‘I wanted a job at NAM 1’s Zylofon Media’ – Fred Kyei Mensah reveals

One of Ghana’s greatest sound engineers, Fred Kyei Mensah who is popularly known as Fredyma, has revealed how he was passionate about getting a job at the now struggling Zylofon Media, owned by Interpol’s latest wanted man, Nana Appiah Mensah (NAM 1).

Obviously, the legend music producer and entertainment critic was dying to meet the rich man to land a juicy deal and manage some of the artistes the firm had signed to the label.

He disclosed that when Zylofon Media was unveiled and artistes were signed on to the record label, he thought as a sound engineer, producer and an artiste manager with many years experience in the creative arts industry, his expertise would help the Zylofon brand which was then the fastest growing entertainment company in Ghana.

“I sent Nana Appiah Mensah a text message on 24th March 2017 and told him he should employ me into his company because I have about 34 years experience in the entertainment industry,” he disclosed.

“He replied me and said I was going to hear from him. Even on his birthday, I sent him another text and wished him well and he replied that he had not forgotten about me,” the former manager of Mzbel told Agyemang Prempeh on Power Entertainment show on Power 97.9 FM Saturday.

When asked why he wanted to join the media company, Mr Kyei Mensah said he needed that job badly to be able to cater for his family because he had been rendered jobless after his recording studio was submerged in a flood few years ago.

Fredyma was speaking on the crisis that has hit another company of NAM 1 – Menzgold Ghana Limited – the ‘cash machine’ of Zylofon Media.

Menzgold has virtually collapsed after it was ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to halt its operations in September last year. It took deposits from millions of clients and failed to give them back their principals and dividends as promised them.

Earlier this week, some aggrieved clients of Menzgold took to the streets to demonstrate over the company’s refusal to reimburse them their locked cash.

But Fred Kyei Mensah believes Ghanaians should not blame NAM 1 too much because he opened a business to help Ghanaians only for the unfortunate to happen to him.

Praising him for establishing Zylofon Media which has signed great musicians like Dancehall artistes Shatta Wale and Stonebuoy and a host of other musicians, Fredyma said: “He (NAM 1) didn’t point guns on people to invest with Menzgold…I don’t want his business to collapse. I know he didn’t do well with his Menzgold but apart from that his other businesses especially Zylofon Media was doing well to help the media industry.”

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on Thursday, January 9, 2019 declared NAM 1 a wanted man over the operations of his company.

He has been declared wanted for defrauding by false pretence among other charges.

According to Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, the Director-General of CID, her outfit is very sure NAM 1 will be arrested.

“It is only NAM 1 that we are looking for. We had already obtained the warrant of arrest for two other directors [of Menzgold],” the CID Director said in an interview with Joy News on Wednesday.

The Police also revealed that they have requested for a Red Notice from the International Police (INTERPOL) making NAM 1 a wanted man in 194 countries.

“We started this investigation somewhere in December and we have gotten to the level where we are ready to issue an arrest. That is why when we got to know that NAM 1 was not in the country, we initiated the processes of informing INTERPOL so that the 194-member states will help us arrest him,” Madam Addo-Danquah added.