Corruption – Episode 12
Corruption – Episode 12
© Akoto Alexander
Twum Boafo: Adjoa you are going far with this and you are driving me away from you every now and then. Stop doing this things that you will regret later, I followed you once and I am paying the price for it.
Mrs Twum Boafo: Save that sermon to your evil kinsmen, as I said please stop bothering me, I want to sleep.
Back at the Club House:
Hon. Nii Nortey: Well since you are acting naive and I am your mentor in this game let me enlighten you. You see the woman who wants to supply your ministry with fertilizer for the cocoa farmers, she is an old friend who knows how the politics game is played. She is willing to add your percentage to the profoma invoice she will present to the board. Again she will give you a cut in her original amount she is quoting so it means you will be getting 2 different amount of monies for just approving her offer or proposal.
Hon. Johnson: Nii what you are saying sounds good and it’s a juicy offer but the truth is that woman’s fertilizer is below the standard I want for this cocoa farmers. I want something that……
Hon. Nii Nortey: (cuts in) Are you listening to yourself? Let me ask you, are those fertilizers not going to be distributed to those farmers for free? My brother we are talking about quantity but not quality, those farmers how many of them are educated that they will go through the leaflet in the fertilizer sack?
Hon. Johnson: I get your point perfectly but you know we are about to inaugurate the extension officers policy who will be going round the country to inspect and teach those farmers how to go about things.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Hahahahaha that is where the Barcelona formation is played, it’s a one man no chop affair. You must quote a substantial percentage to the woman where you can get enough to share with those extension officer, see most of them are national service personnels who need money to survive, how much at all does the government give them as a form of allowance and how fast does their allowance come? When you give them that small small envelopes, you blind and corner them to your side afterall no farmer will share his or her proceeds with them. When you approve of the woman’s fertilizer, you will call a meeting and meet all the extension officers and at the end of the meeting, everyone will get an envelope which you will tell them that it is a small motivation you are personally giving to them for the task they have offered to do. For the senior officers you will invite them to your office, let them know the matter on ground then you explain to them that the other suppliers were quoting outrageous prices and were not willing to wash their hands clean when their products were approved. You let them know this fertilizer is a bit cheap but below standard, then you tell them because you wanted them (the senior extension officers) to benefit from the deal that is why you approved of that fertilizer. My brother when they hear this, they will even tell you things you don’t know because they are on the field and they know all the corners. They will cover your tracks for you with the forms that auditors well come round to check. No Blackman hates “chop make I chop some” tactics oooo so shine your eyes.
Hon. Johnson: Woooooow you have given me a better clue on how to make easy and quick money.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Why are we friends if I can’t let you enjoy the things our fellow politicians are enjoying. In Africa there is nothing like clean or holy politics, even aside that, in every insitution what we are doing is also there. I won’t call this political corruption but rather I will call it political devidence. Everyone eats from where he or she works and don’t forget, anything or contract that you approve or sign must attract your cut or percentage if not then don’t sign the approval documents at all. This is how you will be able to divert funds into your accounts and talking about accounts, I mean foreign accounts and not this local banks.
Hon. Johnson: But one thing is bothering my mind, how do I award a contract to the woman without any suspicions from anyone?
Hon. Nii Nortey: Ah Johnson, are you the one asking this childish question? Has the ministerial position turned you numb now? Of course you opened a tender bid some months back for suppliers to file in so how come you awarding a contract to any supplier should become a problem. You are the one to choose the supplier that suits your preference or criteria of the product you want.
Police Guard: (walks in) Boss the ladies you requested for are in, they are in the car.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Are you sure they are on point and very clean? I don’t want any disappointment since this is the first time you are introducing your girls to me. I don’t want any Photoshop tricks over here because now I have learnt all the tricks this university girls have developed.
Police Guard: Boss if you can entrust your life and security in my hands, then believe me I won’t don’t anything to betray that trust you have bestowed in me.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Well if you say so I have heard you, you can bring them here first before we check in into our rooms but I hope those girls know how to shut their mouths. I don’t want a scenario whereby tomorrow our names will be all over the airwaves that we are chasing small small girls from the university.
Police Guard: Boss trust me this girls are the hard-core type that even at the verge of death they will still not open their mouths to cough out anything.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Well I trust your judgement, when you bring them in, go to the counter and order something for yourself and the driver but make sure you don’t consume much alcohol because my life and safety has been entrusted into your hands.
Police Guard: Very well sir, I don’t even take alcohol when I am on duty so don’t worry at all sir. (walks away to bring the girls)
Hon. Nii Nortey: My brother so as I have already walked you through the process do it and you will thank me later. Let’s enjoy whiles it last my brother, when we were young some old chaps took our age mate girlfriends from us so today we are also doing same to the young men, it didn’t start on us and it will never end on us. (sips his beer)
Police Guard: (walks in with 2 girls following him) Boss please with me here are Nora and Doreen, they will tell you more about themselves as time goes on.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Ah they look more ravishing and lovely than the pictures you showed me. Nora sit next to me whiles Doreen you take a seat next to my brother from another mother. Jack take their order and make the waiter bring it to them.
Nora: (smiling) Honourable, some shots of Moet and Remy Martin won’t bad for me and my friend loves Irish cream.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Mmm I can see you have taste for quality things also, Jack you heard her and please add some grilled pork and fried yam to the order, am feeling hungry after taking the beer.
Hon. Johnson: (phone start to vibrate) Excuse me I need to answer this call but at a quite place, I will be back soon.
Hon. Nii Nortey: No problem, my regards to her and the kids.
Nora: Honourable, your friend or betterstill your brother from another mother seems to be a quite and shy man.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Not really my dear, he does his talking when the need arises and talking about shyness he is only being diplomatic, you know our status in this country. So tell me what courses are you reading in the university and which year are you?
Doreen: Honourable I am reading Purchasing and Supply and Nora is reading Marketing, we are both in our second year. I know your next question will be how we got to know each other.
Hon. Nii Nortey: Oh it seems you have been reading my mind, well you are reading good courses that is high on demand in the system. So tell me, how did you 2 meet or it was Jack who brought you together? My next question is how did my bodyguard know you 2 pretty damsels.
Nora: Honourble, actually we have been friends since primary 4, we have now also graduated from friends to sisters and we are room mates at our hostel. Even most people dont believe me when I tell them we are just best friends, they usually think am pulling their legs and not being honest.
Hon. Nii Nortey: That is good to know, as the saying goes “old friends are the best”. You ladies should make sure nothing comes between you, let it not be money, a man or anything material. Where is waiter even, he has kept long in bringing your order, we don’t have all day to spend here you know.
Waiter: (walks in with the order) Sorry for the delay my boss and pretty ladies, I wanted your order to be specially made by our seasoned chef and trust me you will enjoy every bit of the delicacy you have on the plate.
Hon. Johnson: (walks in and see a breaking news on the tv screen) Joe please raise the volume on the tv set for me, I want to hear what the lady is saying.
Waiter: Okay sir I will do that immediately when I get to the counter.
News Anchor: Good evening to our cherished viewers, sorry for the break in our program delivery. Report coming in this very minute from the seat of government, signed by the director of communication, Mr Akoto Alexander
states that, the president has declared a state of emergency as to the kidnapping of 3 young girls at the Western Region. The report further states that the Interior Minister, the Inspector General of Police and the Peace Council has been summoned to an emergency meeting where a decision will be taken as to how to resolve the issue and get the girls back to the families in good shape. Thanks for your audience and keep enjoying our programs for there are more to come, stay tuned.
Hon. Nii Nortey: What at all is going on in this country, we are not even close to an election year and this things have already started.
Nora: Honourable so is it true that, before elections kidnapping rate goes up?
Hon. Nii Nortey: Well my dear to an extent yes and no. It has not been confirmed by any security agency that “the politicians or some” are behind it but in some other countries it has been proven that some bad politicians have been kidnapping children for rituals just to win power but for my brother here and I, we are clean as a sanitizer. Let’s get inside and get to know each other very well, people are coming around which is not good for our personalities to be seen over here by this time.
To be continued
Ride on boss