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Opinions of Sunday, 12 August 2018

Columnist: Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

As Kwesi Nyantakyi continues to detain Akufo-Addo in his pocket, Ghana football suffers

Kwesi Nyantakyi resigned after massive allegations of corruption was levelled against him Kwesi Nyantakyi resigned after massive allegations of corruption was levelled against him

Folks, there is a lot wrong with Ghanaians: they are docile, timid, and self-destructive to the point of tacitly or otherwise, conniving and condoning with those their taxes support to do what hurts them and the country.

Over the years, there has emerged this dirty culture of complicity, especially when couched in political terms. It is a major cause of the country's under-development.

No accountability and no concerted effort to ensure that those in positions of trust are grilled and drilled---even pushed to the wall and gored---for misruling the country.

Let me not go far with this claim. I want to say here that the worst crime ever committed against Ghana and Ghanaians by this Akufo-Addo-led government got exposed in the Kwesi Nyantakyi scandal that the Akim old and rabid dog swiftly sought to end by instructing the CID to arrest and investigate him only to appoint a CID Director who herself is imprecated in serious acts of impropriety. The result? Just to complicate matters and cover up all that Kwesi Nyantakyi had revealed as captured by Anas.

Then, put into full force the attack machinery led by Kennedy Agyapong to scuttle everything exposed by Anas.

The outcome of all the orchestration and masterminding of the game of deception is clear: No action by the CID against Nyantakyi; reinstatement of Pius Hadzide to please political constituencies; nothing about the fraud; no word from the government or the CID in the hope that "ehuro a, ebe dwo" (Whatever boils hard will eventually cool down").

And the action by the Attorney-General to have the Registrar-General's office nullify or de-regulate/de-regularize the Ghana Football Association (making it non-existent) speaks volumes. In effect, there is no authority for Ghana football administration.

Implications? No regime for controlling football in Ghana. No organized football matches; nothing to show that football is established as one of the organize3d activities in Ghana.

Football administration is doomed. No official recognition for any football activity going on anywhere in the country!!

Yet, Ghanaians love their soccer!! It is clear that soccer has become a major valve for relief. When there is tension in other spheres of human existence, Ghanaians seek relief in soccer, no matter what the situation may be. Ghanaians love soccer and are happy that those who excel in the game get recruited by foreign teams to showcase Ghana;s worth on the pitch. How many Ghanaians will not praise successful players as "Ambassadors" of the country on the international scale?

The point I am driving at is that the ineptitude of the Akufo-Addo government in handling this Kwesi Nyantakyi case has virtually killed the soccer spirit in Ghana. What it means is that greed and refusal to admit it have combined to destroy one of Ghana's most cherished ventures.

Be it at the local, regional, or national (not to bring in the international scope), Ghana soccer is being killed by Akufo-Addo. If it has to take a straight-forward action against Nyantakyi and those captured by Anas as corrupting Ghana soccer to bring the ship of administration back on course, why not do so?

What is there to fear if those mentioned by Nyantakyi as beneficiaries of his 5-3-2-1 bribe-sharing formula have a clean conscience to ensure that the matter is dealt with expeditiously so football administration in Ghana can return to course?

Folks, the situation in other countries won't take such a nasty turn. In Britain, the new soccer season has opened (See https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/45157318) and fans are already geared up for what will help them "release tension". Not so in Ghana just because those complicit in the Nyantakyi scandal are busily dragging their feet to escape harm. Terrible!!

How long should it take the CID and the NPP lame-duck government to complete the investigation of Nyantakyi so practical action can be taken to clean the stables? The matter is dragging on because those who are to clean the stables are the very people dirtying it. Too bad for Ghana under the old rabid Akim dog!!
I shall return...