Counting the days... Finally bow out of Graphic
After 30 years of dedicated and diligent service to the market leader in the media landscape, the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), I started my terminal leave yesterday and will bow out finally from this noble organisation on May 3, 2021.
I remain very grateful to the GCGL, for giving me the opportunity to ply my trade as a journalist after graduating from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
The company has been the fortress of my life and it has immensely impacted my life, both professionally and in my family life.
It was during my working life at Graphic that I got married and had my four children. In terms of support, it was Graphic that took care of the medical and other miscellaneous bills of my nuclear family, which is rare in most organisations.
My working life with Graphic also gave me the opportunity to travel and see some parts of the world, including Germany, Switzerland, the US, China, Egypt and Nigeria.
Personality profiles
As I sat at home last weekend replaying my life as a journalist and trying to recollect some of my achievements and accomplishments, it dawned on me that, arguably, I am one of the few journalists who had the opportunity to interview high-profile personalities in this country.
I recollected that it was under the tenure of the late Editor of The Mirror, Mrs Margaret Safo, that the Personality Profile became a permanent feature in the paper.
The idea behind the introduction of that content was the conviction of Mrs Safo that readers like to read about people, both the celebrated and the downtrodden.
She, therefore, encouraged me to put a list of personalities together, so that we could start interviewing them for the Personality Profile column, which usually featured the personality and his/her family on the front page of the paper.
I put a tall list together and showed it to her. She added some names to the list and encouraged me to get to work.
I remember the first personality we settled on was the then President of the Association of Ghana Industries, Prince Kofi Kludjeson.
After that great interview and subsequent publication of the first profile, the plan caught on well, and at a point in time senior citizens and accomplished personalities themselves started calling The Mirror for interviews.
There were instances when avid readers of the paper recommended other distinguished personalities for profiling.
Interviewees
I was not the only member of staff of the paper who interviewed personalities for the profile page. The other reporters, including the Editor, also did.
Taking a look back at the days and the number of personalities I interviewed for that page, I can safely say that I have singularly conducted more profiling than any other reporter in the annals of Graphic history.
Among the interviewees were Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then in opposition; former President John Agyekum Kufuor and former President John Dramani Mahama, both of them while sitting Presidents; Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, then Minority Leader; Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, then Majority Leader; Mr Haruna Iddrisu, then Minister of Communications, and Mrs Theresa Kufuor and Mrs Fulera Limann, both former First Ladies.
The others were the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin; the Juabenhene and current Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe; the Agogohene, Nana Akuoko Sarpong; Apostle Michael Ntumy, former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost; the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso; Apostle Kwadwo Safo of Kristo Asafo, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyepong of Zoomlion, Mr K.T. Dadzie of the First African Financial Services, Mrs Bella Ahu of Trafix Catering Services and Mrs Grace Amey Obeng of the FC Group of Companies.
On the media landscape, I interviewed some giants of the industry, such as Mr Kabral Blay-Amihere and Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, both former Presidents of the Ghana Journalists Association; the ace broadcaster, Komla Dumor of blessed memory; Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr, Kwami Sefa Kayi of Peace FM, Kweku Baako Jnr., Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey Santana, Israel Laryea of Multimedia Broadcasting, among others, while on the musical front, I dealt with top musicians, such as, Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede, Asabea Cropper, the late Kwabena Onyina, as well as Samini, Castro, Daughters of Glorious Jesus (the trio), Amy Newman, Stella Seal, Rev. Mary Ghansah, Diana Hopeson, Hannah Marfo and Philipa Baafi. The list is unending, but space will not permit me to continue.
There were also sportsmen and others from varied sectors of society, including my favourite footballers, Addo Odametey of blessed memory, John Bortey Naawu, Awuley Quaye, Rev. Kofi Pare, Adolf Armah, Anas Seidu, Abedi Pele, Tony Yeboah, Samuel Osei Kuffour, John Mensah, among others.
Through those interviews, I learnt a lot from the experiences the interviewees shared with me, which helped to build my capacity as a journalist, and as a family man.
Gratitude to Editors
I consider myself one of the luckiest journalists to have worked in the Graphic stable. This is because I happened to have worked under seven editors along my career path.
I started work at The Mirror under Mr E.N.O. Provencal and later under Mrs Safo and then Ms Janet Quartey.
At the Junior Graphic, I worked under Mrs Mavis Kitcher, before joining the Daily Graphic to work under Mr Ransford Tetteh, Mr K.K. Inkoom (acting Editor) and later Mr Kobby Asmah, under whose tenure I am proceeding on retirement.
These are all solid editors who guided and helped shape my work. They made a great impact on me and helped in making me what I am today. I am most grateful to all of them.
To my colleagues and all those I have worked with along the chain, accept my gratitude for your cooperation, and for all who experienced the worst part of me, I extend an olive branch to you. Kindly accept my apologies, since my actions were without malice. I hope we will remain in touch, even though physically I will not be around issuing instructions to you. I will miss you all.
The writer is the Night Editor of the Daily Graphic
E-mail: vanceazu@yahoo.com