Features
Why Prof. Frimpong-Boateng spilled the beans
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng
With the greatest respect and special permission from my colleague journalist and Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu Constituency in the Northern Region, Honourable Alhassan Bashir Alhassan Fuseini, popularly known as A.B.A. Fuseini, who is imbued with hilarious adages that can even resurrect the dead, I quote this adage from his repertoire to buttress my point and set the record straight. “When you have cotton wool on your anus, you don’t have to jump a fire; otherwise, you will set yourself in flames and burn to ashes”. Similarly, there is another saying that says, “When you stretch and push a person firmly against a wall, he will eventually explode when he manages to extricate himself “.
PROFESSOR FRIMPONG-BOATENG
Such is the case of a cool and collected Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, one of Ghana’s foremost and finest heart surgeons of international repute and the brain behind the establishment of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, situated at the country’s largest health facility, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. The learned professor was a one-time former Minister of Environment, Science and Technology in the first term of the current administration led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
I have known this great and knowledgeable professor for many years, dating back to the days when I was a senior reporter with the state-owned Ghanaian Times newspaper. Since I was then reporting and writing on health issues, I came into contact with this nice medical officer and international surgeon when he set foot in Ghana in 1992 to set up the prestigious Cardiology Centre at Korle-Bu. At that time, there was no such facility in the country, so his aim was to establish the centre to carry out various heart surgeries and also to train young surgeons in that particular field.
HOW PROF. CAME TO GHANA
Professor Frimpong-Boateng, as I know him, is such an objective and principled man who believes in the truth, abhors lies, and is forthright and resolute in his actions and dealings with people and patients as well. He came to Ghana from Germany, where he had been practicing medicine for many years, through the instrumentality of the late former President, Flt-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. He performed the first open-heart surgery in Ghana using a heart-lung machine.
For the benefit of my readers, patrons, and the younger ones who do not know this great man who has a lot under his sleeves, I will like to use this medium to enlighten them on a little background of Professor Frimpong-Boateng, who has been my good friend for many years. We are still friends, although it has been a long time since I came into contact with him.
WORKING EXPERIENCE OF THE LEARNED PROF
The learned professor joined the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS) as a lecturer in 2000 and was promoted to Associate Professor the same year. He was made a full professor in 2002 and served as the Head of the Department of Surgery at the UGMS prior to his appointment as the Chief Executive of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in that same year. It may interest my readers to know that during his tenure at Ghana’s largest and foremost hospital, Professor Frimpong-Boateng managed to transform Korle-Bu into a first-class and modern hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa. His greatest exploits encouraged patients from Africa and beyond to travel to Ghana to seek medical attention at Korle-Bu. This man was able to reclaim most of the Korle-Bu lands, including that of the medical school, which were encroached upon by squatters, and built a fence around them. The entrance to the hospital was given a tremendous facelift by this man with offices and packing lots.
Professor Frimpong-Boateng was elected to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in December 2002, and he gave his inaugural lecture the following year. He was instrumental in the formation of the Ghana Heart Foundation, a charitable foundation that is responsible for paying for heart surgery for some indigent Ghanaians under his care. The finest surgeon felt that “he has what it takes to lead this country to the highest pedestal when it comes to politics” and, therefore, decided to offer himself in the presidential primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
POLITICAL CAREER OF PROF
In March 2006, he announced his intention to seek the nomination as the candidate of the NPP for the December 2008 Presidential Election, but his hope was dashed as Nana Akufo-Addo emerged victorious in the primaries. When Nana Akufo-Addo finally became president in the 2016 General Election, he appointed Professor Frimpong-Boateng as a Cabinet Minister in charge of Environment, Science and Technology. It was during the first term of President Akufo-Addo that the illegal small-scale mining popularly known as “galamsey” took on a different dimension, which led to the formation of a special inter-ministerial committee led by Professor Frimpong-Boateng to see how the situation could be brought under control.
ILLEGAL SMALL-SCALE MINING
As hard as he tried, the situation got out of hand because, as he alleged, certain personalities within the Akufo-Addo-led government were having underground dealings with faceless people involved in the galamsey business. At a point, he (Prof. Frimpong-Boateng) was implicated as having diverted some seized excavators and other machines that were seized by the taskforce. He flatly denied that, and this had been a subject of contention until this time. He rather accused a number of high-profile personalities within government circles, including Gabby Otchere-Darko, a leading member of the NPP, of being behind the illegal galamsey business in the country. He said Gabby interfered in his galamsey fight to rid the system of these nation-wreckers. Since then, there has been banter between Gabby and Professor Frimpong-Boateng on this thorny issue, which has polluted our water bodies, destroyed our forest cover, and had a devastating effect on the country’s ecology.
CALL FOR THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
Professor Frimpong-Boateng has since submitted a paper on his allegations to the Presidency for thorough investigations into the matter so that those mentioned in his report can be interrogated to establish the truth and deal with the matter accordingly. It is the hope of every Ghanaian that this particular case should be thoroughly investigated, not swept under the carpet as in most cases.
This illegal small-scale mining issue has dragged on for some time now, and it looks as if there is no solution in sight. The eminent chief and traditional ruler, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, has been vocal about this unhealthy situation and has gone to the extent of warning some of his subchiefs who are deeply involved in this treacherous and devasting business to refrain from the practice. Clearly, it is emerging that there are government functionaries who are deeply involved in this galamsey business, and we need to expose them.
POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS TO NOTE
Professor Frimpong-Boateng, who is a staunch member of the ruling NPP administration as I know him, will not fabricate and peddle lies against his own party functionaries and appointees just for the sake of it. He is so principled and will never tread on that path of lies and untruth. That is why this matter should engage the attention of the prosecuting agencies to deal with the case independently for the truth to prevail.
This is a lesson to all political appointees and office holders in the country: they cannot suppress the truth and go scot-free because they will one day be exposed and dealt with accordingly.
By Charles Neequaye
Contact email/WhatsApp of author:
ataani2000@yahoo.com
0277753946/0248933366
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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