Meet Mr. Frank Apeagyei

IF THE list of remarkable people you know does not include the name of Mr. Frank Apeagyei, then you must take quick steps to remedy the deficiency.

I have met and talked to Mr. Frank Apeagyei twice, and I have never ceased to be amazed by him. The first time was years back when I was the headmaster of T. I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School in Kumasi, between 1990 and 1998.

He had visited Kumasi and had taken time off to see me in my office. I saw a coal-black person simply dressed in an all-khaki outfit of shirt and trousers.

In the course of our fairly short conversation, he had not only commended me for my articles, but had also expressed the hope that, one day, it would be possible for me to publish some of the articles in book form.

In late August this year, I went to Accra. As usual, my daughter who works in the capital city picked me up at the Inter-City STC yard. From the yard we went straight to the hotel where we were fortunate to meet him.

Mr. Apeagyei did something which rendered me and my daughter temporarily speechless. He gave me an envelope that contained a letter and a cheque for GH¢500.00 (Five hundred Ghana cedis)

I had not done any work for him. Given his achievements in life, he did not need me to promote him. So why the generous, 'no-strings attached' gift? He supplied part of the answer in his letter.

He wrote, “It amazes me to know that your education and professional training at the tertiary level do not include classroom tutorials in journalism, and yet you surpass any journalist that I know of who has run a column in a newspaper in this country, since the days of Bankole Timothy and Moses Danquah, both of THE DAILY GRAPHIC fame, decades ago.”

He went on, “As a product of the London School of Journalism, I was taught to acknowledge what journalism is all about, namely, forthrightness, conviction, courage, truthfulness, consistency, the use of language and class which must be captivating and readable, in putting crafted messages to inform, educate and entertain- and by Jove, you have them all, plus more.”

He added, “You have the ability to tackle the matters you write about shrewdly and dispassionately, as well as disarming critics with sound, logical reasoning and consummate ease, when you are put to the test.”

I must state that, days before Mr. Apeagyei gave me the cheque, he had also given amounts of GH¢200.00 (Two Hundred Ghana cedis) each, to four print and electronic media persons.

I cannot mention their names here because I do not have their permission. He did that in recognition of their excellence in the practice of journalism.

Mr. Apeagyei had intended to treat me and the four journalists to dinner. Unfortunately, two could not honour the invitation because of tight work schedules. Only two and I had dinner at an Indian restaurant in Accra, hosted by him. I must also state, in all honesty, that I did not think, and still do not think, that I deserved to be placed in the same league as Bankole Timothy, Moses Danquah and the large army of veteran journalists who have established standards of excellence yet to be equaled. All the same, it would be hypocritical on my part, if I said I was not pleased by Mr. Apeagyei's fulsome praise. I thank him sincerely for his words of encouragement.

I am all the more happy because those words fell from the pen of a man who trained as a journalist and worked as one. Mr. Apeagyei is a man of many parts. In fact, the great Shakespeare must have dreamed of Mr. Apeagyei when he wrote that “one man in his time plays many parts.”

Mr. Apeagyei is not only a hotelier but also a sports historian, specifically when it comes to boxing and football. Check out this partial list: In Boxing, he has been a Promoter, Referee/Judge, Chairman of Ring Official Committee and Chairman of the Ghana Boxing Board of Control.

In football, he became so closely associated with the Kumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club that he served as the Accra Representative, Public Relations Officer, Management Member, Board Secretary and Spokesman of the Club.

Last year, Mr. Apeagyei published a well-illustrated, 64-page book on the Laws of the Game of Football. It is a book that every football referee, football administrator, player and spectator should have.

On the wider front, he has been associated with the Ghana Football Association as Chairman of its Publicity Committee, Chairman of the Welfare Committee, Vice Chairman of the Technical Committee and Member of the Professional League Board.

As a Public Relations Consultant to a number of public institutions and commercial companies, Mr. Apeagyei has much to his credit.

For example, he created the name GOIL (Ghana Oil Company) to replace the former name GHAIP (Ghana Italian Petroleum). He also changed the old logo to that of a fast-running antelope, to emphasise the high-octane nature of the new company.

He has also acted as a Consultant to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Police Administration, Parliament, the Judicial Service, the National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

Outside consultancy, sports and the hotel business, Mr. Apeagyei finds time to conduct research into religion. Indeed, it is a joy to read what he has written about Christianity, Islam, the Nation of Islam of the United States, the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, the Bahai Faith, Eckancar and Rastafarianism.

Mr. Apeagyei is proud of his family. He has pictures of his children on the walls of his office, and he does not hesitate to tell visitors about them.

For someone in his 70's, Mr. Apeagyei is remarkably fit. He has extended his generosity to other journalists, apart from the four he honoured recently.

There is not enough newspaper space to write about Mr. Frank Apeagyei. What I have written here does not do him the least justice. As a media person, he would undoubtedly understand the limitations. All I can say is a beggarly and miserly “Thank you” to him. May he live long and continue to acknowledge others.

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