Francis Doku: Manasseh Azure Awuni is radio’s investigative gem
I Have observed that above everything else, there are three main things that Manasseh Azure Awuni, broadcast journalist at Joy FM and I have in common. We are both Presbyterians, we both hope and desire that our children will go to Wesley Girls’ High School (Wey Gey Hey) and we stand for what we believe and say it as it is.
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Firstly, I knew some time ago that Manasseh was a Presbyterian when he used the logo of the church as his profile picture on Facebook and I have noticed through some of his comments that he is not just a member of the church in name, but also in deeds.
Secondly, I found from one of his recent articles that he desires to either marry an old student of Wey Gey Hey or have his daughter go through that school. I am very certain he wouldn’t mind having both. But I am not sure Manasseh knows that what I have towards Gey Hey is beyond desire and passion, it’s an OCD.
My daughter has to go to Gey Hey and there is nothing anyone can say to take me off that route. It’s a must, a vision, a mission and a calling.
Thirdly, Manasseh believes that if something is what it is you call it by its name and not dance around it as it stares at you. I must confess that on this particular issue I will curtsy and push Manasseh forward as one who says what he wants in a more brazen manner than I would. Than most other people would!
But this piece is not about me, it’s about Manasseh. I just wanted to share the spotlight with him. Just a little bit. What I intend to do in this week’s issue is to eulogise the man I consider as the foremost investigative journalist in broadcasting today. Anas is around as the one who does it best in print and Manasseh carries it further in broadcasting.
Before he would pick up his role as broadcast journalist at Joy FM I had read some of his articles, especially those that found their way to the internet. My view then was that this was a very erudite man who knew what he was about.
What I thought of him to be was that he was deep, he was serious and he took no prisoners. Indeed in my view, and on the basis of the articles of his that I read, he was an elderly gentleman.
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He had to be, for the wisdom he displayed in writing was above those of younger men (many have confessed to me that they thought same of me and even felt I was big and tall in my early years as a writer).
It was therefore a bit of a jolt to have known that the man in question could have been my son if I had “set forth at dawn”. He was but a young man. That would confirm the oft held view by many a youth that wisdom doesn’t necessary come with grey hair.
I always felt that Manasseh was moving on to something and to somewhere and so when I got the news that he was going to work at Joy FM, I knew the time had arrived notwithstanding the fact that I felt both dubious and elation.
Dubious because if you have read one or two of his pieces at the time, you would have notice that you were dealing with a rebel of the system, a non-conformist who stood strongly to what he believed and damn the consequences. I felt dubious about his longevity at the station.
It was on that basis that I spoke to a friend of mine who was very close to Awuni. I asked him if Manasseh was going to conform to the standards of Joy FM and would remain there for a long time, whereupon he said the gentleman had stated his position and would want terms of engagement respected.
Elation because having read a few of his pieces, I knew it would be a swell period for him to be on radio and continuously give the side of him that we have come to know: unabashed forthrightness, courage, principled and a strong belief in what he stood for.
So he eventually got onto Joy FM and in no time, the expectations were met. There were notable and very humungous revelations that stunned the nation that were the handiwork of Manasseh within a year of his joining the Multimedia Group.
Two of those were the GYEEDA matter and the SADA saga. There were massive misappropriation of funds and raping of the nation by people who should know better and be more responsible in handling affairs of state. Thanks to Manasseh and in spite of the risk to his person, we all got to know about some of these things.
The revelations led to some sacking, some prosecutions and some reforms of the institutions that were abused in the manner that almost brought them to their knees.
Albeit, Manasseh and a good number of right thinking members of society hold the view that the chief masterminds and or perpetrators of such acts are still roaming the streets free.
There have been several other exposés that Manasseh has been involved with that have become national issues. For example, just recently, his investigations into a case involving a 16-year-old and a renowned medical doctor revealed a case of (and several other cases) of sodomy perpetrated by this doctor. The talking point from his investigations has been ongoing.
One of the strong convictions of Manasseh that he doesn’t hesitate to share on Facebook whenever he has the opportunity is the fact that what is taught in journalism school is not what people who practice should stick to. He believes that a journalist should have an opinion about a subject and should say it without leaving it to the judgement of the reader/viewer/listener.
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This conviction seems to be one of the things that drives him to pursue the issues that lead to massive corruption and raping of the state in the manner that he does. He thinks that he owes it a duty to the country and its people to name and shame those who he sees as taking the money of the people wrongfully.
One of the worries I had for Manasseh and reason I thought he would not last long in a formal establishment like Joy FM had to be about the fact that usually sales and marketing people, who have targets to meet, will prevent stories such as the one on GYEEDA and RLG from being broadcast for obvious reasons. In such an environment, there will be repression and man with Awuni’s principles will walk away.
This week marked two years of his arrival at Joy FM and no one should be an aeronautic scientists to know the work that this 29 year old man has done during the period. He has been good at what he does and any commendation that he gets is very well deserved.
Despite being very new (in relative terms) to journalism and broadcasting, Awuni has done enough to endear himself to many and the many awards that have come his way attests to the fact that his diligence is worthy of note.
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He was awarded by Legacy and Legacy last year as a successful achiever under 40 and a report from that ceremony on www.myjoyonline.com indicates that “before joining Joy FM in November 2012, Manasseh worked as a freelance journalist, focusing on rural reporting and reports which highlight the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the society. In the two years of his practice, Manasseh won many journalism awards.
“At the 2011 GJA Awards, Manasseh who was just coming out of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and practicing journalism alongside his National Service won three journalism awards: the Best TV News Reporter, the Best Human Rights Reporter and The Most Promising Journalist of the Year.
“At the 2012 GJA Awards Manasseh swept Four Awards: The Best Features Writer in the Print Category, the Best Sanitation Reporter, the Best TV News Reporter and the overall Best Journalist of the Year.
“He also one of the winners of the maiden edition of the National Youth Achievers Awards for Media Excellence in 2012.”
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It was at that event that Pastor Otabil described him as a “treasure to the country.”
This piece is to celebrate this young man, this iconoclast, this different journalist who has redefined the rule for investigative journalism on radio.
In Manasseh’s eyes there is black and there is white and you have to call each by their name, even as a journalist.
It is by belief that Manasseh will go on to become one of the biggest things that happened to radio since Komla Dumor!
Twitter: TheGHMediaGuru