Adjenim Boateng Adjei
The chips have finally fallen at the right places and President Nana Dee has subsequently cracked the whip. The victim is no other than Adjenim Boateng Adjei, now former boss of Public Procurement Authority (PPA). Indeed, the gluttonous Mr Adjei who ate too much meat and drank its soup is the only one who woke up in the dead of night to attend to nature’s call.
All have hailed the President for the swift decision to dispose of the rotten banana. I’m particularly impressed by the action of the Elephant family on the matter. Unlike those under the Umbrella who blindly support their own even in the face of overwhelming evidence, no member of the Elephant family has voiced out any disagreement to the action taken by President Nana Dee.
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says the dismissed PPA boss has been unable to explain the source of large volumes of wealth moving through his various bank accounts. I advertised a mouth-agape look when I read an amount of GHC 14.8 million was the total transaction during Mr Adjei’s reign at the PPA. Truth be told, the money big oo! Apologies to Hon. Sheikh I. C. Quaye.
Mr. Adjei’s wahala started when Manasseh Azure Awuni first aired the documentary titled “Contracts for Sale”. It was far better than the apology of a documentary titled, “Militias in the Heart of the City.” As I watched the climax of the documentary, I couldn’t help but soliloquize, “This is indeed the work of the Manasseh we know.”
Even before the CHRAJ’s report came out, some of us knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Mr Adjei to disengage from the tightly-woven Manasseh web. It was very obvious the man had been caught ‘in flagrante delicto’ (right in the act).
As I said a year or so ago, Manasseh was clearly at his predatory best. Just as the alligator-snapping-turtle uses its pink worm-like tongue to lure fish right into its mouth, so did Manasseh lure Mr. Adjei to feel comfortable at the beginning only to strike when he least expected it.
The ‘inevitable question’ by Manasseh (36:36 mins) to Mr. Adjei was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. He initially denied being a director of TDL, saying it belonged to a cousin. But when confronted by facts from Manasseh, he finally agreed being a co-director of the company with his brother-in-law; and not his cousin.
Strangely, I still sympathise with Mr. Adjei. It is obvious my feelings for him is because of the resemblance to my late father. Both his physical attributes and mannerisms continue to remind me of my ‘old boy’ who joined his ancestors in ‘Samanfoland’ some 29 years ago. It’s unfortunate his morals are diametrically opposite to that of my late father.
Just as it started with Manasseh’s investigation, so must it end with commendation for a job well done. Manasseh deserves a pat on the back for another brave attempt at shedding light on nocturnal activities of persons who want to benefit at the expense of the country. For sure, such courageous and patriotic deeds will serve as a deterrent to many corrupt public officials.
As we commend him, we must also remind Manasseh that he is but human and bound to make mistakes. So he should be humble enough to admit his mistakes and accept criticism. For those of us shouting ‘hallelujah’ today were the same people who screamed ‘crucify’ him when he churned out the pathetic ‘militia’ documentary. Indeed, we are very discerning political animals; and not zombies.
If he is as humble as he claims, then this is a fine opportunity for him to admit he got it wrong with the ‘militia’ documentary and apologise as directed by the National Media Commission (NMC). On a second thought, who am I to advise ‘all-knowing’ Manasseh?
President Nana Dee also deserves commendation for referring the matter to CHRAJ and the swift action taken following the release of the report. His government’s blushes on corruption would have been spared if previous corruption allegations had taken same route.
As for appointees with insatiable appetite, Mr. Adjei’s predicament should remind them that the glutton who eats too much meat and drinks its soup, will be the only one to wake up in the dead of night to attend to nature’s call.
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!