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17.06.2018 Feature Article

“Lawyer Do Nothing,” Get Out Of Nyantakyi’s Pocket

Lawyer Do Nothing, Get Out Of Nyantakyis Pocket
17.06.2018 LISTEN

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask [talk]. Act! Action will delineate and define you” – Peter Jefferson

President John Evans Attah Mills [late] was returning from a trip abroad, gathered at KIA were media men awaiting his arrival. On arrival, they engaged him to answer all kinds of questions including an accusation made in his absence by Nana Akufo Addo.

“Mr. President, the opposition leader says you are “Professor Do Little,” what have you to say to that?” One of the Journalists asked.

“Thank God he did not say I am Professor do nothing. By the way, little is relative; what is small in his eyes may not be small in the eyes of others. But let me say, I and my team are working very hard to improve the living conditions of the people; that is the mandate we are entrusted and I know we will deliver. ” President Mills said.

Apparently, Gabby Okyere Darko initiated the “Prof Do Little” tag on his Facebook wall and later got his cousin to pick it up to throw at the President. It was too feeble for any impact judging from the work President Mills was doing.

Compared to today, on the basis of just granting them that, the era is not “Prof Do Little” but rather “Lawyer Do Nothing.”

Hons Fifi Kwetey and Isaac Adongo have observed that President Akufo Addo’s contentment as President seemed to rest only in scripting and reading nice speeches. It is a PR Government, #Talk Only, caring little about the Akan adage “excessive talk does not price or buy a horse.”

“..immensely fond of, and very good at, creating slogans to describe complex but appealing programs. But there’s little doubt that the appetite for such slogans has already outrun the capacity for realistic implementation,” UN Rapporteur, Prof Philip Alston described the AkufoAddo/Dr Bawumia Govt’s knack for sloganeering.

From his Labone office, through social media, chief strategist Gabby “partly runs the government.” Only the utterances sometimes - offensive description of appointees and their actions on his wall which is unfortunate, but the appointees themselves for purposes of job security cannot complain. “How dare you tell the sorcerer he has rotten teeth?” Who born dog!

But, are the appointees slaves? They deserve no respect from those who call the shots? How about the effect of that on one’s performance?

Any wonder that the Gov’t cannot effectively name any achievement upon all the unprecedented appointments; 110 Ministers, 998 Presidential staffers, 2 deputy CEOs each for SOEs, 13 appointees for 3 Development Authorities. Any wonder? Era of “Lawyer Do Nothing.”

Multimedia’s Jojo Kobbina in March, this year reported a archaic practice - open defecation around the Cape Coast Castle by the indigenes, drawing the attention of Tourism Ministry to it. The Minister, Catherine Afeku reportedly reacted; formed a task force to stop the practice.

Just last week, after three long months, the reporter returned from Cape Coast with a report showing rather an aggravation of the situation.

Attempts by Joy fm for instance to get the loquacious Minister’s reaction on the matter took days. News anchor, Evans Mensah stated that explanations being offered by the Minister suggest she had literally gone to sleep after all the promises to deal with the issue.

The inaction Jojo Kobbina reported is not an isolated case; it appears to be a general malaise. I recalled, at the height of armed robbery and attack on Police stations, Information Minister and VEEP at various functions said Government would have CCTV cameras installed at Police stations across the country. Any sign of a contract to install CCTVs at any Police station?

Alan Kyeremanteng at his vetting in January 2017 said One District One factory will see action in six months; Government’s December 2017 deadline for a minimum of 51 factories; Vice President’s five successive announcements to commence Ghana Card issuance have all failed. All of them are still at post.

Strangely, appointees who are seen as performing ie Korle-Bu CEO are the ones rather removed.

Just last Monday, Health Ministry’s PRO, Robert Cudjoe says the July 18 UGMC opening date which Reginald Sekyi-Brown’s heroic action got Government to announce is not possible.

Well, I asked myself what Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei’s job really is as a Minister responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation. He himself perhaps needed first to be monitored and evaluated or?

But how can that evaluation happen when our President is in someone’s pocket for only $5million? How can he? And let none of them deceive you, Nana Akufo Addo and Kwesi Nyantakyi, aside having same political leanings are great friends, except that I don’t know whether Lebanese food which the former admits is his “water loo” did the trick.

Nyantakyi owes about a decade SSNIT contributions for his team players but can boast of his immeasurable support to NPP and Akufo Addo campaigns and his plans to enter politics and that for me is where the cache that has become known as the “Charade of the 2 Presidents” is.

We were told by Abu Jinapor that the President viewed the #12 tape one week ahead of the arrest order/complaint. Reliable information suggests that before Kwesi Nyantakyi flew out to Morocco, 4 days ahead of his arrest order, he met the President. What didn’t they know?

Judging how Kwesi Nyantakyi was picked at the Airport for questioning and the fact that the DG of Police CID, Tiwaa Addo Danquah [President’s inlaw] was outside the jurisdiction but had her instructions of bail overriding the IGP’s who wanted Nyantakyi detained overnight reveals an episode of the Charade.

Sadly, Police officers became a decoy for the media to be able to shepherd Kwesi Nyantakyi out of the headquarters into a waiting car to be whisked away.

The plot gave the conspirators away as the prying eyes and cameras of the media caught the white pick-up revving out full throttle as some Police men also struggled to open the gate for the vehicle. The Charade!

I weep for the guy who stole only 2 fingers of plantain and seeing the merciless side of the same Police just because he has no one in his pocket.

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