Facebook garbage that tramps have been feeding on us

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June 11, 2024
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In the last few weeks, I have been fooling on Facebook just for content for my column. In fact, I should have said I had been joining boy and girl tramps and their female Naija counterparts either ‘flirting’ or talking cross border business and e-trade.

My Facebook friends and clients have mostly been lottery boys and girls using addresses of the state lottery giant and those claiming to be bitcoin experts. I have encountered over 100 animals, seeking to be friends and business partners, while, I must admit, I have found doctors and nurses from Australia and UK, who I think may be genuine folk seeking genuine friendship in understanding the world better.

It appeared that just before I had completed one bout of chat, on streamed a flurry of other applications or friend requests. I had to give in because I wanted a topic for the week, beyond the trending Tro-Tro Ambulance absurdity, the Jakpa recordings or the Black Stars victory over Mali…Hope this victory doesn’t get into their wooden heads…

While I have straightaway loathed the impunity and criminality that have assailed my genuine interest in Facebook dalliance, I have also been intrigued by the level of mischief our Ghanaian girls and women are engaged in over romantic relationship. More strikingly, I have been almost ‘caught’ in games intended by these girls for nokofioo. These are aimed at fleecing Facebook friends for money to buy or repair phones. It is also about access to cash etc to set up small businesses or engagements over possible opportunities just to migrate to Accra to do menial work and build some capital to move on or marry and settle down.

Cases

I have seen too many girls, claiming to have competed SHS and are on the verge of competing their apprenticeship programmes, who say they want money sent to them by MoMo to help them construct containers to house their saloons and buy a couple of dryers. Too many of those claiming to come from Sunyani or Kumasi, though they won’t say the neighbourhood or the rural community they hail from.

There are very few from the Western Region, presumably because galamsey is enough attraction and satisfies the appetites of such girls seeking for quick cash from boys willing to die in pits to find cash for silly girls after each trip into the dreaded pits.

Again, there is quite a number from the Central Region, without them indicating Efutu or Awutu and Agona and Senya. Strangely, I didn’t have any from Kasoa, essentially because Kasoa is a hotspot for more of the Yahoo and Facebook thing that doesn’t need patrons from Accra or Kumasi.

Indeed, within is the market and turf that breeds prostitution, occultism and criminality that we need to contain before politicians find space among these animals to con us all and retain this animal called a Constitution constructed by threatened political animals afraid to exit power.

After 30 years, intriguingly, those fighting against the Constitution have stopped fighting against it and are latching onto its grey areas to fleece us. But my gripe is not about the political animal we can cage with our thumbs, but the social tramps that we excrete from our baby-bags and veins of the testicles.

Volta Region

Among my friends, again, were beautiful girls from the Volta Region, who promote lottery, lawful or illegal, with so many lottery companies assailing the sanctity of our social and economic space. I find it strange in the face of all these intrusions that take away our monies and the mind of our next generations, without giving us revenues that promote development.

All of these SHS graduates, they have been chasing me on my address contrived as a male with an innocent chocolate face and mulatto [coloured] name.

My scare is the presence as well of big booty girls a few of which have KUST tags but some of whom couldn’t tell courses they did so I could help them with jobs in Accra. It is all a potpourri of deception in a turf captured by a horde of criminal breed, when its creators meant well in a world bubbling with knowledge we can take opportunity of to broaden our horizons.

More deception

More intriguing is the ploy used mostly by these girls to plunge you into a pool of pornography that is allowable by the Facebook contrivers. That, I think is absolute twaddle and bulls-it. Another irony in all that is the saga of these girls finding money to do their hair and dressing exquisitely to paint a picture of comfort, when that beggar claims she needs help or – for our Naija friends and cousins – capable of turning one into a knight and Queen of Sheba only if you joined the Bitcoin Fraternity.

It is worse noting that voodoo practitioners or juju-men and women fly their promos on the space, ostensibly targeting you by your CV or your image and expression. Showing wads of dollars and other foreign currencies, the target is puny you and I – while he laughs inside when you fall sheepishly into his trap. The other day, in my anger, I had to shout into a cousin’s face that I didn’t spend decades in the classroom to be conned by ignoramuses of her type…Well, the curse is still on….Her prayer is that I drop dead any day now.

The beef was over a one-roomed family property she and other siblings of her thought we as endowed cousins would cede to them as vulnerable mobrowas. I had to tell them, if they had respect for decency, they would have acted more responsibly. She didn’t like my choice of words, so rather decided to explode. Well, she’s still exploding – despite threats to her health and my insistence to hold on to the property till she went to court. That reminds me of the toad that wanted to flex like cow at stream just to sip water and head on to the next grazing site…

But regrading this Facebook voodoo promos, I thought it was an all-male space, until I began to encounter Naija girls sitting on thrones with fire in their eyes as if in the mood of performing some clairvoyance rituals. Two called for my telephone numbers. I sent fake ones.

When they returned chatting, I had to blame the network, even though they rammed into some animal who himself was one of the breed. I noticed that because, according to them, the fella at the other end began raining insults at them, claiming in protest that he was a bigger criminal and Yahoo Boy they cannot con. Well, we ended the relationship.

Stranded in all that were cases laced with humour, including a chat with one teenage girl, claiming to be living in Kumasi in the Western Region. When I asked her if we could meet at the Cultural Centre, she blushed, asking me: “eno 3nso wo he fa?” [where is that?] Evidently, she lied in claiming that she hailed from Kumasi. .

Good, bad, ugly

Let’s face it, aside these excesses that I love to refer to as excretions, I have met long-lost friends from elementary through tertiary schools and workplaces to other areas of life. I have also met bad boys and girls who have moved on from being bad boys in school to entrepreneurs who are supporting friends and charities.

I have, through Facebook, heard announcements on the demise of friends and enemies. I have met Hannah Tetteh, a very good friend and advocate of regional integration. But have also met Sir Sam Jonah, the man who risked his life and position to support press freedom in Ghana.

Similarly, I have made quality friends in the development community, including doctors from stable communities risking their lives to work with the WHO in Afghanistan. That is the essence of digital communication and artificial intelligence.

When our flagbearers promote digitalisation and its importance as an ingredient in job creation and improvement in human lives and livelihoods, that argument should also be extended to cover and imply monitoring of the voter transfer exercise – without hoodlums sleeping at the precincts or offices of the EC.

Value of youth

Youth is no period for fooling, neither is midlife, for those who believe being single parent in Africa or Ghana, for that matter, means living under a curse. Life is about building a legacy within that you can share to those without. Artificial intelligence or things like the internet are ingredients and tools for self-development, not revelry and criminality and fraud.

I don’t know which parent would love to see his boy or girl caught in this smudge that I have listed in this column. Grandchildren or children are assets in old age. Parents have an obligation to help shape them to become responsible citizens or they become – of we abandon them – thorns that would prick us weeping into our graves.

What we cannot afford is a mix of loony politicians and ignorant boys and girls who cannot safely choose for us MPs and Presidents on our socio-political space. This is Ghana, not Haiti.

By Abena Baawuah

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Opinion

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January 24, 2025
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3 minutes Read

Ghana’s media landscape – Concerns of a worried father

Some five years ago, I authored a paper entitled ‘63 Years On – The Ghanaian Media’. In that paper, I contended that Ghana’s media landscape had largely been perceived as professionally weak, overtly partisan, and dominated by opinionated journalists beholden to political power centres, rather than serving the public good.

After an extensive historical overview of the development of the media in Ghana and the decline in professionalism within the sector, I concluded by advocating for media organisations to establish sustainable businesses underpinned by strong economic foundations. I also proposed significant reforms in media structures, operational practices, and newsroom culture.

For media owners, I suggested the importance of prioritising staff development through training programmes to foster a robust industry. I argued that, while short-term training from international organisations, local NGOs, and media associations concerned with improving media coverage can have their merits, I media organisations had the responsibility to take their own initiatives seriously by dedicating resources to the professional growth of their journalists.

I urged editors and media managers to allocate resources to improving content quality, employing better-qualified professionals, and holding them to higher journalistic standards. I cautioned that the prevailing emphasis on speed over accuracy needed to be addressed by editors and producers, as it is not sufficient to merely break news but far more important to break accurate news.

A Worse State

Five years on, the concerns of professionalism that I complained about has completely worsened, with sensationalism and misinformation becoming the norm. The relentless pursuit of breaking news has led to widespread inaccuracies and sensationalist headlines that prioritise attention over truth. Fuelled by political propaganda, media outlets now sacrifice accuracy for speed in their bid to align with political narratives or to increase viewership.

This situation is worse on radio, television, and new media platforms, exacerbated by opportunistic ‘awardpreneurs’, who confer awards on individuals who are the loudest, yet lack substance.

For most of my adult life, journalism has been my sole profession. Beginning just days after completing secondary school as an unpaid reporter for Kumasi-based Angel FM, this profession has sustained me throughout my life. I am therefore deeply troubled to witness its current degradation, brought about by the actions and inactions of a few.

Concerns

My concerns are heightened now that I am a father. With the advent of advanced technology, the impact of today’s journalistic output is likely to endure for generations. So what are we leaving as our digital footprint for the next generation?

I wonder about the kind of journalism some people practice in this country, particularly those who appear on television and radio. Do their spouses and children watch and listen to them? Do they care that their children are watching them? What questions do their children ask their spouses when they sit together to watch or listen to their mother or father on television? And when such journalists return home, are they able to watch and listen to the replay of their own content together with their spouses and children? What answers do they give to their children when asked about some of their actions?

As a father, these questions weigh heavily on my mind. Is this the best we can do with our profession?

Today, even the once-respected media houses have thrown all caution to the wind and instead indulge in sensationalism, rejecting the services of professionals and employing those who shout the loudest.
How long will this continue? I am worried.

By Nana Kwasi Asuman-Frimpong

Opinion

goldcoastnewsline@gmail.com
October 8, 2024
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8 minutes Read

BMW breaking the 8, JM ditching the 8, and the GH politics of ‘ways and means’

When we were kids playing football, we saw our coaches and team managers do some juju or voodoo gimmicks before and after ‘colts or under 18 and 20 football matches.

At Primary and Elementary school levels, however, we saw a few teachers do that. But, again, it wasn’t a practice like we had in community football up to organised football in the Greater Accra Region and for an endowed football club like Future Internationals, which played teams outside Accra, into the Eastern and Central regions, including the Swedru All Blacks Park.

At SHS, you hardly saw that, because the PE Master didn’t or wouldn’t do it – educated as he was. Again, you didn’t find that in netball or volley or hockey and athletics.

In the case of boxing, we would hear that Sulley Shitu, an aspiring world title holder, would be complaining that he never saw blows coming. All he saw was that it had hit him hard. He was a Muslim. He ended up quitting, despite his potential.

As for the national league, juju or voodoo was a healthy practice, and that was why Kofi Bruce in a match with Eleven Wise would target Sanni Abdulai and snatch his leather necklace that was suspected to be voodoo and a charm against the ball entering Sanni Abdulai’s net.

PNDC

We heard about Nkrumah and the Kankan Nyame. We cannot tell whether that was fact or fiction. And, we heard about Kotoka and Ankrah as well as Major Adekunle who when you thought you had killed him during the civil war in Nigeria appeared at another battle.

As for the PNDC, ‘ways and means’ was ten amulets a cedi. That was why the regime had a prayer leader and Prophet who was traditional and another a Roman Catholic dissident who loved pouring libation. Intriguingly, when both men died, the NDC and the PNDC were nowhere to be seen during the funeral.

In the case of Osofo Komfo Damuah, it was because his spiritual activities were something else, away from the regular. He ended up using his trade to hijack space at the former Association International before court litigation recovered the space for original owners.

Samuel K. Obeng, retired police detective and Prophet, would continue his ministry faithfully, advising JA Kufuor, Otumfuo and a few notable and eminent citizens pro bono. He resigned not a rich person, living in a modest Madina Estate with tight living rooms and surroundings.

He also advised Prof JEA Mills, though JEA would later begin dodging Tugya, who became my friend when I was at The Chronicle. But, by and large, politicians seeking divine support and direction is African and European, including almighty Nigeria. What is wrong or has been wrong in the case of Africa is that most of such prophets have been controversial.

Hero and villain

As far as I know, Ghana’s current credible prophets, after Tugya and Enoch Agbozo – don’t know where Enoch is – are Duncan Williams, Adom Kyei Dua, Yaw Annor and this indigenous Ga and Ukraine-trained Economist Dr Lawrence Tetteh.

There must certainly be others, but these have been around for quite long.

Unfortunately, being a prophet is not only a thankless job from biblical times; it is also a controversial and, sometimes, intriguing trade. Today, you are hallowed and hailed; the next moment you are vilified, like the PNDC and NDC did to my old pal Tugya.

That, I suspect, is the case of Prophet Owusu Bempah. And I am not surprised that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, has put him down, and downplayed recent prophecies made by Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, head pastor of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International, regarding the upcoming December 7 elections.

According to Atta Akyea, these predictions should be viewed as mere human projections, rather than divine certainty.

On October 1, Rev. Owusu Bempah prophesied that John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), would emerge victorious in the 2024 elections.

During a prayer session in Accra for Mr Mahama, the pastor claimed that God had elected to give Mahama another opportunity to lead the nation, praising him as a man with a good heart. Despite these claims, Atta Akyea, in an interview with AsaasePa FM on October 2, cautioned against placing too much importance on such prophecies.

He stated that while many people may hold different religious or spiritual beliefs, elections are ultimately decided by the will of the people through the ballot box, not supernatural predictions.

The MP stressed the importance of focusing on the issues at hand, and allowing voters to make informed decisions based on policies and leadership qualities rather than relying on prophecies.

Owusu Bempah made history when, alone in Rome, he openly fought the NDC from 2016 till 2020.

He was viewed as a sympathiser of the NPP after he made similar prophecies in the past, and even prayed for Nana Akufo-Addo prior to him becoming the President. Only God knows what may hurt Owusu Bempah in covering the NPP and its presidential fortunes – when not quite long ago, he openly prayed Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in as God’s anointed President for 2024. Something may have changed in Mahama’s stars as well as that of Dr Bawumia, one, for good and the other for ill…

According to the defection story, when the group laid hands on the former President, the prayers were sealed by Rev. Owusu-Bempah.

“This is whom you ELOHIM have elected to lead Ghana at a time like this. No power can stop it. It is through you that this country will see development,” the preacher prayed.

The founder and leader of Royal House Chapel International, Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah, the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Dr. Stephen Yenusom Wengam, Rev Kwaku Agyei Antwi, popularly known as Rev. Obofour, among others were present.

That marked the first major meeting of this kind by the NDC flagbearer with members of the clergy ahead of the December 7 polls.

Break the 8; Ditch the 8

Eight is a number that theologians refer to Abrahamic. It means trailblazing as sign. That covenant, the theologians insist, was consummated on the eight day. That deal – sealed by a blood sacrifice – would birth Isaac and Israel’s ultimate blessings jibe that strongman Bibi keep throwing at Hezbollah, Houthi, Hamas and the goons in Iran.

So, analysing the “8” that Mahama claims he has already ditched, will he be able to trail blaze – after slipping in 2012 to be saved by the bell; falling KO in 2016 and falling TKO in 2020.

If that is Prophet Owusu’s Bempah’s reading, let us see how it goes with the last cast of the votes and last count and declaration by the EC or another annoying Election Petition with a calculator thrown at the Mischief Mosquito.

I have been listening to propagandists and their street reading of the flagbearer perming by the EC. Some argue that since we have a history of excessive wastes in ballots, the victim might be JM, probably to the benefit of the vociferous BMW.

Looking through the tall bunch of faces with JM not quite as baby face as he was, the propaganda is that he looks victim as voters sweat to look for his face and image among the pile that may have included Red Beret Bernard Monah, but for cousin Adukwei’s ‘mischief.’

As for the BMW, he must be glad for a Numero Uno slot on the list. The propaganda is as massive as has been the anti-government propaganda in galamsey, though the UN advises a common front by stakeholders in effectively fighting galamsey.

That is why I have a gripe with the TUC for making it look like the NDC didn’t benefit from the galamsey fight. The persistence on the strike also makes it look like the TUC has an agenda to do something that ultimately benefits the NDC, when its flagbearer in 2016 and 2020 was openly egging on illegal miners to perpetuate the illegality, though he JM lost a military officer nephew in the fight against galamsey.

This is December 9 afternoon at 3pm…Party chiefs using their Excel software have tallied up their numbers from Zanlerigu up North to Zongos down South, and from Chuchuriga and Chiana to Chorkor…An eerie quiet has clouded the nation.

The EC and her team of vilified ‘villains’ are seated to announce the figures and declare the verdict…And the winner by 30,000 votes is No…Come see the Zongos…Walahi…Am I a Prophet? No, I only know the Prophets…

By Abena Baawuah