By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.
Garden City, New York
August 3, 2016
E-mail: okoampaahoofe@optimum.net
He may genuinely have the interest and destiny of our country at heart. But the fact remains that his much-touted “substantial investments” in the country and all, Chief Dele Momodu is still not a Ghanaian citizen and therefore cannot cavalierly presume to interfere in the political affairs of our beloved Ghana. If he wants to actively participate in Ghanaian politics then, by all means, let him take up Ghanaian citizenship (See “I Have the Right to Campaign for Mahama – Dele Momodu” Ghanaweb.com 8/3/16). If he does not qualify to exercise the franchise in Ghana, then it legally holds that he has absolutely no right to run political interference for President John Dramani Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
It would also be quite edifying if the self-proclaimed investor could publicly inform the Ghanaian public what sort of investments he has in the country, how much they are worth, how many Ghanaians he employs and why he firmly and imperiously believes that such investments give him the right to meddle in the domestic political affairs of Ghana. By his first name, Chief Momodu appears to be of Yoruba ethnicity. Well, I don’t much about what the philosophy of Yoruba culture has to say about wealth and property ownership, but among us Akan Ghanaian majority, at least speaking for myself, the mere ownership of substantial properties and/or investments does not equate with ownership of Ghanaian politics.
Indeed, were he widely read enough on modern Ghanaian philosophy, he would have “heard” Dr. J. B. Danquah echo the following old Akan philosophy of personhood: “When I call money, money does not respond. When I call a house, the house does not respond. It is the human being that matters more than all else.” Actually, the preceding is an ancient Akan drum-script. Well, until just a couple of days ago, I had never heard about his so-called Ovation magazine. Nevertheless, going by the title of his publication, it makes perfect sense that he would be using Ovation to fulsomely praise politicians who clearly appear to be serving his business interests; he has every right to do as his stomach and wallet dictate. But even more importantly, his Ghanaian critics, irrespective of ideological suasion, also have a right to launch a massive boycott of his publication and his businesses; in short, we have a right to run him out of the country, if he wouldn’t learn to accept his place in our society.
And if he really thinks Mr. Mahama is an “outstanding” president, let him campaign for the Gonja petty chieftain to assume the reins of governance in Nigeria. Let him also show us Mr. Mahama’s so-called “Legacy Projects” and tell us why the latter dwarf any such achievements of their kind in his native Nigeria. Of course, Chief Momodu is not the first Nigerian to arrogantly and recklessly use the sort of lurid proprietary language he is accused of deploying. Not very long ago, there was another Nigerian SOB by the name of Mr. Obanikoro who served as his country’s High Commissioner (or Ambassador) to Ghana, who was also notorious for recklessly deploying the same sort of crude, savage and abusive language that Chief Momodu has been accused of using to grate the refined and delicate sensibilities of his Ghanaian hosts.
I suppose that capital SOB was also a Yoruba boy. But at least, as I vividly recall, Chief Obanikoro was responsible and sensible enough to walk back his wayward ways when it was brought home to him that he needed to uphold the decorous standards of a diplomatic representative of his country. To be certain, Ghanaians do not give a hoot who Chief Momodu chooses to befriend or hold at arm’s length; he simply needs to butt out of Ghana’s domestic politics and stop spewing guff about his investment properties and whatnot. Let him hold off his propagandistic swill until his host and prime benefactor decides to run for President of West Africa or ECOWAS.
Indeed, if his publicly declared support for the presidential campaign of Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton has not met with any remarkable response or reaction from the United States, trust me, it is simply because Chief Momodu is just another stinky-mouthed nigger down the street. Haba, money swine!
*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
Columnist: Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame
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