Election 2016 - Radio and TV personalities ahoy!
Over the period that I have been writing this column – 16 years in July this year – my pen and eventually my computer keys have touched a lot of people.
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They have done so both positively and negatively and along the way, I made friends and foes in almost equal measure.
Today, some of the people in radio and television that I interacted with, and or just wrote about, have responded to what could be considered as higher calling by deciding to try their hands at politics.
They have decided to contest for the parliamentary seats of their various hometowns to see if they will make it to national chamber of deputies.
I think this is noble and while commending them for taking this bold step, it is my hope that come December 7, when all is said and done, these people will end up in Parliament as representatives of their people and hopefully the industry that made them who they became.
It is in the spirit of this that I have decided to dedicate my column this week to four of these people and endorse their candidature with the hope that it would earn them some points between now and election day.
KOJO OPPONG NKRUMAH FOR OFOASE-AYIREBI CONSTITUENCY
I met Kojo early on when he was relatively new at Joy FM. Not long after that, Komla Dumor left Joy FM for the BBC and he eventually got to host the morning show as the substantive host.
It took him a while but he eventually fit into the show and he made it his own to the extent that it took a lot of convincing for the managers at Joy FM to accept that Kojo “A Full Bouquet” had to move on to other things.
During the days leading to his departure and after he had left, the station struggled to get a good replacement for him and changed a few people around before settling on Bernard Nasara Saibu, who would eventually give way for the current host Kojo Yankson.
I consider Oppong Nkrumah as one of the four epochal presenters of the Super Morning Show, namely Tommy Annan Forson, Komla Dumor, Adwoa Aidoo and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah. Each of these persons, in their time, wrote their name in brass for the Super Morning Show.
In addition to an EMBA from the Univeristy of Ghana Business School, Oppong Nktumah was called to the Ghana Bar this year. I hope he goes on to win the Ofoase-Ayirebi in the Eastern Region seat to become an MP on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and be a good lawmaker as he was during his days as a radio presenter.
ALHASSAN SAYIBU SUHUYINI FOR TAMALE NORTH CONSTITUENCY
Suhuyini is another broadcast journalist who is seeking to go to parliament to represent the people of Tamale North. Suhuyini used to work at Radio Gold as host of the station's flagship morning show Gold Power Drive and its iconic Saturday morning political talk show Alhaji and Alhaji.
He started as a teacher, but veered into broadcasting and journalism when he cut his teeth at Tamale-based Diamond FM. He moved to Accra afterwards and had brief stints with Citi FM and Metro TV before eventually enrolling at Radio Gold.
I believe that he has also paid his dues very well to the broadcast industry and if he thinks it is time to move on to other things, such as becoming a Member of Parliament the industry should back him hence my reason to endorse Alhassan Suhiyini to emerge victorious as MP for Tamale North in the Northern Region come December 7, 2016.
WILSON ARTHUR FOR WASSA EAST CONSTUTUENCY
Not many people can claim to have done anything close to what Wilson Arthur (or Willie as everyone calls him) has done over the last 20 years in the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi in the area of media and broadcasting.
You could call him the doyen of private broadcasting in the Western Region and you won’t be far from the truth. He has built a media empire that has given the platform to nurture many people who eventually became big names in the industry.
Since establishing Skyy Power FM in Takoradi and building it to become the leading station in the region he has not looked back. That station would become the place where many broadcasters including Kojo Frempong, Robert Gardner, Mamavi, Paa Kofi Nyarko, Joe Enuson, Elloyne Amande, Nana Otu-Gyandoh, Kwame Dzokoto and many more would nurture their talent before moving to other things.
He also set up Skyy TV which became a massive phenomenon in the Western Region before moving on to Accra where it would face stiff competition and eventual demise.
Wilson at a point operated a newspaper that captures the activities of the Western Region into print.
Beyond just radio, television and print, Wilson Arthur had done a lot in many areas including marketing, events and so much more.
Come December 7, his name and photo would be on the ballot sheet as NPP’s candidate for the Wassa East in the Western Region seat as he competes against the strong NDC incumbent, Isaac Adjei-Mensah to determine who represent the people of that constituency. I endorse Wilson Arthur for this seat.
KWAME DZOKOTO FOR TARKWA NSUAEM
Before he would leave Takoradi’s Skyy Power FM for Kumasi’s Hello FM, Seth Kwame Dzokoto, was a big radio and TV (Skyy TV) presenter in the twin city. He went to Kumasi and succeeded there as well.
Even before he would leave for Kumasi he, through his voiceovers on many Ghanaian adverts, had become a household name and his appearances on Efiewura also made him a popular character.
He would later become the host of Edziban, the food sampling and promotion show on TV3.
This popular Ghanaian TV and radio personality will be contesting Tarkwa Nsuayem seat in the Western Region for the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) come December 7.
I understand it is a very strong contest, but I hope Dzokoto comes