Ken Ofori-Atta Led ‘Hair Cuts’ As Ghana's Former Finance Minister, Allegedly Shaves US Star Comedian Michael Blankson’s $1.2 Million And Locks It

White clothes may soon become an abomination in Ghana if not a symbol of suspicion when worn especially in the political arena. If care is not taken to salvage and preserve the purity, innocence and cleanliness generally believed to be what the white color symbolizes, some all white wearing gatherings could be mistaken for a 'Gathering of Thieves'.

Before I ascribe it to white collar crimes, including the misappropriation of public funds and mismanagement of taxpayers money which is gradually and notoriously gaining strength in the Ghanaian political space as ‘white-collor thievery’, I probably must request deliverance for the white color from all prayer warriors in Ghana to tighten their belt and deliver in unison white clothes from imminent assassination of what it genuinely stands for in the Ghanaian culture.

Else, should the white color clothes' association with white-collar crimes be ordained in Ghana, the former minister of finance of Ghana in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under the Nana Akuffo Addo Dankwah and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia government for about 7 years, Ken Ofori-Atta, should he be found guilty of alleged crimes slapped on him, for which he is being investigated by Ghana’s Special Prosecutor, will have no option than to adopt the title as its inventor.

The Office of The Special Prosecutor (OSP) in Ghana, on February 12, 2025, declared the former Finance Minister as Fugitive from Justice, for failing to attend to an invitation extended to him to physically appear before the OSP to help with investigations for causing financial loss to Ghana and other matters of concern to the OSP and Ghana. The excuses for his inability to be present in the jurisdiction invited to, conveyed by the former finance minister's lawyers to the OSP did not land on any comfortable ear of the OSP, especially when a prior written response to the invitation had sought to inform the OSP about the minister’s indefinite unavailability at the jurisdiction but now citing health reasons.

The Special Prosecutor may have been reminded by happenings of the past and knows the NPP is very good at showing up in Parliament on wheelchairs and stretchers to vote for bills dear to their hearts no matter the opposing party's tangible stance against it whenever it is tabled before the house, especially Bills and deals emanating from the Finance Ministry Ken Ofori Atta headed then. So why will he make such excuses?

From many actions and inactions of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister, many Ghanaians woes and misfortunes have been placed at his door steps to be the cause during his reign, including collapse of businesses, job loss, junks status of Ghana’s economy at a point and pensioners loosing of their lifetime investments and savings. Many lost hope and could not live to fight back. Some had their health conditions deteriorated for inability to access the dividends of their investments for dialysis and medications. Others are believed to be homeless today. Children could no longer have the comfort of the homes their parents gave them until the parents' dividends stopped coming owing to a debt restructuring the government had to subject itself to with the then economy that was near collapse.

Bond holders had their monies locked and interests lowered without following their originally agreed plans they signed for in the name of a financial restructuring hair cut. They were slapped with extended maturity periods of their bonds they did not bargain for. For some, they may no longer live to enjoy their life savings and pensions. Even if some do, the interest rate would be insulting to their hard work over the years aimed at securing a respectable and comfortable retirement.

Many of these people and their families, including those in the diaspora who saw prospects in the early days when they were being persuaded to invest in the bonds, but now feel they have been short-changed, woke up to learn that the OSP performing their investigative duty on Ken Ofori-Atta who was a government of Ghana official whose dealings suspected to have allegedly caused financial loss to the State, will have the audacity to claim he is traumatized by the OSP declaring him a Fugitive from Justice, when he clearly has not given the OSP a clear position on his readiness to avail himself for interrogation as the law requires, any time soon.

Many of his actions and inactions as a former Finance Minister has grossly and negatively affected many people in many ways over the years and counting. They are not even saying they are traumatized that loud. But the former Finance Minister and his NPP party who inflicted pain and suffering to many of these victims are the ones playing the victim's card and shouting over the roof from the floor of Parliament to Press Conferences claiming Ken Ofori-Attah is traumatized.

Ken Ofori Atta must come again, and profusely show remorse and begin apologizing and subjecting himself to a full scale investigation for allegedly causing financial loss to the State, which is an imprisonment offense when he is found guilty.

One of the diaspora victims of Ken Ofori Atta’s mismanagement of Ghana’s economy to the point his own party members and members of Parliament of his own party NPP at a point called for his sacking as a finance minister but his cousin the then president of Ghana Nana Akuffo Addo refused to remove him, is the popular US comedian Michael Blankson. Michael Blankson’s root and family is in Ghana, Agona Nsaba in the Central Region. An act of benevolence on his part to give his people, the community he grew in as a child before leaving for the United States at a young age, good education, will become one that will rather take the money he planned to use to run the school, from him and his community to rob the children of their hopes of getting quality education from the compliments of a son of their land.

Michael Blankson built an ultra modern school for them to solve the many distance the children in that community had to commute to and from to access a government school in their area, which often is crowded with teacher-student ratio not the best.

His intervention brought hope to the people of the community. That hope now appears to be losing the purposes for which it was built. This is due to the inability to pay some teachers and resource the school from what the American Star recently explained on the popular VLAD TV channel that hosts interviews of prominent entertainers and celebrity figures with over 5 million subscribers.. This interview by DJ Vlad on VLAD TV channel on Youtube where Michael Blankson threw light on his Foundation's school in Ghana was the Michael Blankson Part 13 episode. In this interview Michael Blankson lays it bare.

One thing I will praise Michael Blankson for doing is the maturity he used to explain his frustration about his predicament, especially feeling the pain of how the future of these young children were once lit with hope only to appear to be dimmed by some alleged corrupt persons in government. He showed wisdom indeed for making it clear that it is not Ghana that is dimming the future of these school children but the ones whose bad actions are suffocating the funding of the school, especially those in the previous NPP government.

My suggestion to him will be to seek an audience with the current NDC administration that took office about 6 weeks ago. He can begin from the Ministry of Education or through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the two gentlemen manning those Ministries, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa respectively are listening leaders with integrity who take education of children and conditions under which children learn seriously. Both of them have experience in that Ministry.

The President of Ghana, H.E. John Mahama is one of the best listening Presidents in Ghana’s history. Michael Blankson should present his situation and the school’s situation officially to the new administration, and I believe he will live to smile himself just as he has put smiles on the faces of the children in Agona Nsaba in the Central Region of Ghana, and particularly the students of Michael Blankson Academy.

I will also suggest his foundation, Michael Blankson Foundation explore some sought of partnership with the government of Ghana and Ministry of Education in the area of the Ministry taken over the salaries of teachers and workers in the school, for the John Mahama and Professor Naana Opoku Agyemang NDC government believes in Education for all, especially for children from the basic level to the Senior High School level, and equally supports extensively, Tertiary Education. They equally believe in jobs for the people irrespective of political party inclinations. With their Apprentice Programs, they have promised, and are entreating the youth who are looking for employable vocational skills to take full advantage of the program when it takes off.

The Diaspora support must continue, for they are the new constituency in Ghana and African democracies. It is a mighty constituency that must be grafted to the spine and infused in the blood of Africa's Political, Economic and Social development with a speed never seen before. This constituency is pregnant with highly skilled Professionals, Artisans, Academicians, just name it, experienced enough to Challenge, Advocate, Project, and Support (CAPS) African democracies to blossom.

I rest my PEN.
Mustapha Alhassan
Pennsylvania, USA.