Kandahar Boys In Ghana?

As of this writing, it well appears that the subject of this column had already been resolved; and the firm hope here is that this problem will not recur under the watch of the Akufo-Addo-led government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The subject of this column, of course, has to do with the politically regressive locking up of the office of Dr. Prosper Akambong, identified as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tamale Teaching Hospital. The hospital was built by the I. K. Acheampong-led junta of the National Redemption Council (NRC), later renamed the Supreme Military Council (SMC-1) in 1974, or thereabouts.

The Tamale Teaching Hospital’s CEO’s office was criminally and violently locked up because a group calling itself Kandahar Boys which, we are told, is affiliated with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) had accused Dr. Akambong of the gross abuse of his office and rank corruption, nepotism and the violation of the human rights of the hospital’s faculty and staff (See “Regional Minister Unlocks Tamale Teaching Hospital CEO’s Office” Citifmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 2/28/17).

We must quickly note here that Dr. Akambong has flatly and vehemently denied the charges. The Kandahar Boys are also demanding a forensic auditing of the hospital’s accounts and the establishment of a bipartisan investigative committee to probe the administrative affairs of the hospital under the management of Dr. Akambong. I hope Mr. Salifu Saeed, the newly appointed Northern Regional Minister, will heed the call of the Kandahar Boys in order to ensure that peace and sanity reign at the hospital soon, to also ensure that the critical functions of this major health center, and the services that it provides to the residents and inhabitants of the Tamale municipality are not, once again, interrupted in the near future.

But even more importantly, it is hoped that Dr. Akambong will not be given a raw deal, no matter the outcome of investigations, merely because he may be widely perceived as having served the interests of the outgone regime of the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress. I have said this countless times before and hereby repeat the same, that President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia do not have time to dabble in vengeful or vindictive partisan politics, if their primary and utmost desire is to advance the cause of the development of the country in record time, or timely enough to ensure that the New Patriotic Party retains the mandate of the electorate in the foreseeable future. And by the latter reference, of course, I mean at least the next twelve to sixteen years.

I would also like to suggest to these two most powerful gentlemen politicians of the land, of the need to put political bad memories aside and seriously consider renaming the Tamale Teaching Hospital after the man who brought it into existence, namely, Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. I have said this, countless times, before that until we duly honor all of our leaders, especially those who went beyond the call of duty to singularly advance the progressive cause of our national development, Ghana is highly unlikely to fulfill its fullest potential in terms of the selfless and creative use of all talents and energies available to the nation, especially local talents.

It is also quite elating to hear Messrs. Akufo-Addo and Bawumia underscore their great intolerance for violence and lawlessness on the part of the members of any NPP-affiliated groups hell-bent on indulging in the regressive politics of vendetta. Hopefully, with the well-intentioned abrogation of the politics of winner-takes-all, beginning with next year’s district, municipal and metropolitan administrative elections, the country will be well on its way to healthily making Ghana a forward-looking global political cynosure and a major tourist attraction. We, as a people, need to resume our tragically lost status as the lodestar of modern African civilization and development.

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