GHANA MOURNS A MEDIA
ICON
Undoubtedly, the name, Kwadwo Asare Baffuor Acheampong, aka KABA,
is one name which would forever be associated with the Ghanaian media industry
for all the good reasons whether or not the bearer of that name lives. The
nation woke up on the beautiful morning of Saturday, November 18 only to be
greeted with the shocking news of the demise of this fine media icon, whose
enviable virtues and life story, I cannot finish extolling. Simply put, it
would forever be told generations that the KABAs came to this world, saw and
conquered that which is conquerable for the love of God and country. He paid
his dues not only to Asempa fm and the Multimedia Group but to the rest of
Ghana and the world at large.
As much as we say, death is inevitable and in the fullness of
time, all of us shall taste the agony of death, it is still inexplicable and
devastating if you lose somebody you least expect to lose. My good friend and
brother, KABA was arguably at the peak of his career in service to his country.
He had been to work even at the later part of the week to inter alia, engage
his distinguished discussants on the prospects of the 2018 adwuma budget. He
showed absolutely no sign of ailment. He came across as someone who was very
well and hearty. So, with this in mind, if you were, in less than 48 hours told
that this same KABA, had passed on to glory, you certainly would have every
reason to be devastated no matter how religious you are.
Perhaps, this development, as sad as it is, should tell us
one thing, that, we are nothing but mere mortals, with absolutely no options but
to respond to the call of our Maker anytime. My fellow countrymen and women,
let’s prepare for that unavoidable call at all times because it can come at
anytime whether we are prepared or not; whether we are weak or strong; whether
we are rich or poor; whether we are young or old; whether we are famous or
infamous; whether we are leaders or followers; whether we have achieved much in
life or not and more instructively, whether we are sick or perhaps stronger
than Bastie Samir, the conqueror of the Bankus.
Like I said, the life story of KABA can never be told in
full. But suffice it to say, he was an embodiment of excellence in our media
industry. He used his international award winning platform, “ekosisem” on
asempa fm, to tell the story of the Ghanaian as accurately as it ought to be
told. He made “ekosisem” the most popular afternoon political talkshow in the
country. The only political show in the country that lasts for more than four
hours each working day, with the best of scintillating interviews, sound bites,
national discourse and all that you need to make your afternoon worthwhile. No
wonder you would almost always find political commentators, Ministers of State,
students, teachers, drivers, lawyers, media personnel and all the people that
matter in our governance system, tune to asempa fm once it was 2pm to listen to
the ever sensational KABA on “ekosisem” for all the breaking news in the
country. He was recently adjudged the Best Talk Show Host for the year,
2017.
If you had a genuine concern and needed national attention,
you could just walk to KABA, and he would provide you his platform, free of
charge, to tell your story whether or not you had officially written to the
management of asempa fm before coming. I’ve had a lot of such experience
especially in my days as a national student leader. His sense of humility is
incredibly legendary. I do not know what would become of our favourite “ekosisem”,
now that KABA is gone forever. But you can always trust the Multimedia Group to
get us a replacement, though it wouldn’t be easy, considering the niche KABA
had carved for himself and the Multimedia brand. Of course, nobody thought
after the exit of the Late Komla Dumor to the BBC, the Multimedia Group was
ever going to get a perfect replacement for this media colossus, until a Kojo
Oppong Nkurumah emerged. As always, I wish them well.
In the meantime, I, with heavy heart, join the rest of the
world, to commiserate first of all, with KABA’s immediate family especially his
beloved wife and kid, the Multimedia Group, colleagues in the media fraternity
and Ghana at large. We have not only lost a colleague, but a brother, a friend
and a mentor. KABA, you would forever occupy a special place in our hearts and
minds. Stay blessed brother till we meet in afterlife.
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
ForGodAndCountry
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