When I once said ours was a country that comprised of persons who were mostly more emotional than reasonable, many were those who called me egotistic. Again, when I said in this very column that journalism in the country had been reduced to a shouting contest, many of my compatriots called it ‘an insult’. But has the Takoradi pregnancy hoax and the hullabaloo it generated not vindicated me?
Yes, ‘angerpreneurs’ were at their usual best playing on the keyboard of people’s emotions. To refresh your memory, angerpreneurs are those engaged in the business of inciting the ignorant public to anger in order for them (the angerpreneurs) to continue staying relevant. They profit off the outrage industry as it is their source of income.
For close to a week, the country spent precious time discussing Madam Josephine’s pregnancy saga. Angerpreneurs took advantaged and tongue-lashed the Western Regional Minister for what their jaundiced minds perceived as incompetence. Opponents of the Nana Dee government also latched on to the cock and bull story to sing the ‘insecurity’ chorus.
Madam Josephine’s story was very intriguing. Although her story about being kidnapped and the new born child taken away sounded bizarre, the police did what was required of them: They gave her the benefit of the doubt and used medical science to confirm or deny her story.
Unfortunately, the media, particularly Kokomlemle CNN, and that moron on that Onua network decided to engage in their mischievous games. They decided to seek the opinions of taxi drivers, truck pushers, shop attendants, hair dressers and okada riders who, ignorantly, corroborated Madam Josephine’s Kwaku Ananse tale. How the once respected media house has now sunk so low still beats many minds!
Obviously, a media house worth its salt would have sought the opinions of qualified medical personnel like gynaecologists, nurses and midwives. Has Kokomlemle CNN become so blinded by its hatred for the Nana Dee government that it cannot see the shame it is heaping on its own head?
It is sad how journalism has sunk this low. Indeed, journalism is not all about sitting on radio and making unsubstantiated accusations against the President and his appointees. Neither is it about standing in front of television cameras with a towel around one’s neck and shouting one’s voice hoarse like what that moron has been doing as if he is on hard drugs. The voodoo arguments espoused by such journalists on the pregnancy hoax have no doubt painted us as a bunch of primitive persons and narrow-minded savages.
What will these mischievous and towel holding journalist say, now that the obese cat has been let out of the bag? Will they swallow their pride and apologize to the police and the Regional Minister, now that the woman had confessed to using silicon belly to fool her poor husband and the public into believing that she was pregnant?
Without a doubt, the Ghana Police Service deserves a pat on the back for its ingenuity in unravelling the mystery behind the pregnancy wahala. We are the ones who say crucify the police when things go wrong; so it is only fair to sing ‘hallelujah’ to the police for doing a yeoman’s job. Did I hear Oye call the police callous?
As for the half-baked security experts without a mission, the least said about them, the better. Their thoughts are so clouded by their political leanings that even a child could see the absurdity in their reasoning. Yet they delude themselves into believing that they are the best when it comes to security. Of course, such apology of security experts can only be hailed in the land of jokers!
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!