amongst them The National Health Insurance Scheme, Capitation Grant, School Feeding Programme, The National Youth Employment Scheme and the Metro Mass Transit Programmes. Nana is part of the success story of the New Patriotic Party.
The voice of the voiceless: Nana Addo Dankwa has become the Aaron of the silent majority anytime their personal liberties were curtailed. He has been the focal point around whom all agitations for better things gravitate towards. He was the man who gave hope to the Ghanaian that a better tomorrow awaited them if only they became the men that God wanted them to be. Without Nana storming the theatre of danger at the time he did when angels in those days feared to even breathe aloud, Ghanaians would have become like eunuchs with nothing hanging between their legs. He brazed the trail to enable others like Kwasi Pratt, Bernard Mona, Professor Mills and others to take to the streets when the opportunity suited them.
Anyone who does not appreciate the role Nana played in those dark days and is playing now should find time to read something about the life and struggles of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. Today, Gani is being honoured posthumously as an icon of Nigerian Civil Rights Movement, even though, those who are now heaping praises on him were the very people who had vilified him sometime ago. I am hoping that a time will come when others like Alfred Donkor Odzidzator, who, today are vilifying Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will see the light so that they will see things in their right perspective. Nana doesn’t have to come out in the open to tell the masses how he fought tooth and nail to shape the policies of the New Patriotic Party.
Alfred Donkor Odzidzator misadventure: All of Odzidzator submissions present him as someone who lacks confidence but is desperately attempting to convince his masters that indeed, he is equal to the task that has been assigned to him. His submission lacks logical sense and sequence. I am wondering whether he submitted his script to his masters and sponsors before bringing it into the public domain. If indeed he did so and his mentors could not detect the inconsistencies and misapplication of ideas, I wonder what sort of leadership we should expect from them. He asked Nana how come people are suffering less than 8 months after being voted out of power if the economy at that time was buoyant during the period of NPP administration.
That was a direct indictment of Mills whose credentials Odzidzator has touted so much into the highest heavens. Don’t they know that if you put a loose rung on an otherwise very strong ladder, it will destabilize the entire system or establishment? And this is exactly what President Mills is doing by using untested and novices to actualize the NDC’s agenda. This was given credence to a few days ago by Ekow Spio Garbrah, their member who played a leading role in their coming back to power by donating huge sums of money and vehicles to the then Mills comatose campaign Team.
Conclusion: We are now seeing the chameleonic nature of people like Alfred Donkor Odzidzator who are hiding behind the government in power to physically and mentally torment their fellow human beings on the grounds that they hold different political beliefs from their own. Has he said anything about the Agbogbloshie incident in which human beings were butchered like animals and the person who asked the police to take action by arresting the culprits was himself ‘arrested’ by the Police on the instruction of the Regional Police Commander? What about the violence which occurred at Akwatia? In their quest to annex the seat for their Deputy Regional Minister, state security apparatus was used to unleash violence on the peace-loving people of the town and its environs?
And yet, all these people regard themselves as Christians and Muslims. Can Alfred Donkor Odzidzator and his sponsors hold the Bible and the Koran and ask God to unleash his venom on any person who, without provocation, has contributed remotely or otherwise in the perpetration of violence and constitutional coup against his fellow human being and the country of his/her birth?
It is only in during the NDC administration that economic refugees pretending to be physically handicapped sportsmen smuggled themselves with the connivance of top NDC officials to participate in an tournament organized for the physically impaired ones. What is the outcome of their so-called investigation?
It is only during the NDC regime that heavily subsidized tractors from the Ministry of Agriculture are commandeered by the presidential spokes person and hired out to local farmers at approximately twice the going rate.
The arrest of a suspected killer, Kwasi Adu for killing Kwame Nyame, a man who was attending to the flock of God on July 19, 2009 at the Sakumuno residence of Eric Opoku, the defeated NDC aspirant in Asunafo South Constituency and Deputy Minister for Brong Ahafo speaks volumes of such evil deeds which have been swept under the carpet. But let Ghanaians be assured that, no matter how long perpetrators of such deeds cover their tracts, they will definitely be smoked out of their hiding and miserable places. Let them take refuge under the waters, the sea cannot cover them up.
This is because our God-Father hardly sleeps and is never dead. And this was the message Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo passed across to Ghanaians at the launching of the Thunder.

Daniel Danquah Damptey
Danieldanquah_damptey@yahoo.com

Reflections On Prophet TB Joshua At 46

Webmaster — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:19:28 +0000

In Nigeria’s recent history, June 12 has become a very special and important day. It has become a symbolic day that reminds Nigerians of their history of many shattered dreams, of a fact that the ordinary folk of this country cannot even be allowed to become what they want to become, to choose the leaders that they want to choose for themselves.

June 12 is also the birthday of a remarkable Nigerian, a man whose type graces this world once in an epoch. On June 12, this year, Temitope Balogun Joshua, Nigeria’s healing pastor, extraordinary preacher, prophet and humanitarian, turns a mere 46 earth years. But it is only God Almighty Himself (judging by the profundity and wisdom exhibited by Joshua) who can tell the real age of this prodigious man of God.

Until I watched the story of Nigeria’s beleaguered dwarves on Prophet TB Joshua’s Emmanuel TV early this year, my attitude to organised religion had been one of total indifference, if not downright hostility. And who could really blame one for this? If the general attitude of many of our today’s religious people and their leadership is anything to go by – and I mean of every popular religion in this country – then, it is time to consider Satanism as an option!

It is also impossible for any serious African, a student of history and one who has taken pains to research into Black history and avail himself of facts, of the role that religion (particularly Christianity and Islam) played and still plays in the subjugation of the Black race, not to be bitter towards and suspicious of anything religious. This is only human.

The world, for instance, annually celebrates the very unfortunate fate of the Jews in the concentration camps of Auswitch and Birkenau. But nobody ever mentions the horrendous massacres and enslavement of the Bakongo of five centuries earlier and the fate of the last Mani-Kongo who even transmuted to Dom Afonso I, from Nzinga a Mvemba, on conversion to Christianity, thinking he was dealing with honest people of God.

Today, the ongoing genocide in Omar al-Bashir’s Sudan is there for all to see. But what is the so-called civilised world doing about this evil and well-orchestrated decimation of Black African populations in that country? Why are even other independent African nations pretending to be doing something, whilst the long-suffering people of Darfur are steadily wasting away?

Because of the long history of struggle for survival of the Black race and the many terrible things that have happened to our people in the past and still continue to happen, many African elite have turned sceptical to matters of religion. This cynicism is aptly captured by the battle song of one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution, (1791-1804) Jamaican-born Bookman Dutty, now famously referred to as “Bookman’s Prayer”.

That revolution, begun almost half a century earlier by Maroon leader, Francois Makandal, was carried to a successful conclusion by Black fighters, under Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Unfortunately, the struggle came to a tragic end when the White agents of Napoleon Bonaparte tricked the last leader of the revolution, a mulatto named, Toussaint L’Ouverture. Toussaint was promptly shipped to exile in France where he was executed by means of starvation and cold.

The revolution was thus extinguished and since then, Haiti, the first independent Black nation on earth has never been allowed to be the same. And neither has Nigeria, either, since our so-called independence – this Nigeria of ours, the one Black nation on this earth with the capability and enough resources, human and material, to strike out on its own. The deepest roots of Nigeria’s myriad of problems lie in matters of race and religion.

For me therefore – and like I believe, for many of my kind – Jesus Christ merely became a symbol of Western deceit, cheating and thievery. Everything about the Christianity into which I was born irritated me completely, until I discovered Prophet TB Joshua’s brand of practical Christianity. In the name of the same Jesus Christ that one viewed with great suspicion, the man heals the sick, preaches the gospel in his own unique way, gives without any reservations whatsoever and sees deep into the future and even into people’s private problems, to reconcile feuding families, among other things.

I have continued to study this man and my interest in his activities, are growing by the day. He demonstrates Christian virtues like no other pastor I have come across, does. Well, if all this is what Jesus Christ is all about, then I should review my opinion of Him. Like I have said here before, his miracles are simply mind-blowing, which have led many to accuse him of witchcraft and sorcery. I believe people who are saying this need some enlightenment for, like Prophet Joshua himself often says, “What people don’t understand, they criticise…”

But anybody who has taken pains to study the principles of some occultic practices would know that with Joshua’s many diverse capabilities, it is not possible to combine darkness and light, at the same time. This is a simple fact of nature. No one occultist could combine the many capabilities of Prophet TB Joshua – not even great masters like Abramelin the Mage and Aleister Crowley could. Such endowments as he has exhibited, coupled with his personality, can only come from an enlightened soul, directly connected to and tapping from the highest source of Light. Those who have taken the trouble to study the man at close range would understand what I am talking about.

Ironically, like Nigeria his country, Pastor Joshua has not been allowed the peace of mind he deserves, to continue his good work of charity by, of all people, his fellow Christians. I just read an interview granted a magazine (or is it newspaper now?) by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the current President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, in which he declared that Pastor Joshua is not of God. Pastor Oritsejafor was also quoted as having demanded to know who Prophet TB Joshua’s mentor is.

Let me begin by asking Pastor Oritsejafor who his own mentor was and who his own mentor’s mentor was. Secondly, by whose authority were both himself and his mentors ordained pastors? Having said that, by whose authority has he declared that anybody is not of God? Hasn’t his own Bible told him yet that judgment is only for the Most High Himself? Well, if a man should disobey the Biblical injunction simply because he is the president of a Christian group and pass judgment unto his fellow man – something that is an exclusive preserve of God – then, he is not doing God’s will. By that very token, he is not of God!

It is amazing that anybody who lays claim to being a pastor of God (like Pastor Oritsejafor of the PFN does) should be talking about mentoring in matters of the faith as if talking about some rookie artisan being shepherded into ‘freedom’ from his master’s workshop. Such drivel simply speaks volumes of the man who utters it. It reveals the depth of vulgarity to which our ‘modern’ men of God have allowed the gospel of Jesus Christ to sink.

Anybody who boasts in God’s vineyard about his mentor and such other inane subjects as earthly endowments has simply not imbibed the lessons of Christ’s personal life. Jesus Christ the Son of God could have been born a prince, if He so chose. On the contrary, God made man, decided to come into this world, the son of a wretched carpenter born in, of all places, a manger and side-by-side animals! He had neither an earthly mentor, nor did the Bible tell us that He had doctorate degrees in sacred theology and dogmatic philosophy.

In His divine wisdom, God chooses whom He crowns king and decides whom He endows with any gift He likes – and we all have our different gifts. Anybody who challenges this wisdom of God Almighty blasphemes against Him, by querying His authority.

So, why would God choose a humble, even innocent, or bucolic Temitope Balogun Joshua for the enormous anointing he has received? Why didn’t He pick one of those blue-blooded, Oxford-trained peers of the realm?

One cannot exactly tell and neither can anybody else, for that matter. However, having watched Pastor Joshua very closely these past few months, followed with keen interest, the documentaries of his early ministry and his teachings and other activities on Emmanuel TV, physically witnessed his Sunday healing and miracle services at the Synagogue Church and had numerous private audiences with him, I have been privileged to glean a few facts and to learn a very important lesson about faith, from this soldier of Christ.

As humans, we usually crack in the daunting face of adversity. In fact, at some point, many of us not only give up on God, we even dare to turn against Him. In the case of Prophet Joshua, the harder the battle to survive, the greater his loyalty to his God appears to be. I have never seen anybody with such unshakable faith in what he believes, such optimism that may even look to an observer during those his ministry’s early years as mere folly.

Anybody who has seen that documentary on his early ministry, of his first church (a miserable looking shack, with about 20 worshippers) and the optimism with which he prophesied how the whole world would soon come to Synagogue Church, would simply be awed by the power of the living God and testify to His glory. A little later during those early years, Prophet Joshua who leads by example went down to such fine details as personally cleaning the toilets of the church for three long years. As he says, “In order to be able to manage success, I had to first learn how to manage poverty”. As bad as things were then, Pastor Joshua was always seen ministering to his flock with a broad smile, even as his first, second and third churches, drowned in flood waters.

In contrast to those humble beginnings, today’s Synagogue Church of All Nations is an intimidating edifice that has become one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations! If there is anything I have learnt from the story of Pastor Joshua, my interactions with the prophet and his church, it is the humility and faithfulness of God Almighty Himself, towards those that maintain abiding faith in Him, in the face of all odds. This is what Prophet TB Joshua always teaches: “Of all graces, FAITH honours Christ the most; of all graces, Christ honours FAITH the most.”

Those who today want to give Christianity a highfaluting image and discriminate against their fellow men either do not know, or simply forget its humble beginnings. The cross, the banner under which all of Christendom gathers derives from an ancient mystical symbol, which many may refer to as (sorry for that derogatory word) pagan.

The Celtic cross, a religious symbol seen all over Britain, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, has a long history that presages Christianity itself. Its four arms are interpreted as the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire. It also represents the four directions of the compass – north, south, east, west – and the four parts of man – mind, soul, heart, and body.

This is also the basis of the Jewish Tetragrammaton, represented by the Hebrew letters, Yod, He, Vau, He, with the last He, bearing a dot, symbolising completion, just like the shoot of a dormant seed. Those four Hebrew letters, together, spell out Yahuvah, or Jehovah, the elements that emanated from the Divine Essence at the point of Creation, as documented in the first chapter of Genesis. I had written extensively about this in the past and the correlation between this Biblical account of the beginning of space-time and the Quantum Theory in particle physics is indeed amazing!

One and the same concept runs through most major mystical-religious concepts of all civilisations, worldwide, from ancient, so-called primitive African and Amerindian cultures, to Indo-Chinese, European and Arabic cultures and more. This universal symbolism is seen in the Popol Vuh, the Holy Book of the Quiche Maya of South America. It is the Yin and Yang of Taoist China, also symbolised by the Dance of Shiva, in the Indian Sanskrit.

Back here, in Africa, this same symbolism is seen in the ancient drawings of the Dogon of Mali, as it is in Ghana’s Adinkra culture. It is the Creation Snake that Wole Soyinka talks about in his “Idanre and Other Poems”, which the Igbo celebrate in the New Yam festival, the basis of their four market days and their lunar calendar, depicted by the Uli motif of the kola nut head.

Ancient Egyptians equally celebrated the feast of Eostre in honour of the goddess of fertility and the endless cycles of the death of winter and the birth of spring. The Romans borrowed the same practice and baptised it Saturnalia. It is this very old belief, depicted by the image of the Egyptian Ankh or the Crux Ansata, which found its way into Judaeo-Christian theology, that the first Christians adopted and celebrated as Easter, directly borrowing its name from the goddess: “Unless the grain falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it brings forth much fruit.” (John 12:24).

To think that the symbol of the very basis of the Christian faith, the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary and the power of New Life in the Risen Christ, had its humble beginnings in the faiths of peoples we would now rather turn up our noses at, as pagans, is a lesson in God’s own humility and mysterious but wise ways. It teaches us never to look down on anybody but rather, to embrace all. From the high priests of quantum physics, to the lowly African chief priests and sages, to our modern, “funky pastors”, we should have nothing but respect for our fellow man, for it is only God Himself who can tell who worships Him in truth and in spirit.

This is another major lesson that Pastor Joshua teaches everyone with his unique ministry. At the Synagogue Church, you find people of all races and creeds. You find the very rich and the very poor, the homeless, beggars, everybody, side-by-side. You even find grandmasters of the occult that have come to receive deliverance. Nobody discriminates against anybody and people are actually encouraged after receiving their healing, to go back to their respective churches or mosques.

I am yet to see this in other Pentecostal churches and this ecumenism, I believe, is the message of Christ’s mission while on earth.

It is absolutely impossible for a man to be ‘upright’ and ‘evil’ at the same time, just like we are yet to see one who I tall and short all at once. Also, while we may not be able to easily fathom the machinations of the human mind, we can see a man’s actions and hear his utterances.

We can therefore reasonably gauge an individual’s personality from his traits and utterances or what we may generally call his or her character from the consistency with which those tendencies would have persisted over the years. If a man has maintained a certain stance all his life, it would indeed be difficult, if not impossible, to ‘learn an old dog new tricks’ as the Americans would say. “Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit… a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit… “(Matthew 7:17-18)

It could thus be inferred that those who indulge in running down Prophet TB Joshua do not seem to have seriously pondered nature and the several basic principles that govern it. Their reason for criticising that which they apparently do not understand, appears to be either simple ignorance or sheer malice.

All of these people that bandy false tales about the man and his church have apparently never been to The Synagogue Church to investigate the rumours they have heard. Anybody who does so, or even merely follows the activities of the church, beamed to audiences worldwide through Emmanuel TV, would see the glaring truth. No evil man would be capable of faking the personality of Prophet Joshua – his self-denials, his love for man and nature, his charitable disposition, his prophecies and healing and the fact that he does them in the name of Jesus Christ – and above all, his highly inspired interpretation of the Gospel.

Like I have said here before, apart from his amazing miracles, two striking qualities mark Pastor Joshua out as you encounter him are his disarming humility and childlike simplicity, as well as the depth of wisdom in his preaching and interpretation of the Bible.

The man’s entire life is a study in humility. Despite his enormous capabilities, you sometimes even catch him in excitement as he himself watches with the rest of the congregation when some of these miracles happen. He would often remind you that he is only a medium of communication, a servant. “I am not the healer, but I know the healer: Jesus Christ is the Healer.”

Down to even his private life, I doubt if there is any PFN pastor in this country who can meet the very high standard of discipline that Prophet Joshua has set for himself, for all to see. The man lives right inside his church and hardly step out of the premises because 24 hours, seven days a week, he is always available to thousands of people that throng the Synagogue Church from all over the world – the sick, the distressed, the widowed, the poor, everybody, people with all kinds of personal and communal problems, even financial problems.

Only last week while I was with him, his aides came to tell him that a batch of over 100 South African who he had hurriedly spent all day ministering to so they could return home, had missed their flight. They were caught in the notorious Isolo traffic. When he told me he would have to cater for these people fro two days, I was surprised – but that’s the kindness of the man we are talking about. At first, I could see he was a little disturbed, but then he shrugged it all off in his usual ‘God will provide’ manner.

Instead of collecting and amassing fortunes like those who accuse him of evil, Joshua the pastor, the father figure, keeps giving away. If that man were after money and the material things of this world, I doubt if any human being alive today would be half as rich as he could get, given the capabilities of a man with his healing powers and ability to prophesy for the whole wide world as well as individuals, with pinpoint accuracy.

On one particular occasion, I had been at The Synagogue Church all day, going through archival material at the Emmanuel TV studios while waiting to see him. There were hundreds of visitors from around the country and the world over, with various pressing needs to whom he must minister, individually. He still eventually made out time to see me quite later in the night, with his usual apologies.

When I returned the following day to continue my work where I stopped, he was already down in his office. When I asked after the army of visitors of the previous day, I was told he saw them all and only retired to his private quarters by about 7am! This kind of timetable is routine for a man who has no life of his own. When I expressed shock when I first found out where he lives, he resignedly asked me: ‘Where do you want me to leave my people and go?’

In his tiny office that may not even be big enough for the personal assistants of some of our ‘funky pastors’, the prophet, too busy to even stand up sometimes, eats his meals, prepared from the same source that he serves – even street beggars. The man who lives by example is yet to outgrow the standard he set for himself in the very early years of his ministry when he had to do everything by himself. Till date, he still joins his disciples and staff in manual work like carrying bags of food meant for the needy.

This same discipline runs right down his family. His unassuming but very graceful wife is often seen at the church’s supermarket, queuing like everyone else, to buy her needs. I very much doubt if any General Overseer’s wife would do that elsewhere. (Hm! ‘General Overseer’!) Meanwhile, his first child, an undergraduate law student in the United Kingdom– now a grown young lady – shares the same traits as her parents and runs the same errands as the rest of his disciples, when on vacation. By their fruits, ye shall know them…

It is important to point out these facts because no man who is possessed of negative forces would radiate the kind of peace and harmony that Prophet Joshua does, which affects everybody and everything around him, even little children. His uncommon and very large capacity to forgive cannot flow from an evil soul, and this appears to be one loophole that some of the people who were once close to him now exploit to try to run him down. Unfortunately for them, Prophet Joshua, a man of vision, is a meticulous keeper of records.

As is well known to all, every action in life exacts its own reaction. This is a fundamental law of nature, perfectly captured by Sir Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion and summarised by the third law: “Action and reaction are always equal and opposite.”

Those who associate Prophet TB Joshua with occultism certainly do not know what they are talking about. Every occultist pays a high price as he ascends the ladder in his hierarchy and lack of genuine peace is one of those great prices. Two occult masters who went through deliverance at The Synagogue Church, Mozambique’s Agostinho Jefue (pronounced Jack) and ‘Professor’ Nathan Chukwudi Okakpu of Nigeria, who described himself as a grandmaster of science beyond material, both confirmed this.

On the other hand, a holy man achieves that bond with the Holy Spirit such that he becomes part of everything. Nothing can escape his eyes or ears, for every part of His being – his eyes, his ear, his hands, his thoughts – become God’s tools. With God’s tools, you can only do good things, for the benefit of man and to His glory.

This is what is very difficult for the prophet’s critics to understand what Eliphas Levi, a grandmaster of the 19th century and one of the greatest occultists of all times, tries to describe in the AXIOM 9 of his second principle of the ‘Theory of Magic’: “The will of a just man is the Will of God Himself and the Law of Nature.”

It should be more worthwhile for these critics of Prophet Joshua to humble themselves and study his life and learn from his wisdom, rather than listen to the folly of their own minds. What God has bestowed upon His chosen servant, no man can take away, no matter whom.

At 46, this writer wishes Prophet TB Joshua many, many more years of service to God and to humanity – ad multos annos!

Chiji Okafor

The National Life