THE OHENE NTOW I KNOW

I was amused to have heard Nana Ohene Ntow, former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) run riot on radio this morning in an attempt to defend the indefensible.
He ended up attacking DAILY GUIDE, running down the paper and saying a few nasty things I would rather not repeat. Ohene Ntow simply reminded me of ‘Nze’, the bird that challenged his ‘chi’ –personal god- in Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’, after over eating.
Though he came across as someone exhibiting the symptoms of two personal poisons – arrogance and egoism of the soul, his utterances won my sympathy rather than my annoyance.
I have known him since he was General Secretary and was a political reporter. I went to him quite often for interviews and on each occasion, I (and many of my colleagues) tolerated his pompous character because I had done some reading on him and learnt he was not a ‘politician’ who had gone through the mill but rather a broadcast journalist who by fate or sheer coincidence, found himself as the Chief scribe of a major political party.
He often had an overrated lofty impression of himself and went about his duties with an air on empty importance. Many times, all he did was talk talk talk and talk and press conferences…he loved the cameras and would often take off his spectacles, wear them again and flash a dry smile before he allowed a picture of him to be taken for the newspapers.
Eventually he ended up as the General Secretary who took his party into opposition. By then, not many knew he was of the opinion Nana Akufo Addo, his party’s presidential candidate was not the best material to have been put forward.
Soon after his party lost power, Nana Ohene Ntow I believe must have learnt, through negative experience, that it is better to be a messenger in a ruling party than the General Secretary of a party in opposition.
Suddenly the ‘all powerful’ Ohene Ntow , after leading his party to political defeat, was reported to have become a squatter in a government bungalow where his wife had transformed a portion of the house into a shito production and export factory just to earn an extra living (http://elections.peacefmonline.com/pages/politics/200908/25611.php).
Such embarrassing reports on Ohene Ntow has continued till date and even barely a year ago, The Herald reported that he was likely to face court over his failure to settle a ¢37 million hotel bill he accumulated since 2011, but sneaked out leaving behind his shirts, trousers, “supporters”, ID cards, photographs and other personal effects. (http://elections.peacefmonline.com/pages/politics/201305/163396.php)
He should continue to attack and insult and run down people whose view he finds not to be the same as his just as he did when the NPP was put in his care and he took the party into opposition.
Indeed, if the pro-NPP media has told the party some 20 percent truth in 2008, the party would not have lost the elections. Rather, they were urged on even when it was glaring that some of their decisions reflected lazy thinking.
Once again, some elements in the NPP are rehearsing for another political defeat (perhaps on purpose) and they expect all others to cheer them on.
– HALIFAX WRITES.
Monday august 18, 2014
Twitter:@HalifaxAnsahAdd