MANASSEH’S FOLDER: If Kofi Wampah’s stepdaughter had won a Nobel Peace Prize

Governor of Bank of Ghana, Henry Kofi Wampah

Last week, news broke that one of Britain’s most wanted drug lords, David McDermott, had been arrested. He was arrested in Ghana. Not long ago, Arthur Simpson-Kent, a British man suspected to have killed his wife and their two children was also arrested in Ghana.

There was, however, more to this recent news than just the arrest of a drug baron. He had married Ramona Wampah, daughter of the Governor of Ghana’s Central Bank, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah. They have a child. The story did not gain the expected currency in the country mainly because Dr. Wampah is not a politician.

If Dr. Wampah were in frontline politics, the weird theories and connections would dominate the media for weeks. It is rather his comment on the matter that has generated so much discussion on social media.

On Sunday afternoon, I saw a statement released and signed by Dr. Kofi Wampah. Like the error committed by the disgraced and dismissed acting Director of the Information Services Director, Francis Kwarteng Arthur, the date on the statement was wrong. The first statement, which was signed by Dr. Wampah, was dated February 11, 2016. Another statement, also with the same signature of Dr. Wampah, was again released with the correct date, March 13, 2016. The contents of the two statements were, however, the same. Below is the full statement he issued.”

[mawuni]

STATEMENT ON THE ARREST OF DAVID McDERMOTT

I have received news about the arrest of David McDermott who is married to my stepdaughter, Ramona, with shock.

David has been known to me as a worker in the mining sector and has been living in the country with Ramona since their marriage some three years ago.

Until I received information about his arrest, I had absolutely no knowledge about David being a fugitive of the British government.

Issued by:

 (Signature)

Henry A.K. WAMPAH

Governor, Bank of Ghana.

March 13, 16.

                                                              Kofi Wampah’s Letters

[mawuni]

Two things struck me when I read Dr. Kofi Wampah’s press statement. What background checks did he and his family conduct before giving their daughter to the expatriate to marry? If he worked in the mining sector, was he working with Anglogold or Newmont? Or as usual, he just told them he was a “gold dealer?” And did they take the pains to cross check?

From the statement, it did not appear the fugitive changed his name when he ran to Ghana. Could a simple Google search not have exposed him? Many years before the White Man stepped foot on the shores of our sea, our “unsophisticated” forefathers conducted very thorough investigation on families that were about to marry their sons or daughters. They looked out for warning signs such as crime, unacceptable social behaviours, and in some cases, records of health conditions such as bareness.

If Mr. Wampah and his family had been a bit meticulous, they could have avoided this embarrassment. The Summary of David McDermott’s profile as a “most wanted” criminal on Britain’s National Crime Agency website reads as follows:

“David McDermott, 41: Wanted by the National Crime Agency on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to blackmail. McDermott is originally from Ormskirk but his last known address was in Liverpool. He is believed to be a member of a Liverpool-based organised crime group involved in a conspiracy to supply cocaine. Approximately 400 kilos of cocaine was found hidden in a container of frozen Argentinian beef in May 2013 at Tilbury Docks. Not knowing the cocaine had been seized, he was observed by NCA officers meeting with other members of the crime group. They allegedly discussed the use of violence against anyone who had information. He is described as 5ft, 11 ins tall and has a two-inch scar on his wrist.”

[mawuni]

David McDermott, a British fugitive has been married to the daughter of Ghana’s Central Bank Governor for three years

This means Dr. Wampah did not do due diligence, and as my good friend Derick Romeo Agogla wrote on Facebook, his statement opened him “up for more criticism as a careless father. (No wonder our cedi is worth nothing under his watch).”

My main issue with Dr. Wampah’s statement, and for which reason I am writing this piece is his description of Ramona Wampah in the press statement. The media reports said the fugitive was married to Dr. Kofi Wampah’s daughter. But Dr. Wampah said in the statement that Ramona was his stepdaughter.

Dr. Wampah, did you have to add that she is a STEPdaughter? Did you need to describe what kind of daughter Ramona is to you? Whether she is your biological daughter, stepdaughter or adopted daughter, does it matter? Is she still not your daughter? Or you think telling us Ramona is your stepdaughter creates that distance and takes the shame away from you? Or are you suggesting that your biological daughter would not have married a fugitive?

If the news had been, “Ramona Wampah, the daughter of Ghana’s Central Bank Governor, has won a Nobel Peace Prize,” would you have told the whole world that she is not your real daughter but your stepdaughter?

I don’t know what you sought to achieve by that description. I don’t know how Ramona and her mother are taking this. But I know you could have done better.

This news is enough to traumatise this young woman and drain her emotionally. This is the time she needs the love and support of the family most. Telling the world she’s not your own blood does not help matters. Maybe, you need to apologise to Ramona. If you were jailed for embezzling funds and Ramona Wampah released a statement describing you as a stepfather, I am not sure you would be happy.

[mawuni]

I don’t think yours is an isolated case. You have just fed into the old adage that says “Abusua pe ade nanso kyiri ka.” When someone excels in the family the most distant relative shares in the glory. But when they fail, their closest relatives do not want to associate with them. What we must not forget is that those who want to be part of the grace of others but run away from their disgrace are not counted among the great when posterity sits in judgment of men and women to consider noble.

The writer, Manasseh Azure Awuni, is a senior broadcast journalist with Joy 99.7FM. His email address is [email protected].