Our Hall Of Shame!

“I hate ingratitude more in a man than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness, or any taint of vice whose strong corruption inhabits our frail blood” — William Shakespeare .

One of the topical issues in the country for the past few weeks is the shambolic treatment meted out to the glorious Black Queens. Many have written extensively on the issue so I felt I could shelve my long pen on the issue. But much as I tried, I could not put the matter off my mind. So Yours Truly is compelled to also voice out his frustrations on the matter.

Frankly, I did not monitor any of the events at the All African Games in Congo Brazzaville; and I’m very sure I was not the only one. But my joy was heightened when news of the Queen’s success reached me. I quickly surfed the internet and saw pictures of the gallant Queens as they shed tears of joy. If only they knew that their sweet tears were soon to become very bitter!

Without any doubt, the feat chalked by the Queens in Congo Brazzaville is the greatest in the history of women’s soccer in the country. Winning gold at the expense of great teams from Nigeria and Cameroon is a feat worthy of commendation. But commendation was the last thing the Queens received.

Characteristic of this country, we called them ‘queens’, but treated them like slaves. Despite the sacrifices they made and the difficulties they had to endure, the leadership of the Sports Ministry decided to treat them like trash. As Manasseh Azure Awuni puts it, “They won gold with menstrual cramps and we denied them crumbs.”

Of course, the qualifying bonus being demanded by the Queens are crumbs compared to what we give to the Black Stars who always give us broken heart in return. The $23,000 the Queens are asking for are crumbs compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars wasted by the Sports Minister when he was in charge of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA). If the $23,000 would not be given to them, why insult them with a paltry $2,000 after promising them $5,000?

Mr Ogwanfunu deserves some commendation for his intervention. On a second thought I think he deserves no commendation at all. I do agree with the argument that the President was in Obroniland, the United States to be precise. But did he have to wait for more than two weeks to intervene? The order for the $5,000 to be paid could have come far earlier than it did. It came a little too late. It came long after the image of the country had been tarnished internationally.

Despite the intervention, Mr Ogwanfunu cannot deny responsibility in the shameful M-Plaza saga. Dr Mustapha Ahmed’s incompetence is an open secret. The spending-spree he and others embarked upon with the SADA cowries is still fresh in our minds. But what was Mr Ogwanfunu’s reaction to the scandal? He rather rewarded the minister’s incompetence with a promotion. So Mr Ogwanfunu cannot be absolved of blame when he was the one who rewarded mediocrity and incompetence. Is it any wonder that he is now performing the functions of his sports minister whom we pay with the tax-payer’s sweat?

The two latest episodes to join our hall of shame have one thing in common; both needed the personal intervention of Mr Ogwanfunu to douse the flame. The Brazil 2014 fiasco and the Black Queens M-Plaza impasse are the episodes in question.

After the Brazil 2014 fiasco, many expected Hon. Chooboi to be given the boot but that did not happen. Like Mother Hen, Mr Ogwanfunu quickly shielded his chicks. He brought Hon Chooboi under his wings at the presidency and established a so-called commission to investigate the Brazil fiasco.

Latter events have confirmed our fears. The Dzamefe Commission was a strategic move to shield Mr Owanfunu’s chicks. He is waiting for the last embers of the Brazil 2014 flame to die before making his next move. After all, my compatriots and I have short memories, and Mr Ogwanfunu knows that very well.

The shameful M Plaza impasse has brought to mind some very disturbing questions. Should one always wait for the President’s intervention to receive one’s reward for patriotism? Would patriotism ever be appreciated in this country? And is this country worth dying for?

While you ponder over the questions, I leave you with the following poem:

I laugh, I cry, I smile
Time and again I try to forget
Forget the Brazil fiasco
Fiasco that brought us great shame
Shame that made Sikaman a laughing stock
Hahaha!
I laugh, I cry, I smile
How can I forget the flying cash?
Cash that put us on the map
Map of shame and disgrace
Disgrace that’s etched permanently in people’s minds

Hahaha!
I laugh, I cry, I smile
The Queens won gold with menstrual cramps
Cramps they endured, yet we denied them crumbs
Crumbs that cannot repay their sacrifice
Sacrifice the politician is not ready to make
Hahaha!
I laugh, I cry, I smile
Sika die basaaa, Songo would say
Say it again, Fireman Songo
Songo, who is shielding Dr Mustapha and Hon Chooboi?

Chooboi I chant to prick your conscience
Hahaha!
Hope to see you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!