Kwesi Nyantakyi
The much-talked about and highly-anticipated Number 12 Video by Anas Aremeyaw Anas has finally been premiered and has lived up to expectation. The ‘ohs’, ‘ahs’ and the general excitement and shock aptly prove that fact. For me, it was as shocking as it was revealing.
I was lucky to get a ticket from a friend. I reached the venue two hours before the first show, but the place was almost full. After standing in a queue for close to an hour with no sign of progress, I decided to give up and go home. No sooner had I left the queue than a colleague from Atinka Media Village came to my rescue. He had an extra VIP ticket, which guaranteed my passage into the main auditorium.
As I said earlier, the video was both shocking and revealing. We’ve times without number heard how corrupt some of our referees could be. Some of their actions in many matches have reinforced that suspicion. But seeing them collect bribe with reckless abandon sent shivers down many spines. Seeing the Chairman of the Referees Appointment Committee engage in acts of bribery showed the extent of corruption in the system.
Like many of my compatriots, the most shocking part of the video was Kwesi Nyantakyi’s blabbing-spree. He behaved like a sweet-talking bloke who was ready to go any length to sweet-tongue a beautiful damsel.
Of course, opponents of the government will want to make capital out of Kwesi’s bragging in the video. But any objective person could tell that he was only blowing hot air. In Nigeria, they say he was trying to play them ‘mugu’.
It is very laughable to use the projects Kwesi mentioned in the video as a measure of his knowledge of the inner workings of the Nana Addo government. Indeed, all the projects he mentioned in the video are public knowledge. Referring to the projects as if they were known to only a privileged few was just to lure the unsuspecting ‘investors’ into believing that he belonged to the inner circle of the president.
Perhaps, Anthony Karbo is the closest to Kwesi. From Kwesi’s assertion in the video, one could be tempted to believe that he and Karbo had been engaging in constant communication. But that, of course, is also a conjecture since no evidence has been provided to support the claim.
It became obvious to almost all who watched the video that Kwesi’s days as a football administrator were numbered. It therefore came as no surprise, when less than 48 hours after the video was aired, he was handed a 90-day provisional ban by FIFA. His resignation as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) President was thus a matter of course, following the FIFA ban.
The initial response by the GFA to the airing of the video was not only nauseating, but also smacked of disrespect to the feelings of the entire populace. To say they could not act because they had not been afforded the opportunity to watch the video was disrespectful, to say the least. If they did not hear the sound of the heavy downpour, did they not see the wet and muddy ground when they woke up?
I initially supported the government’s decision to take steps to dissolve the GFA. But recent developments have made me revise my notes on the matter. With the GFA’s most recent decision to suspend all the referees and officials caught receiving money in the video, and giving COP Kofi Boakye, Chairman of the Ethics Committee, a free hand to investigate the matter, I think the government should think twice about dissolving the GFA.
For sure, I support the call for reforms in the affairs of the GFA. The secretive nature of their dealings tends to encourage corruption. No wonder the ‘co-efficient’ method was always preferred to transparency.
I watched in shame as Kwesi, my senior in Wa Secondary School, gloated on how they could share 25% of the supposed $15 million sponsorship deal for the country’s premier league. Kwesi calls it “cool money”, which could be shared using an agreed percentage to everyone’s satisfaction. Cool money, indeed!
The scene reminded me of something that happened during KABA’s funeral. Kwesi was asked to request a song. Countryman Songo, one of Kwesi’s fiercest critics, was present and willing to dance with him in order to bury the hatchet. Remember Kwesi had sued Songo for defamation and his employers were then seeking for an out of court settlement.
Interestingly, Kwesi requested the late Akwasi Ampofo Agyei’s “If you do good, you do for yourself” to spite Songo. Both Kwesi and Songo danced to the song amidst thunderous applause from the audience. It was indeed a sight to behold!
Unknown to Kwesi, the song he had requested was to spite himself since shame awaited him in the near future. Indeed, if you do good, you do for yourself!
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!