Prof Asare totally distorts why Akufo-Addo has no law degree (2)

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Francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Dear Readers,

Before anyone comes questioning whether Prof Lungu is a policy analyst or not, let me assure those critics that policy analysis is what he does every day (policy analysis is just one of his many technical exp ...
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Dear Readers,

Before anyone comes questioning whether Prof Lungu is a policy analyst or not, let me assure those critics that policy analysis is what he does every day (policy analysis is just one of his many technical expertise).

Prof Lungu has done this (and continues to do this) on behalf of the most influential country (probably the largest bureaucracy) on the planet, representing this unnamed country in such places as Japan (working on issues with the Japanese government on issues I will not go into for now), and such influential economies.

While Prof Lungu provides the caveat that he has no background in law, he was being merely modest. As a matter of fact he has some legal background. One such is constitutional law. I will not go further than this.

Let me assure readers not even Prof. Kweku Asare is more credentialed than Prof Lungu.

At the end of the day one does not even need a degree in law/jurisprudence to discuss the things Michael Bokor, Prof Lungu, and Kweku Asare are discussing.

All one needs are some illiteracy, some ability to write and do basic research on the internet, and the like. It does not require any advanced degree to this.

Anyway let me end it here. Prof Lungu is modest and is not the type to carry his credentials, profession, etc., on his forehead as some like to do. WHAT I CAN SAY FOR NOW IS THAT HE IS ONE OF GHANA'S AND AFRICA'S GREATEST ASSETS IN THE WEST.

Finally, he will let readers know more about him when he feels like it. Let us learn to deal with issues rather personal attacks.

Thanks.
Francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Dear Readers,

Let me also take this opportunity to remind readers that Nkrumah's mate Thurgood Marshall played a role in drafting Ghana's 1960 constitution.

Prof Lungu and I had actually discussed this some time back, ...
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Dear Readers,

Let me also take this opportunity to remind readers that Nkrumah's mate Thurgood Marshall played a role in drafting Ghana's 1960 constitution.

Prof Lungu and I had actually discussed this some time back, a year or so ago, but he forgot to mention that in this article.

This is just by the way.

Thanks.
Prof Lungu 7 years ago

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

That is a tad more than we would have conveyed at this point...ahead of the time, if ever.

YOUR: "...At the end of the day one does not even need a degree in law/jurisprudence to discuss the things Mic ...
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Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

That is a tad more than we would have conveyed at this point...ahead of the time, if ever.

YOUR: "...At the end of the day one does not even need a degree in law/jurisprudence to discuss the things Michael Bokor, Prof Lungu, and Kweku Asare are discussing..."

WE SAY: Precisely.

Kwabena Yeboah - Please take note!

Thanks, Francis kwarteng.

Peace.
Kwabena Yeboah 7 years ago

Stop the fibbing, Kwarteng!!! Lungu is no Professor by any stretch of the imagination, neither is he policy analyst nor legal mind. Prof. Lungu is his pseudonym and nothing more.

You know what, Kwarteng, intelligent people ...
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Stop the fibbing, Kwarteng!!! Lungu is no Professor by any stretch of the imagination, neither is he policy analyst nor legal mind. Prof. Lungu is his pseudonym and nothing more.

You know what, Kwarteng, intelligent people do not dwell on academic qualifications to validate ones intellectual disposition and literary accomplishments; intelligent people dissect ones intellectual acuity by ones cognitive abilities, diction, and adroitness. These are the attributes that separate intelligent people from the masses, and these attributes are acquired through extensive training of the mind in institution of learning.

Mentioning Lungu's name in the same breath as Dr. Michael Bokor and Prof. Kwaku Asare (Azar) renders both Bokor and Asare diminutive and inconsequential in their intellectual standing, because Lungu does not measure up to the standards attained by these two accomplished gentlemen in academia. You may test this presupposition by comparing Lungu's erudition and cognition, not to mention his diction against that of Bokor and Asare when they write.

Do not fib about matters you do not know - that's my advice to you, Kwarteng.
Francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Yes, Prof Lungu is a moniker and let me assure you that at the appropriate time you will learn more about this great man we all refer to as Prof Lungu. I will go no further.

As for diction the better we stay out of it, the ...
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Yes, Prof Lungu is a moniker and let me assure you that at the appropriate time you will learn more about this great man we all refer to as Prof Lungu. I will go no further.

As for diction the better we stay out of it, the better. But I can assure you that Prof Lungu writes a million times better than our own Prof. Francis Allotey, perhaps one of the influential physicists of our time. This is not to say Prof. Allotey does not write well. Again here too, I will not get into details.

But let me just say this: I make these claims because I know a lot about Prof. Allotey and his work, and given that my own paternal uncle, a great writer himself, worked with Prof. Allotey at the same institution and did bring to my attention some of the analysis he made of the professor's writings (and spoken English). My uncle was a professor himself.

I also came to know Prof. Allotey (through one of his friends who also happens to be one of America's leading mathematicians, a Ghanaian of course. I also have spoken with Prof. Allotey once (from the US) and again happened to know something important things about him and his work.

What am trying to say? I am saying that you can't always use diction to assess or measure one's intellectual ability.

Like I told you before, Prof Lungu is one of Ghana's and Africa's greatest assets in the West. I say this on authority. The fact is that, unlike Ghanaweb readers like you, I know his real name, all about his chains of degrees, his profession and a lot more that I will bring to readers' attention the moment he gives me the go-ahead to profile him for my readers.

Finally, whatever HIGHEST attainments Kweku Asare and Michael Bokor have in academics(in terms of titles) Prof Lungu has done the same (and even more). Again, I say this on authority. You will know more about this later on.

That said, I don't judge academics/intellectuals on diction alone. I KNOW PROFESSOR LUNGU THAN ANYONE ELSE ON GHANA. WHAT I SAY AND IN MY TWO EARLIER COMMENTS SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF WHO THIS MAN REALLY IS.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT POLICY ANALYSIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY OF HIS EXTENSIVE LIST OF EXPERTISE (YOU WILL LEARN MORE WHEN HE GIVES ME THE GO-AHEAD TO PROFILE).

YES I WILL PROFILE HIM SOMEDAY FOR YOU AND OTHERS. STAY TUNED. JUST LIKE PROF LUNGU, DR. KWAME BOTWE-ASAMOAH REFUSED TO LET ME PROFILE HIM FOR MY READERS. AND YES, I HAVE A WAY OF VERIFYING INFORMATION ON ANYONE I WISH TO PROFILE FOR GHANAWEB. I HAVE DONE THE SAME FOR DRS. MOLEFI KETE ASANTE, AMA MAZAMA, YAW NYARKO, VICTOR LAWRENCE, KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH....

Thanks.
Prof Lungu 7 years ago

What is Kwabena Yeboah's beef here, we wonder?

We know Thurgood Marshall, Kwame Nkrumah's classmate at Lincoln Univ. was never an apprentice - he had a law degree for Howard U., contrary to what Prof Asare represented.
...
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What is Kwabena Yeboah's beef here, we wonder?

We know Thurgood Marshall, Kwame Nkrumah's classmate at Lincoln Univ. was never an apprentice - he had a law degree for Howard U., contrary to what Prof Asare represented.

USING BIG WORDS KWABENA YEBOAH NOW WANTS US TO KNOW:
"...intelligent people do not dwell on academic qualifications to validate ones intellectual disposition and literary accomplishments; intelligent people dissect ones intellectual acuity by ones cognitive abilities, diction, and adroitness. These are the attributes that separate intelligent people from the masses, and these attributes are acquired through extensive training of the mind in institution of..."

WE SAY: The last we heard it was Kwabena Yeboah who was telling us he is very published (literary accomplishments), but was not at liberty to throw down. But, that has never prevented him from throwing down insults (and boasting).

More important, Kwabena Yeboah is now telling us "intelligent people" are not of the "the masses", or in the masses.

We are happy to be of/with the masses!

Greetings.
whayo 6 years ago

We must compare and contrast what the two writters (Prof Asare and Lungu) are giving us.

Prof. Lungu claimed Thurgood Marshall and Kwame Nkrumah were classmate in Lincoln in 1927 is totally false and purported to deceive ...
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We must compare and contrast what the two writters (Prof Asare and Lungu) are giving us.

Prof. Lungu claimed Thurgood Marshall and Kwame Nkrumah were classmate in Lincoln in 1927 is totally false and purported to deceive readers who do not know iota of history of Kwame Nkrumah.

As at 1927 Kwame Nkrumah was a student in Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah left Gold Coast to Lincoln in 1935.
KA 7 years ago

Master kwarteng, if a guy doesn't want to be profiled on ghanaweb, why do you even talk about it?

Prof Lungu has been on ghanaweb a long time - certainly far longer than you and Bokor. If Prof Lungu had wanted to make kno ...
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Master kwarteng, if a guy doesn't want to be profiled on ghanaweb, why do you even talk about it?

Prof Lungu has been on ghanaweb a long time - certainly far longer than you and Bokor. If Prof Lungu had wanted to make known on ghanaweb his academic and professional achievements, don't you think he would have done that a long time ago? He has only said his name is a moniker (without indicating whether he is an actual professor or not) and he has also mentioned the university he attended once in an exchange with Okoampa who had pissed him off.

I've read Prof Lungu's articles and comments over the years from even before he went to Japan and kept off ghanaweb for some time. I think Prof Lungu wants to dwell on issues, especially the ones he is passionate about, and not on telling ghanaweb readers who he is and what he has achieved. He never refers to those personal things. It's just not his style.

Why won't you allow Prof Lungu to be what he is and what he is comfortable with? I know you started your life on ghanaweb by profiling prominent Ghanaians and others of our race. Prof Lungu, as I see him, is not interested in putting himself in the centre of things. Let's respect his wish. I don't think he is even interested in talking about the "important" people he has met, talked to, is related to or associates with. I think he will want his arguments to talk for themselves. Let's respect that too.

And on the matter of Akufo-Addo's status, only the arguments made, the evidence brought up and the points raised are important.
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Dear KA,

Thanks for your comments. I made that for a point.

Other than that, I want to bring such individuals to the attention of our technocrats who may want to make good use of the services (if they are willing to of ...
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Dear KA,

Thanks for your comments. I made that for a point.

Other than that, I want to bring such individuals to the attention of our technocrats who may want to make good use of the services (if they are willing to offer their services).

The last point is give these creative men and women the opportunity to serve as models to the youth in Ghana and across.

In fact, I have had a number of readers who have profusely thanked me for profiling these men and women on Ghanaweb.

Some of these readers have used their works in their master's/doctoral dissertations and so on. Again, TV3 contacted me when I wrote an eulogy for Prof. Kofi Awoonor.

Later, TV3 asked me to put them in touch with some of the people I have profiled to interview. I got them to talk to Dr. Yaw Nyarko (NYU) and Dr. Molefi Kete Asante.

I was also then working on getting Dr. Victor Lawrence, one of America's renowned academic inventors whom I have also profiled, but TV3 and I did not conclude this.

I personally wrote to Dr. Lawrennce about this and he agreed that we meet first any time I came down to New York, which I did but I was so busy to contact him then.

Finally, I do not like it when people come to Ghana not to discuss issues but personalities, professions, and degrees.

And it is sad because these people who attack him don't know him like I do, which is why I have always thought he needed to respond to his critics once and for all.

But it is not something I will force him to. After all, he himself has always assured me of doing that in the future.

More so, I think we are not growing and developing as a country and a continent because of these trivialities. The issues Prof Lungu deals with in his many articles are more important than the chains of advanced degrees he has.

Like him, namely Prof Lungu, I don't believe in carrying these degrees nonsense around our foreheads! Doing so does not always prove anything anyway!

But at times it lends some "credence" to what we all do, as in Prof Lungu's case for instance.

As a matter of fact Prof Lungu has nothing to prove to anybody. The man is a giant in his many fields of expertise. I can assure anybody of that!

That said, I profile those I have profiled because I want to bring their works to the larger public and to give some of my readers role models.

Remember again, some of my readers have benefitted from the scholarships of the mwen and women I have profiled, men and women whose works they did not know before.

I have even had one or two US-based Ghanaian professors who who wrote to ask me if I could put them in touch in with Dr. Molefi Kete Asante.

I have had other readers too who wanted to see if I could help him/her contact Dr. Molefi Kete Asante to have her manuscript published. This person was a profesor of English/lierature, English-French translitor (in a California University)...

I hope you get my drift!

Thanks.
KA 7 years ago

As a matter of fact, even I, too, have benefited from your profiling of those talented Ghanaians and others of our race. I'd heard only briefly of Asante and his theories but your articles greately deepened my knowledge of th ...
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As a matter of fact, even I, too, have benefited from your profiling of those talented Ghanaians and others of our race. I'd heard only briefly of Asante and his theories but your articles greately deepened my knowledge of the man. Some of the others you profiled were completely unknown to me - until I read about them from your pieces. They enriched my own knowledge. And you did put a lot of effort in those articles reading a lot about their works.

So it is not that I am against your profiling of successful Ghanaians. I just feel Prof Lungu may not want that of himself. And you've referred to some reluctance on his part to have this done. It is this wish that I think we should respect.

And, yes, a person's background or profile may lend some "credence" to the argument he or she is making. But that "appeal to authority figures" will be important only for the completely uninformed. The actual arguments made by a person are more important than his credentials. That is why Kwaku Asare, a "lawyer of good standing", can make arguments in a case like the status of Akufo-Addo that others find holes in.

Then, finally, as you said, we are a people who put more emphasis on people's paper qualifications than what they are actually doing or saying. That is why we have easily been conned by the likes of Alabi, Okoi, Armatey, Gyamfi...

It's okay that you'll want to "put the records right" when you see others insulting and belittling Prof Lungu, a guy who never insults others. But you know this is ghanaweb...
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Of course I respect that too.

You know, Prof Lungu is a very good friend and I hate to see what others are doing to him (he is very humble too).

And yes, I understand this is Ghanaweb. I am grateful you understand my ...
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Of course I respect that too.

You know, Prof Lungu is a very good friend and I hate to see what others are doing to him (he is very humble too).

And yes, I understand this is Ghanaweb. I am grateful you understand my position that.

I always want readers to debate issues and not personalities and their credentials. Unfortunately, that is not something I can modulate on Ghanaweb.

Your points are well taken, however. I fully respect your position and humble advice.

Thank you very much.
Kwabena Yeboah 7 years ago

Kwarteng, read and understand what I presented in piece before responding.

This is what I wrote:

"You know what, Kwarteng, intelligent people do not dwell on academic qualifications to validate ones intellectual disposi ...
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Kwarteng, read and understand what I presented in piece before responding.

This is what I wrote:

"You know what, Kwarteng, intelligent people do not dwell on academic qualifications to validate ones intellectual disposition and literary accomplishments; [rather] intelligent people dissect ones intellectual acuity by ones cognitive abilities, diction, and adroitness. These are the attributes that separate intelligent people from the masses, and these attributes are acquired through extensive training of the mind in institution of learning."

Diction is only one aspect of identifying an intellectual. Why don't you comment on Lungu's cognitive abilities and adroitness in expressing his worldview, or do you take this as beyond the call of duty, my friend?

I am just reeling with laughter hearing you say; "Prof. Lungu is one of Ghana's and Africa's greatest assets in the West". Whew!!! Who, Lungu? Is it because he writes haltingly and incoherently in defense of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah? I am beginning to wonder about your intellectual capacity, Kwarteng. No kidding.

Prof. Allotey is a scientist, and it is conceivable that he may lack diction. It is understandable that most African scientist lack diction because they are not in the arts. That is why colleagues on my staff bring their work to me to proof-read before they send it for publication.

I am wondering about you, Kwarteng, for making provocative statements in regard to Lungu's accomplishments as an academic.

Unlike you and your consanguineous Lungu, I am not in the business of impugning the integrity of others as both are doing right now with one of Ghana's illustrious sons, Akufo-Addo. I remember the vicious attacks Lungu launched against my person for daring to question Dr. Nkrumah's infallibility, in his haltingly incoherent epithet aimed at discrediting me.

I will tell you Kwarteng and Lungu how smart I am. When I decided to join discussions on this forum, I purposely chose the name 'Kwabena Yeboah' as a moniker for two main reasons: 1) As a Christian, the bible tells me how people treated God Himself when He came down to live among His own creation. Even though He spoke the truth and was without sin, the people accused Him of blasphemy and hanged Him on a tree. In the same vein, I figured if you and other "forumers" know who I am and what I bring to the table in terms of qualifications and credentials, you would hang me on the tree in future when I retire and come to Ghana to pursue my dream; 2) I chose a common name 'Kwabena Yeboah' for ephemerality and convenience just to blend in and appeal to the esoteric. I am glad I did not reveal my identity as it is, but those who are intellectually inclined know the value of my contributions in this forum.
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

So you are smart, eh?

Or you see yourself as being smart, eh?

How funny!

Enjoy the week my brother!

So you are smart, eh?

Or you see yourself as being smart, eh?

How funny!

Enjoy the week my brother!
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Hi,

I forgot to ask you these basic questions:

Did it occur to you that Prof Lungu could also be a scientist?

Or a policy analyst cannot be a scientist?

But I hope we will all learn ask the right questions as " ...
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Hi,

I forgot to ask you these basic questions:

Did it occur to you that Prof Lungu could also be a scientist?

Or a policy analyst cannot be a scientist?

But I hope we will all learn ask the right questions as "intellectuals" rather than trade insults teach other.

For me personally, I don't underestimate anybody so I learn to respect all. If you follow my comments you'd have realized by now that I don't insult my critics even when they insult me.

That is why I am trying to negotiate a settlement between you and Prof Lungu. In fact I was the one who brought Dr. SAS and Dr. Michael Bokor together after protracted rhetorical diasagreemenst between the two on Ghanaweb. Now I believe they are two good friends. This is how it should be.

On my part I have slowed down considerably as a debator. I was worse at my undergraduate.

I could debate and debate and debate until I lost my voice and ended up in my cubicle sick.

Yet, this also explains why my critics cannot stop me from three of the things I cherish the most: Reading, Writing and Debating.

And it does not matter the subject matter or discipline. The subject matter may range from Archeology to Zoology.

Let us be one and build Ghana and Africa together even as we disagree. But no insults. I expect much more from you as a Christian. Sometimes I read self-proclaimed writers on Ghanaweb and I get surprised at their insults!

Did Christ ever insult others like that!

These are just by the way.

Enjoy the week.
Kwabena Yeboah 7 years ago

My brother Kwarteng, yes, Jesus Christ insulted the Pharisees by calling them vipers, "you brood of vipers"- Matthew 23:33. Check it out, my friend.

I have always been objective in my assessment of issues, which in most ca ...
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My brother Kwarteng, yes, Jesus Christ insulted the Pharisees by calling them vipers, "you brood of vipers"- Matthew 23:33. Check it out, my friend.

I have always been objective in my assessment of issues, which in most cases get me into trouble. This is my training - I am trained to have an objective mind regardless of the consequences. That is why I fell off with your friend, Lungu, regarding Dr. Nkrumah's infallibility. Your close-minded friend, Lungu attacked me for daring to call into question some of Dr. Nkrumah's failings, which I found disconcerting for the so-called 'intellectual' to be dogmatic and inflexible in his thought process.

I do not insult, rather I enlighten the minds of those who engage in a discourse with me. Take heart my friend, I am reasonable disposed to other peoples' worldviews as I know I do not have all the answers.
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Thanks Brother Kwabena Yeboah!

Enjoy the weekend then. Nice to have you as a friend!

Let us all work together to make our country and continent great!

Thanks.

Thanks Brother Kwabena Yeboah!

Enjoy the weekend then. Nice to have you as a friend!

Let us all work together to make our country and continent great!

Thanks.
Kwabena Yeboah 7 years ago

You are welcome my friend. I hope our paths would cross one day on a more positive note.

Very best regards.

You are welcome my friend. I hope our paths would cross one day on a more positive note.

Very best regards.
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Thanks Brother Kwabena Yeboah!

Thanks Brother Kwabena Yeboah!
Francis kwarteng 7 years ago

And Michael Bokor is also a very good friend. We do communicate from time to time.

As a matter of fact he was the one who encouraged me to write for Ghanaweb, modernghana, vibeghana, spyglass (now newsghana)and myjoyonlin ...
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And Michael Bokor is also a very good friend. We do communicate from time to time.

As a matter of fact he was the one who encouraged me to write for Ghanaweb, modernghana, vibeghana, spyglass (now newsghana)and myjoyonline.

I always thank him for this.

Thanks.
David 7 years ago

Politics will always cloud intellectual discussions. But overcome that temptation my boss.
This Proff Lungu guy, is too dope.
Please fight him with more Intel and don't tow that line. I think I have civilized people doing t ...
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Politics will always cloud intellectual discussions. But overcome that temptation my boss.
This Proff Lungu guy, is too dope.
Please fight him with more Intel and don't tow that line. I think I have civilized people doing the discussion on this matter now and let's maintain the status quo
DR. SAS, ATTORNEY AT LAW 7 years ago

If Prof. Lungu has the credentials being touted by his acolyte Prof. Francis Kwarteng, then it confirms the popular argument as to why we should not sweat academic credentials too much; it may not mean much.

If Prof. Lungu has the credentials being touted by his acolyte Prof. Francis Kwarteng, then it confirms the popular argument as to why we should not sweat academic credentials too much; it may not mean much.
kusasi 7 years ago

he looked down on the whole Ghana judiciary. see where they putting him now with no reply.bokor put it to him and he coiled

he looked down on the whole Ghana judiciary. see where they putting him now with no reply.bokor put it to him and he coiled
al 7 years ago

There are no official qualifications for becoming a Supreme Court justice. The Constitution spells out age, citizenship and residency requirements for becoming president of the United States or a member of Congress but mentio ...
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There are no official qualifications for becoming a Supreme Court justice. The Constitution spells out age, citizenship and residency requirements for becoming president of the United States or a member of Congress but mentions no rules for joining the nation's highest court.
Prof Lungu 7 years ago

al,
There is the theory of the US Constitution, and there is congressional policy and practice in support of the Constitution, with respect to the Judicial branch.

1. As we show, Thurgood Marshall, Kwame Nkrumah's class ...
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al,
There is the theory of the US Constitution, and there is congressional policy and practice in support of the Constitution, with respect to the Judicial branch.

1. As we show, Thurgood Marshall, Kwame Nkrumah's class mate, had a law degree, which goes to counter Prof Asare's statement.

2. You provide a link but fail to avail yourself of the information directly available at the webpage, or, you mus have some other motives.

3. Our 2 part essay is more about Today, and the Future, for Ghana's sake. So, let's be serious, shall we?

4. Using your own link we get this:
"...The last Justice to be appointed who did not attend any law school was James F. Byrnes (1941-1942)..."

What does that tell you?

5. Want to see more from your favorite webpage on the topic?

READ:
"...How are Supreme Court Justices selected?
The President nominates someone for a vacancy on the Court and the Senate votes to confirm the nominee, which requires a simple majority. In this way, both the Executive and Legislative Branches of the federal government have a voice in the composition of the Supreme Court.

Are there qualifications to be a Justice? Do you have to be a lawyer or attend law school to be a Supreme Court Justice?
The Constitution does not specify qualifications for Justices such as age, education, profession, or native-born citizenship. A Justice does not have to be a lawyer or a law school graduate, but all Justices have been trained in the law. Many of the 18th and 19th century Justices studied law under a mentor because there were few law schools in the country.

The last Justice to be appointed who did not attend any law school was James F. Byrnes (1941-1942). He did not graduate from high school and taught himself law, passing the bar at the age of 23.
Robert H. Jackson (1941-1954). While Jackson did not attend an undergraduate college, he did study law at Albany Law School in New York. At the time of his graduation, Jackson was only twenty years old and one of the requirements for a law degree was that students must be twenty-one years old. Thus rather than a law degree, Jackson was awarded with a "diploma of graduation." Twenty-nine years later, Albany Law School belatedly presented Jackson with a law degree noting his original graduating class of 1912..."

We are not saying....

So, please draw your own conclusions!

Greetings!
bb 7 years ago

Prof. Lungu I greatly thank you for your eye opening article.
It seems like dawn has broken and darkness can no longer hold us for a ride.
Bill Gates told the whole world that he is a college drop out yet he built a congl ...
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Prof. Lungu I greatly thank you for your eye opening article.
It seems like dawn has broken and darkness can no longer hold us for a ride.
Bill Gates told the whole world that he is a college drop out yet he built a conglomerate which today has no equal.
Nobody has ever questioned Bill Gates on his certificate people rather admire him for what he has given the world.
Nana should have done same and people would have admired him for what he had achieved in law.
Today most people are in doubt now and the aura around him as a qualified Lawyer is vanishing.
NANA I greatly admire you for what you are but I think you have done a great harm to your good self by not being truthful to Ghanaians in the first place.
I do not think Nana will be a good leader.
He will always hide the truth!!!!!!
al 7 years ago

https://www.supremecourt.gov/faq.aspx

https://www.supremecourt.gov/faq.aspx
Azumah Nelson 7 years ago

Justice Marshall was also in Ghana for
Ghana's independece celebration as part of American delegation,

Justice Marshall was also in Ghana for
Ghana's independece celebration as part of American delegation,
Francis kwarteng 7 years ago

You are right though. I could not agree with you more.

Thanks.

You are right though. I could not agree with you more.

Thanks.
KA 7 years ago

Isn't it surprising that the issue of Akufo-Addo's status as a bona fide lawyer has been discussed purely on party political lines?

All those who are driving the issue against him are people who do not support NPP and/or d ...
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Isn't it surprising that the issue of Akufo-Addo's status as a bona fide lawyer has been discussed purely on party political lines?

All those who are driving the issue against him are people who do not support NPP and/or do not want to see the man become president. And those vociferously defending him are NPP supporters.

In the process, the arguments being raised by both sides are completely ignoring one important aspect of the whole issue. This may be due to the fact that neither side really knows the truth.

All these things started from rumors of long ago that Akufo-Addo may have had some help, because of who he is, in gaining entry to the bar when he did and such help was not available to others who didn't have the same connections that he had. The rules were somehow tweaked in his favor in a backroom deal.

This appears to be the crux of the matter but none of us knows what really happened. We can only surmise that something fishy did happen. Since we don't know what really happened all the arguments being bandied about today may be missing the real point.

Most of the important actors in the drama, including his own father, may be dead now. But Akufo-Addo himself knows exactly how he became a lawyer in Ghana. He cannot say he doesn't know. It is possible that a few of those in the know may still be alive. But none of them is talking. Such backroom deals may not be known to many people as is the nature of such things. But Akufo-Addo knows for sure.

What the rest of us are doing is just mere speculation and playing amateur detectives. Perhaps the real truth will never be known in which case we will have to give the man the benefit of the doubt whiles keeping our suspicions to ourselves since we cannot prove them.

Of course, none of this would bother any of us if the man is not likely to become our president. And that explains why the issue is being fought on such partisan lines!
Francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Dr. Michael Bokor's next article takes your central position, which is that only Akufo-Addo can help us solve address these running speculations.

Thanks.

Dr. Michael Bokor's next article takes your central position, which is that only Akufo-Addo can help us solve address these running speculations.

Thanks.
David 7 years ago

Eeeiii People dey oooo!!
Herrrr!!!!
I salute u Prof Lungu.
In depth analysis with pure facts.
Thanks Proff !!!

Eeeiii People dey oooo!!
Herrrr!!!!
I salute u Prof Lungu.
In depth analysis with pure facts.
Thanks Proff !!!
DR. SAS, ATTORNEY AT LAW 7 years ago

In the end, how a person practices his chosen craft is all that matters; and all those challenging Akuf-Addo's credentials have no issues regarding his ACTUAL practice.

Paradoxically, these are the same people that extol K ...
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In the end, how a person practices his chosen craft is all that matters; and all those challenging Akuf-Addo's credentials have no issues regarding his ACTUAL practice.

Paradoxically, these are the same people that extol Kwame Nkrumah who lied to Ghanaians that he had a doctoral degree, and whose practice of government is a template in arrant dictatorship.
Kwabena Yeboah 7 years ago

The esoteric in society have better things to worry about than those who are phishing for incongruity and absurdity in the case of Akufo-Addo's credential as a lawyer. What do these nondescript iterative character assassins w ...
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The esoteric in society have better things to worry about than those who are phishing for incongruity and absurdity in the case of Akufo-Addo's credential as a lawyer. What do these nondescript iterative character assassins want from the man? I am of no political persuasion in my worldview in Ghana politics, but as an objective by-stander, what business do I have questioning Ghana's state institutions; institutions such as the a) the Judiciary where Akufo-Addo appeared in the Supreme Court and and before Supreme Court Justices many times, and won many high profile cases. In the adversarial court system, you would think lawyers of the losing side in the high profile cases would challenge his credentials as a practicing lawyer after losing to him. Why did these losing lawyers refuse to challenge his authenticity as a lawyer? B) Ghana Bar Association - why did the Bar grant him licence to set up one of the most respected law firm in the land in 1975, where prominent names like Sophia Akuffo, the Supreme Court Justice and others practiced before moving on? C) Electoral Commission - in both 2012 and current 2016, Ghana's Electoral Commission had the opportunity to dig into his vocation as a lawyer, his background in general as the substantive flagbearer of the NPP. Are these obtrusive and obnoxious rabble- dazzle individuals led by Bokor know more than Ghana's Electoral Commission? What about D) Parliament and JA Kufuor who appointed him to vetted by Parliament as Ghana's Attorney General & Minister of Justice?

I would rather err on the side of our democratic institutions, than err on the side of Bokor and his surrogates who are high on proverbial goose chase.
Abebrese 7 years ago

What a cantankerous prof. He is always causing mischief.

What a cantankerous prof. He is always causing mischief.
Baws 7 years ago

Frof this prof that, comot for there!!in what way has this prof lungu reduce poverty in ghana?

Frof this prof that, comot for there!!in what way has this prof lungu reduce poverty in ghana?
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 7 years ago

Prof. Asare was not talking about Thurgood Marshall who was a Supreme Court Justice. He was talking about JOHN MARSHALL, the fourth CHIEF JUSTICE of the Supreme Court who served for thirty-four years.

HE NEVER ATTENDED LAW ...
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Prof. Asare was not talking about Thurgood Marshall who was a Supreme Court Justice. He was talking about JOHN MARSHALL, the fourth CHIEF JUSTICE of the Supreme Court who served for thirty-four years.

HE NEVER ATTENDED LAW SCHOOL.

But he is the icon that established the constitutional jurisprudence that undergirds the power of the Supreme Court of the USA and in all democracies.

In Marbury v. Madison (1803), he, in one fell swoop, established the Supreme Court as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution.

Prof. Asare was therefore right.
Prof Lungu 7 years ago

Nice try!

Says Prof Asare...

READ:
"...Incidentally, other famous lawyers, such as Justice Marshall of USA, did not have law degrees and qualified under the same apprenticeship model, which the English exported to USA. ...
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Nice try!

Says Prof Asare...

READ:
"...Incidentally, other famous lawyers, such as Justice Marshall of USA, did not have law degrees and qualified under the same apprenticeship model, which the English exported to USA...".

WE SAY: Prof Asare did not say "Chief Justice".

And you, Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law, your claim that Chief Justice John Marshall did not attend law school is not accurate, either.

READ:
"....After his time in the Army, he read law under the famous Chancellor George Wythe at the College of William and Mary, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and was admitted to the Bar in 1780. He was in private practice in Fauquier County before entering politics.[21]

The problem for both of you is that John Marshall was as well never in an "apprenticeship", in any chamber, not even under/with George Wythe.

John Marshall sure was never an "apprentice", even though he had less training in the law before he became a lawyer, compared to "famous lawyer" Thurgood Marshall.

More important, Prof Asare's primary readers being Ghanaians, it makes absolutely no sense to say he was talking about a lawyer in 1880 America, John Marshall.

Not!

And that goes to the other larger point we are trying to make with our essay(s):

And so what?

Of what relevance to Ghanaweb readers and Ghanaian nationals, in the 21st Century?

Prof Asare, if he cares, can set the record straight, himself!

ITEM: Prof Asare was talking about Kwame Nkrumah's classmate, Justice Thurgood Marshall, of recent memory.

"Incidentally", in reading the several comments under Part I and Part 2, it has now occurred to us that we may in fact have taken a course or 2 in US Laws before some of our current lawyers ever sat in a classroom to study "Law".

Peace!
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 7 years ago

The least you could have done, as a writer would have been to assert your awareness of the existence of the two Supreme Court justices. Then you could argue further (by some factual peroration) that the Prof. was in fact talk ...
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The least you could have done, as a writer would have been to assert your awareness of the existence of the two Supreme Court justices. Then you could argue further (by some factual peroration) that the Prof. was in fact talking about Justice Thurgood Marshall, and not Chief Justice John Marshall. You failed to distinguish between the two Marshalls, showing that your research was incomplete. The whole of your essay is therefore invalid.

As we speak, the main point being advanced by Prof Asare still stands: People reach their destination of becoming lawyers through different routes, some of which might not include actual certification from law school, or even any apprenticeship per se.

As to Akufo-Addo, I restate that those who sincerely wish to find out whether he is a lawyer or not can check in the register of the Legal Council, or if dissatisfied, file a lawsuit against the Council to contest Akufo-Addo's status.

Akufo-Addo will not have to say anything to anybody at the hearing though.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 7 years ago

The Nkrumaists, as former young pioneers, argue against their enemies no matter how much the facts that are marshalled against their argument; but when it comes to their God Nkrumah, they argue against all facts not in his fa ...
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The Nkrumaists, as former young pioneers, argue against their enemies no matter how much the facts that are marshalled against their argument; but when it comes to their God Nkrumah, they argue against all facts not in his favor...

The typical Nkrumaist is not capable of any objective or dispassionate analyses: He is interested only in truthism, which is the adoption of truth in favor of a preconceived and ossified positions.

Do not expect an Nkrumaist to know about objective truth.
Prof Lungu 7 years ago

Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law
1. Your are a lawyer.

2. You are now defending an individual, a lawyer.

3. The lawyer you are defending merely said "Justice Marshall", without the distinction you are making, and now say we ou ...
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Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law
1. Your are a lawyer.

2. You are now defending an individual, a lawyer.

3. The lawyer you are defending merely said "Justice Marshall", without the distinction you are making, and now say we ought to have made.

4. What your lawyer said cannot be reasonably inferred to apply to Chief Justice John Marshall from the same statement of the lawyer you are now defending. (It is all out bounds of reason, the history, and common sense).

5. Commonsense tells us that today, for this readership, "other famous lawyers such as Justice Marshall of USA", cannot reasonably apply to "Chief Justice John Marshall", of the 1800s, unless you contort the mind and reason.

6. Precisely, Ghanaweb readers couldn't give a dime for Chief Justice John Marshall. He is irrelevant, not applicable, or germane).

7. Now, on top of that, you are saying it is us who should have provided the distinction you've forced into the discourse. (In effect you are saying we should argue your lawyer's case, better, for the lawyer you are now defending.

It does not make sense!

And so, we are done on that score!

YOUR: "...As to Akufo-Addo,...those who sincerely wish to find out whether he is a lawyer or not can check in the register of the Legal Council, or...file a lawsuit against the Council to contest Akufo-Addo's status...".

WE SAY: We are not much interested in that.

But, since you mention, you neglect the argument those people interested in this matter are making: That is, as far as actual credentials go, Akufo Addo has some explaining to do.

It is the credentials, (i.e., the source of the qualification, NOT the fruit of the qualification (i.e. acceptance by the Legal Council).

At your age, you yourself should know about people, or should have read reports of people who obtained positions with documents that were not up-and-up.

Again, nice try!
DR. SAS, ATTORNEY AT LAW 7 years ago

As a lawyer myself, I can tell you that the only way to find out whether a person is a lawyer is to consult the register of lawyers in a particular jurisdiction. If my memory serves me right, Akufo Addo is properly enrolled b ...
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As a lawyer myself, I can tell you that the only way to find out whether a person is a lawyer is to consult the register of lawyers in a particular jurisdiction. If my memory serves me right, Akufo Addo is properly enrolled by the Legal Council of Ghana as a lawyer, and that should end the matter.

As to any personal scrutiny and value judgment of how he became a lawyer, it is neither here nor there. One's recourse, if one has any self doubts, is to sue the Council and challenge the method they used to confer Bar privileges on Akufo-Addo. Akufo-Addo does not have to prove anything at court.

Justice Kpegah tried and failed. So as we speak, Akufo-Addo is a lawyer. Period.

I believe that is all that Prof. Asare was trying to assert: The way and manner in which a person becomes a lawyer is established by jurisdiction, and Akufo-Addo fully qualified as a lawyer by the standards established by the Legal Council of Ghana which is the only body established for enrolling lawyers in Ghana. There is no room for any doubt that he is a lawyer in Ghana. I think critics of Akufo-Addo's status as a lawyer like to set up their own personal standards for how one can become a lawyer, and then proceed to declare stridently that since he does not meet these personal standards they themselves have set, therefore he is not a lawyer. These conveniently forget that they play no role at all in how to determine who becomes a lawyer anywhere.

There is, within every jurisdiction, the established authority by which one becomes a lawyer. In Ghana, that authority is the Legal Council of Ghana. This authority scrutinized the moral and academic qualifications of Akufo-Addo and swore him in as a lawyer.

Thus, the question as to whether he is a lawyer is therefore moot, and we cannot re-litigate his status in any forum beyond questioning whether the Legal Council violated its own due diligence and due process in conferring the privileges of a lawyer on Akufo-Addo.

So far, all the legal attempts to dispute the man's status as a lawyer has failed. Why are we then using hearsay argument to malign the man?

Thank you.

Samuel Adjei Sarfo, Esq.
DR. SAS, ATTORNEY AT LAW 7 years ago

All the legal attempts..........HAVE failed.

All the legal attempts..........HAVE failed.
KA 7 years ago

Yes, Akufo-Addo is a lawyer by the register of the Legal Council of Ghana. But he is not yet the president of the republic. That is why all these discussions are going on. And that is why it matters!

People are going to v ...
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Yes, Akufo-Addo is a lawyer by the register of the Legal Council of Ghana. But he is not yet the president of the republic. That is why all these discussions are going on. And that is why it matters!

People are going to vote and some of them will not be bothered with the legal definition of a lawyer in Ghana. It will be enough for them to be suspicious of how the man became a lawyer to not vote for him. Of course, not many will base their actual voting on this issue but the doubts surrounding his status are not going to convince any of those against him to decide to vote for him.

You wrote:

"If my memory serves me right, Akufo Addo is properly enrolled by the Legal Council of Ghana as a lawyer, and that should end the matter."

True but you cannot really be sure that he was PROPERLY enrolled. You do not know that. You only know that he was enrolled because his name is on the register and that can be taken as as "proper enrollment" no matter what preceded his enrollment. Again, this is pertinent because people are going to vote for him and some voters will not be bothered about court cases concerning his status as a lawyer.

You also argued that how a person practices his chosen craft is all that matters. That is true but only in a perfect world. It is not a perfect world that is why there are laws and regulations to keep us in check. Incidentally, your chosen profession is dependent on these laws - helping people to obey or bypass these laws and defending them when the law catches up with them. You may be very good at doing all these things but you need to be actually called to the bar to be able to practice your craft. And you toiled hard to pass that barrier.

So the way a man practices his chosen craft is important but not all that there is to it - especially if the craft is not basket weaving or cocoa farming. And especially not if the craftsman is gunning for the highest office of the land.
Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law 7 years ago

The presumption is very high that once a person is called to the Bar, then he has properly gone through the mill. The only way to rebut the presumption is through proper lawsuit filed to question the body that conferred the p ...
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The presumption is very high that once a person is called to the Bar, then he has properly gone through the mill. The only way to rebut the presumption is through proper lawsuit filed to question the body that conferred the privilege of lawyer on the person.

Now, I am not aware that any such lawsuit has succeeded anywhere in the world....Agency action is treated with deference in the highest courts of the land.

My point is that you may personally disagree with how Akufo-Addo became a lawyer, but it will have no effect on the fact that he is a lawyer, and a damned good one at that.

You may also form a personal opinion about whether or not you will vote for him to become President, but that opinion should not be about his status as a lawyer because he truly is, no matter what anybody says.
GORGORDUTOR 7 years ago

Waaaoow Dr. SAS, actually made a cogent near irrefutable argument, Bravo. More like this, kindly maintain this standard and do not revert to your house penal style. The above seems to reflect your actual standard not the ...
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Waaaoow Dr. SAS, actually made a cogent near irrefutable argument, Bravo. More like this, kindly maintain this standard and do not revert to your house penal style. The above seems to reflect your actual standard not the drivel you often spew. Please in a serious way keep it up. We may never agree but I must respect forceful and cogent argument. Strip Master
francis kwarteng 7 years ago

Dear Gorgortudor,

How have you been? It's been a while.

Anyway I have more serious stuff on Nkrumah coming.

I have been engaging Dr. Kofi Kissi Dompere on how we can simplify his two major scientific texts on Nkruma ...
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Dear Gorgortudor,

How have you been? It's been a while.

Anyway I have more serious stuff on Nkrumah coming.

I have been engaging Dr. Kofi Kissi Dompere on how we can simplify his two major scientific texts on Nkrumahism to the larger public.

Tell me more about where you have been!

Please stay tuned for more!
Prof Lungu 7 years ago

GORGORDUTOR,
Greetings!

We agree, on the tone, and reflection, on the part of DR. SAS, ATTORNEY AT LAW!

As to the substance of his comment with respect to Prof Asare's and our essay, this is our response, posted above ...
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GORGORDUTOR,
Greetings!

We agree, on the tone, and reflection, on the part of DR. SAS, ATTORNEY AT LAW!

As to the substance of his comment with respect to Prof Asare's and our essay, this is our response, posted above already.

========================
"Says Prof Asare...

READ:
"...Incidentally, other famous lawyers, such as Justice Marshall of USA, did not have law degrees and qualified under the same apprenticeship model, which the English exported to USA...".

WE SAY: Prof Asare did not say "Chief Justice".

And you, Dr. SAS, Attorney at Law, your claim that Chief Justice John Marshall did not attend law school is not accurate, either.

READ:
"....After his time in the Army, he read law under the famous Chancellor George Wythe at the College of William and Mary, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and was admitted to the Bar in 1780. He was in private practice in Fauquier County before entering politics.[21]

The problem for both of you is that John Marshall was as well never in an "apprenticeship", in any chamber, not even under/with George Wythe.

John Marshall sure was never an "apprentice", even though he had less training in the law before he became a lawyer, compared to "famous lawyer" Thurgood Marshall.

More important, Prof Asare's primary readers being Ghanaians, it makes absolutely no sense to say he was talking about a lawyer in 1880 America, John Marshall.

Not!

And that goes to the other larger point we are trying to make with our essay(s):

And so what?

Of what relevance to Ghanaweb readers and Ghanaian nationals, in the 21st Century?

Prof Asare, if he cares, can set the record straight, himself!

ITEM: Prof Asare was talking about Kwame Nkrumah's classmate, Justice Thurgood Marshall, of recent memory.

"Incidentally", in reading the several comments under Part I and Part 2, it has now occurred to us that we may in fact have taken a course or 2 in US Laws before some of our current lawyers ever sat in a classroom to study "Law".

Peace!
========================
Sister Souljah 7 years ago

Prof Lungu you are too much. Stay blessed!

Prof Lungu you are too much. Stay blessed!

Prof Asare totally distorts why Akufo-Addo has no law degree (2)

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