Ben Forson Going, William Tevi Coming, As Light Finally Topples Darkness

The calamitous reign of terror, victimization and economic malaise at the National Communications Authority (NCA), has finally grinded to a halt with President JEA Mills piercing that long-overdue dagger at the heart of the horrific happenings, with the announcement of new board to be followed by a new CEO.

Interestingly the new kid on-the-block is the in-coming CEO William Tevi, a member of Thursday's newly-inaugurated board of directors who is thought by Communications think-tanks, as heaven's gift to Ghana's communications industry.

Ice-cool Tevi, a former Mfantsipim School product who has climbed the academic ladder a little too high, is expected to carry the moral broom that should sweep all the hellish goings-on during the Major (Rtd).John R.K Tandoh and Ben Forson tenure into the incinerator basket, from where the tax-payer has to begin to question how exactly these happy-spending-go-lucky gang utilized resources for close to a decade.

Forson, the outgoing director general found his name in the board's list for reasons of the fact that he is on his way out but even that, gave cause for his supporters to celebrate last Thursday, as they raised glasses while daring some co-workers rather sarcastically to go and report to THE SUN. Almost assuredly, his services will be required to help trace a few things as time peels away. But playing the piper, the President has gone on ahead to roll on the amusing tune naming a six-member board of directors including Dr. Padmore Korankye who had acted as director-general in early 2001 for just four days, only to be booted out of office by the incoming NPP administration.

The doc is expected to be fixed elsewhere as director general, having failed to convince established authority that he is still the man for the job, some eight years after he was removed from office by the NPP. The 40-something year old Mr. Tevi won the heart of the panel, having roamed the world over including institutions in Europe and the Americas, as far as Japan and the Far-East lecturing on deep insights into computing.

At 1pm when news of the change of guard broke hot from the Osu Castle coal pot, NCA's director-general Bennard Forson who virtually lives on the lap of luxury most often at the ALISA HOTEL, had suddenly back-tracked from on-high to the base of the tree of life rather uncharacteristically, sharing warm pleasantries with personnel he had stifled all these years. Even those personnel were shell-shocked, for they had believed it was below Mr. Forson to come down from above. One such personnel, an engineer with a brain full of efficiency was victimized and set aside as the backside of the goat that need not be added to the rest of the meat, en route to dancing in the soup on the coal pot while cooking time was up.

Like some others who have all along felt like a mother kangaroo in the midst of pickpockets just because they would not be party to the hell, scholarships normally reserved for personnel to travel abroad to update their knowledge on changing trends in the industry, were denied him under the tenure of Major (retired) John R.K. Tandoh and Forson.

Instead, fresh geography and biochemistry first degree graduates whose academic direction had nothing to do with the Authority, benefited in a warped organization that haboured just too many relatives and friends of past Ministers of the Communications Ministry from the last dispensation.

"Even if today's first degree supersedes a Master's degree, experience alone should have edged out these lads because straight from University they are obviously shaded green with inexperience”, one such cheated Masters degree holder who has worked for years complained to THE SUN.

As fate would have it, the President's decision arrived a shade late but when it eventually arrived it punctured the NCA atmosphere and deflated bloated egos that had trusted and believed that, a lean on the shoulders of Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu, was a double-digit assurance to retaining their cozy positions.

Well, as it has now turned out, that was not to be for just like traditional folkloric proverbs play out, when the old man finishes bathing, the pool of water dries out. The President spoke from the Osu Castle and that was it. Forson and his people had to tumble downwards from on-high.

"Their per diem allowances during travels and other fringe benefits had been stretched a little too taut for comfort”, yet another relieved complainant whose promotion has been muffled for a decade told THE SUN.

THE SUN gathered that with the heat so much on their nefarious activities, the Forson administration drafted an OATH OF SECRECY ACT which was foisted on every middle and top-level personnel to sign. Today, with the dirge finally sounded from the flute of the President, CEO Forson and his cabal should be looking elsewhere to bury their heads for some relief of some sort.

A developing hint likely to metamorphose into a huge story pretty soon is that a Mercedes Benz car supposed to have been imported for the Authority's work, has turned out to be different parts in make. What a calamity of inexplicable proportions!

Heralded as the gentleman's gentleman, Tevi had helped the NDC with logistics just when it mattered most back in the campaign days and it is widely believed he will deliver as expected, well above legacy of Forson, who, once-upon a-time rehabilitated his state-of-the-art office with the colossal figure of ¢500 million, left behind.

With Mr.Kofi Totobi Kwakye, as the chairman of the board, a searching probe into the Authority’s cash operations and employment procedures and records for the last 10 or so years ought to be the next line of action. Skin-on-head personnel at the NCA swear that, should that be done horrific findings worse than what coffins hold of human remains, would be unearthed in a manner that should shock the nation to its foundations.

The past few weeks has seen a constant barrage of news reports from this paper and after the initial amplifying on much bigger networks, THE SUN has had to suffer the unpleasant experience of a stifling of its NCA front page reports being trumpeted on bigger platforms on electronic webs. As to why this should be the case, only the NCA and whoever can tell for sure.

All the same lurking just an arm's length away is that old major, JRK Tandoh, the former Campaign Manager for ex-sector Minister Professor Mike Ocquaye, who is now making a second living using his old connections as former director-general, somewhere around the confines of the African University College of Communications in mainstream Accra.

Tandoh’s heap of hell, the Voice of Internet Protocol (VOIP), his clandestine visit to President Mills ostensibly to test his pulse over his past misdeeds and the carting away of two Toyota Land Cruisers, Audi S 80 and two other luxurious cars all for a shameful ¢95 million, have been documented in heaven for action to be taken on JUDGMENT DAY. Interestingly, land cruisers were not supposed to be part of the parting gifts to senior officers yet, Major walked home with them claiming he had worked extremely hard for the nation and therefore merited them. The news on the ground at the NCA today is that the departing clique has prepared a legacy so it could be present, even if they and their remnants are chucked out, which is why late employments are taking place under the cover of darkness with some employment dates fixed or backdated to January 1st of all days.

According to a highly-placed administrative source, if indeed thorough work is undertaken by the incoming administration even seemingly well-covered deals would be uncovered come what may and this is just the area Mr. Tevi stands tall. One of his major pluses is that all around the world from the North Pole to the South, he has a deep insight into retrieving files on precisely these cover-ups. THE SUN is still high-up scorching like hell, all in the service of mother Ghana despite mounting threats.