I Told You So - Kofi Wayo

In April 1995, Kofi Wayo, now firebrand politician, wrote to the former President of the Republic of Ghana, Mr Jerry John Rawlings, expressing concern and worry about the energy situation at the time. The letter was published by the Statesman sometime later.

Sources at the Castle have also revealed that a similar letter was delivered to President J.A. Kufour’s office in 2001 when the latter assumed office. The first letter to JJ was dated April 27, 1995 and that to JAK July 16, 2001. Mr Kofi Wayo believes the letter was prophetic.

Below are copies of the two letters released to the Chronicle on Saturday from reliable sources.

Letter to H.E. FLT. JJ. RAWLINGS

H.E. FLT. JJ. RAWLINGS
Even though you don’t know me, I feel like I know you enough to write you this letter. I am the Senior Vice President of a small Oil Exploration Company based in California and operates Worldwide in twenty-two countries. I have been having meetings with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation for a period of time now and what I see is really frightening. As a man who has been in the energy business for twenty years, I just can’t believe what I see and hear when I talk to the people you have entrusted the Energy of the Country to.

All my engineers told me, they could not believe their ears. From the way the Ghanaian Energy people talk, we can predict to you that,

You are going to experience serious Energy shortages soon. They do not seem to understand the role of Energy in Industry. They are all interested only in their personal well being.

The way the Energy people operate here is a crime. If we operate like that in the United States, we would all be thrown in jail and the key thrown away. They have no local energy policy. Everything they tell me is based on some crazy foreign Consultant’s idea. Seriously, Mr President, as a Ghanaian, with a practical experience in the real world of Energy, I am very mad and disturbed. You need to take come serious steps or the nation would be very traumatized in a year or two. This could cost the nation some serious gas shortages. Since you have refused o meet me as I was told, I would just like to pass this advise on to you.

You should expect serious Gas shortages by 1996 or 1997.

You should set up a Utility Regulation Board and make sure it is totally non-Partisan, considering the fact that for thirty years or so nobody ever thought of the fact that, Ghana is gonna grow and would need Energy and Power to do so.

I do not believe at all that GNPC is doing the right thing, so you should contact Ivory Coast immediately to make arrangements to buy extra Power for the short term. Because, Mining is growing and they need power to operate. This should have been planned ten years ago by the V.R.A.

In both the V.R.A. and G.N.P.C. which are staffed by all these degreed guys, ‘one have any practical knowledge. You must allow the Tema Oil Refinery to purchase their own oil to refine. To me I see GNPC as a totally corrupt organisation. They have no idea of what they are doing, everything we were told sounded very bizarre to us. The Tema Oil Refinery needs to be re-organised from bottom up.

The whole place is a fire hazard. We are totally surprised that there has not been any serious fire in the place yet. If a blow-up occurs, it will be a Halocust. The way they are going about everything is wrong. There is a surefire way for you to solve these problems if you want advise from me. After all, it is my country too. The people are suffering too much, and there will be more suffering on the way, because the people you have put in charge of these operations have no clue to what they are doing. The V.R.A. will attempt to raise Electric bill but it will be done in a Knee-jerk way and guess what, it will ring a lot of trouble – I could help show you how to go about all this.

According to my Corporate Experts, the Energy Sector of the Ghana Government will start collapsing in a year or two. Now, it’s being held together by a needle and a thread.

Mr President, I know you are a very good and kind man. We are sort of alike. You have made great and courageous sacrifices and I hate to see all these great steps you have taken collapse. I am morally obligated to help you in this time of you need.
Anytime you need me, just yell “HEY WAYO”.

Letter to JOHN A. KUFFOUR

JOHN A. KUFFOUR
I am worried about you current activities Vis-a-Vis our Party Program. I helped fight for our party to come to power with the understanding that we would be completely different from the other parties. I was under the impression that you are a man of God and sincerely have the fear of God in theory and in practice.

We have been in power now for over seven months. The people are still suffering from power outages, High Petrol Price, High Unemployment, Abject Poverty, High Infant Mortality, Unacceptable school Drop-out rate, Excessive drinking water rates without the service, etc etc. Mr President I can go on and on.

Sir, I know that at least we, can bring some form of relief to our people right away. The people are crying. There are more youths selling dog chains now than during NDC time there are more Kaaya-Yoos of very Tender age than before. Sir, for God sake, feel for the people. The Vast majority of them have no hope, they are illiterate, ill fed and ill led. We brought them some hope, at least Sir, let’s Convert some of the hope into reality for them. Sir, since you came to power, you have not taken any concrete action to head towards massive Job creation. You can start by organising an immediate conference with the Ghanaian Industrialists Engineers. Mechanics, Teachers, Trade Union etc. our problems are Local Sir. Every country in the world is Unique. Nobody Sir, is going to Solve Ghana’s problems but the indigenous Ghanaians.

Meetings in Europe and America are meaningless to the starving Unemployed people of Ghana. Sir at Voting time, Americans would not Vote in Ghana nor the Europeans or the Asians in whom you seem to be putting all you faith. It is only the Ghanaians who will Vote for you. We have to prove to the Voters that we mean Business. Sir I can seriously predict to you that, the team you have put in place at T.O.R. GNPC, ECG will fail. I have heard rumours that you will replace Akoto of T.O.R. Akoto is not a good business man or a Capable organiser, but he can be trained to perform. I and my engineers from the U S A, went and had a talk with him. I can assure you that if you change him now, the situation will completely get out of hand.

Mr President, Ken Dapaah is not a business man, I have talked to him a lot. Though a nice guy, he will never perform. I will predict to you that, the T.O.R. debt will sky-Rocket to between three to four trillion cedis in three years. This will cripple the Banking system. I can explain this to you only when you agree to set up a task force to tackle the problem. In America, we say we get to the Bottom of this problem. Sir, in short, we can save our people from this tragedy. Posterity will condemn you sir, if you don’t listen.

This T.O.R. situation will get from Bad to Worse within eleven months and I can change the situation around in four months. I have here with me four good guys from my U.S company and we want two hours of your time to explain to you why we are sure your energy team will fail and they will bring disaster to the entire country’s financial system. Mr President, I want to give you the practical knowledge that I have trust me, It will save you. The oil Business Sir, is so Complicated that, the international Crooks will make mince meat out of your team. I will guarantee you Sir, you will be in Serious Straits if you fail to listen to me. I am the only Ghanaians with the real Practical knowledge to deal with this situation.

I have studied the Energy situation in Africa for 20 years and know what to do to save my country. Sir, you are the Boss now The decision is yours. Keep you Academic Team and fail or let me in the Claim great Victory for the people. Your team will only do one thing. They would keep robbing the people through price Increments. Your team like all African government oil team will become millionaires in no time, and the people will be starving. This is what brings coups. I hope Sir, that you love Ghanaians like I do, and through God help them live a better life. I am hoping you will call me.

Eshi, Rado, Rado.
Good Luck.