What is under Manasseh’s sleeves against Jospong? Pure malice, hatred or fear of fellow human progression?

First of all, I want to thank Mr. Manasseh Azure Awuni for further exposing his malice and hatred for Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong and his businesses. Let me ask again, Manasseh what is this your obsession about? Is it pure malice or an addiction to hatred for the man Jospong, his progress or us (Ghanaians’) progress?

You claim you are fighting for Ghana but may we know which angles of corruption and injustices you hate and think Ghana deserve your ingratitudeness? Is it not fascinating that seven years on Manasseh has not found a new story to add up to his so-called investigative writings? Have you not noticed any corruption and unscrupulous deals since 2012? Do you ever want us to believe that you are as fair as other investigative journalist? Hell NO. I see it as you either refusing to learn or a deliberate attempt to remain unlearned in the matters relating to Jospong in a job you have chosen for yourself. I say this because each time I read a piece from Manasseh it is all about or is in reference to Jospong, in fact it feels like Manasseh eats one meal for breakfast, lunch and supper otherwise I can’t think far. All he does is indicative of the fact that he has nothing new to offer Ghanaians except hatred for Jospong and his businesses.

By the approach you choose in the Capital Bank saga you will have shut up if Joseph Siaw Agyepong or Roland Agambire was your church member or biological relative, that one too we know. We know your penchant for Ghanaians to continue to be poor like you and for foreigners to continue to hold Ghana’s economy perhaps you are the only one who knows why but this Jospong guy is simply a hard nut for you to crack I reckon and that angers you most.

I have refused to do arm-chair journalism (reading and writing) since I am not a train or recognised journalist so I go asking questions and in my write ups I ask questions a lot so as to understand the issues. It has become clear that Manasseh now finds work to do by cutting and pasting what he wrote seven years ago which had no merit, but by virtue of the fact that he is in the media realm publishes it to deceive the unsuspecting readers only when Jospong is in the news for any good reasons. Otherwise why did Manasseh wait for people to commend Jospong in a thanksgiving service for him to come up with all these disjointed recycled and repetitive stories?

When Ghanaians such as your colleague corruption crusader, Kwame A Plus, Nanaba Anamoah and many social media followers asked for your views on the Pastor Mensah Otabil’s Capital Bank collapse saga worth an amount of 748 million Ghana cedis, what did you do and what did you say? Many were your followers and admirers that fell off including some of us because we now know that you don’t fight corruption in a just manner.

Why will you refuse to write or make commentary about somebody who is linked to corruption issues like that because the person is your pastor? How will you now even write or ask your biological father from Bongo if he has taken or purported or cause for the guinea fowl eggs of the nearby house to be taken? You are only making noise because of the guilt accumulated from the Capital Bank saga to coerce favour, respect and some value for yourself which I know for a fact.

Or are you indirectly confirming the allegation that you sought favours of money and a vehicle from Jospong and he refused and that is your beef with him? If it is then it is unfortunate because one using his career to demand favours unjustifiably is tantamount to corruption.

Indeed, it is sad that Manasseh doesn’t even hide his ignorance but keeps making allegations based on such chronic ignorance, malice and sheer misunderstanding of how business operates. It’s so amazing he keeps touting his so-called solicited award and it appears apart from him (Manasseh) nobody has knowledge of this award, so is the media landscape in Ghana and Africa unaware of it. Oh how I wish you stop tickling yourself and laughing all alone. Check the records how many media houses reported that your solicited award and fast reverse to the best journalist award you earned in Ghana back in 2011 and see the publicity because we thought you deserved it. “This one dierr enko yie”.

Now my checks have put me in a better position to school Manasseh a little in business and the Zoomlion contracts perhaps he lacks it and save him from his sickening “if not analysis"! The lessons are:

Manasseh should know that no one enters a business contract all by themselves-so if he is so concerned about a particular contract he has issues with why not contact the signatories? They will tell you if the contract is indeed inflated why are you making Jospong a scapegoat? Jospong did not write the proposal and contract and signed it all alone, doesn’t Manasseh know that for a fact? Did Jospong in the particular contract sign on behalf of his company or on behalf of the Republic of Ghana? You see the misplaced investigation and attacks perpetuated by Manasseh? Agyepong does not owe Manasseh any explanation as he never stood on behalf of the state but on his business grounds so if there were inflations (as he claims), then Manasseh must think again and find the answers from the state actors. If he inflated the cost for products and supplies and the state actor signed and Manasseh is even death and dump will he be following Jospong for state money? Let us shelf this junk stories of his.

Manasseh should also take this business lesson seriously that in business a quotation for one item is never the same for the items in higher quantities with a payment plan for it. Also an on credit payment plan is not the same as cash or instant payment at all. Rather the length of time for payment determines the margins put on the quotations. Did you not check that too?

So for Manasseh to go for one quotation and use that to make his judgement is preposterous and smacks of his incompetence in business transactions. In fact, it is misleading and tantamount to lack of business and contract knowledge and an insult to the intelligence of well-meaning and unbiased readers to say the least. By the way, did the government pay for that contract? Have any monies been lost to the nation because of that contract? Manasseh will stop chasing the shadow of a dead body if he has done a better investigation on his one decade one story mantra.

Again, on the issue of fumigation, my investigations put the facts even clearer and exposes Manasseh’s lack of understanding and/or patience to do due diligence in his so-called investigations. He is always in a hurry to have his name mentioned in the media so he doesn’t have that luxury to tie the knobs. It is saddening you keep deceiving the public with your perpetual ignorance hidden in many English words stringed together.

There are different chemicals for different pests. For example, the chemical used for malaria control used for spraying, larvaeciding of mosquito larvae and adulticiding of matured mosquitos and larvae source management at selected areas to prevent mosquito breeding and so on is different.

There is also a different chemical to control rats and snakes (rodents) that have taken over our, public toilets, landfill sites, unapproved dumping sites, CHPS Compounds, residences of MMDCEs and MMDCDs and selected assembly staff, and government facilities and markets that is where de-rating and pest control is done!

Recently, the Ministry of Education having noticed bed bug and cockroach infestation widely spread in Senior High Schools, engaged Zoomlion as a result of their competence and capacity to fumigate dormitories, dining halls and student mattresses to avoid bed bugs among others. This also required a different chemical! But even this. Manasseh saw something wrong with it aaaaba.

In the aforementioned, it is clear that one does not need any investigation to know this simple and logical situation, it’s just the matter of reading, finding out as I did and the humility to learn as a good journalist which my friend seem to have a deficiency in. Knowledge they say is power but knowledge is not gained on a silver platter, it takes effort and I hope you will consider broadening your maybe myopic scope to know that journalism is supposed to be balanced just as it is in accounting and not one sided.

Your perpetual rantings on Jospong Group and its immense contribution to national development should have been totally ignored because it is no longer a secret that you have tried so hard to ride on the back of wild allegations and misleading reportage to gain some relevance. You see that God keeps exposing you each time you try hard to gain some relevance. The Capital Bank and Pastor Otabil’s saga makes it more clear to all readers that you are that biased, selective and pessimistic a journalist of our time. Nobody is happy writing or commenting on a matter that affects a man of God but your biased attitude has been the reason I believe many people developed interest in that case.

Unfortunately, there are people who read these because you are a journalist and presume you know it all and hence the need for me to throw more light on the facts so they are not deceived into oblivion. Whether you want to describe me as doing the bidding of Jospong or not, am not perturbed I am a just citizen and I don’t want to see people unnecessarily vilified.

Journalism as we all know is about putting out facts for the public to make informed judgements and these facts are to be published in an objective and unbiased manner. But in Manasseh’s biased and opinionated writings against Jospong, two questions beg answers: Manasseh is either on a personal vendetta against the personality of the smart, intelligent young entrepreneur Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong and which he is trying hard to rope his companies in or, Manasseh is working for his pay masters who are paying him and urging him on just to try to destroy the hard earned reputation of Dr. Agyepong and his conglomerate ‘period’ for their own selfish gains!

Of course I will be stupid or lower than Manasseh in terms of ego and biases if I suggest that when a journalist has reason to investigate an issue they shouldn’t do it. It will be unfortunate if I don’t also acknowledge and pay tribute to the efforts of hardworking ace journalists such as Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Raymond Acher, Seth Kwame Boateng, Senyo Horzi and the others who are genuinely doing real conclusive investigative journalism in the interest of the masses. Which impact is seen and felt widely and acknowledged.

In Manasseh’s case, he has clearly shown that he does his works in his own interest or in the interest of his pay masters (the Otabil issue is classical in this sense), Manasseh disappointed all of us and still found wisdom to rope Jospong into his writings shortly after that which has been a betrayal of his professional career. If this is journalism, I will never participate in writing anymore though admittedly I am not a trained journalist.

Manasseh expresses his charlatan, neophyte and selfish journalism skills and calls it investigation to blindfold us (readers) but no, some of us do not just read, we read, do further checks, analyse and run commentary objectively on the issues.

What I ask myself is giving that Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong is that bad as painted by Manasseh, over the years how are all governments and business executives within Ghana and abroad able to work with such a corrupt as you say person? How does he permeate through governments of all political divides in the country and abroad? why have they been working with a crook in your own words? Or it is you that there is something wrong with and not the Jospong man? LET MANASSEH TELL US ONE THING: ARE ALL THESE POLITICAL LEADERS STUPID OR ARE THEY ALL ALSO CORRUPT AS YOUR TARGET? Let me reminder you on this: in a meeting when you realise you are the only one talking on all issues yet you are not the chair of that meeting then you are a misfit not intelligent, so don’t deceive yourself.

Manasseh must let us know that he only trusts himself and his pastors, otherwise the rantings insults and allegations aimed at denigrating the entrepreneur who has given so many jobs to people more than you can think of are a waste of our precious time.

Anything less than admitting to the fact that you trust yourself, your pastors and church members only will mean you have a deliberate and well fashioned agenda to continue to write to denigrate the harmless persona of Jospong whose works have impacted so immensely on society even across the borders of Ghana and have been seen worldwide which your damaging works are not able to break.

You can go ahead and call Dr. Agyepong names one thing I see in him that people like Manasseh may never see is his intelligence and business acumen and that his can-do attitude towards business ideas and his conviction and faith in God which has made him come out with the over 50 different companies providing innovative and cutting- edge solutions to Ghana’s problems which feeble minds like yours cannot even comprehend. It is not magic it is not juju it is God’s favour which you and I have not yet received so don’t be envious, no hatred nor malice.

Maybe ours is on its way hahahahahahaha.

E. J. Kwabena Badu Agyemang [email protected] All views are mine.