My journey through Graphic - Edmund Smith-Asante writes - Part 2

I could sense that Kofi was not happy when I told him I wouldn’t apply because I wouldn't be available before the deadline elapsed, but I couldn’t be bothered.

A very close sister at church came out when she realised I had exited the church hall to make a call and asked if all was well.

I said yes and explained what had transpired. I remember she told me, “It may be God’s will for you, so why don’t you give it a try?”

I ran away, or so I thought then, with the same explanation that there was a deadline I could not meet.

Whew! I immediately turned my focus to my trip that evening and believed that suggestion to apply to work on the Daily Graphic had been safely tucked away.

I then entered the church hall to continue with the service.

The message

Unbeknownst to me, I had not been let off the hook.

I received a message on Messenger from a very close friend and a member of a network of journalists I also belonged to, who was also a staff member of Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) then.

Naa Lamiley Bentil’s message sent at 12:41 p.m. on June 5, 2013, was straight to the point.

“Hello dearie, have recommended you for employment at Graphic, so let me know if u are interested.”

She also told me of the deadline for the submission of applications and curriculum vitae.

Wait a minute. What’s going on here, I asked myself.

I instantly replied that I could not meet the deadline because I was on the way to Europe to attend a conference and wouldn’t be back till the deadline had elapsed. She then asked me when I would be returning, and I told her I would be spending a week.

My exact response was, “Miss you dear, but sorry I did not call to say bye bye.

It is because everything was not certain until the last minute.

Will be back Friday, all things being equal.

Tell me more about the Graphic stuff, dear.

“Kofi Yeboah called me when I was at church on Sunday, but could not act on it since I was travelling that same night and now you!

What is happening? How come my name seems to be on everyone's lips at your end?”

But she was no pushover and would not let me be.

She explained that the Daily Graphic was undergoing redesign and “dedicated and hardworking” people like me were needed for immediate employment… Moi?

I asked myself.

At least just give it a try, she said.

So I reluctantly told her I would spare a thought on the prospect, knowing very well that I was not eager to apply.

By God’s grace, the trip to Delft in The Netherlands for the first-ever water integrity conference, where I also did a presentation on behalf of the Ghana Watsan Journalists Network (GWJN), was very successful and when it was all over, I headed back to Accra.

Multiple calls

After we had touched down at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and I had completed all arrival formalities, I was still at the airport when I received a call from Naa, asking if I had returned.

I was so bemused that I hadn’t even gotten home and I was being reminded that I had an issue to deal with (Oh my! I thought I had been let off the hook, but no!).

Surprised at the call, I replied that I had just arrived and was yet to get home.

Later, when I got home, I had not even settled in when another call came through from Naa. She wanted to find out if I had arrived home and was working on my application and CV.

When I said I was just settling in to think about all that she said, she was forwarding me two emails to send my CV to and that I was now only required to send my CV.

The recipients, I found out later, were the then Managing Director, Kenneth Ashigbey and a Deputy News Editor, Albert Salia.

Naa told me years down the line why she gave me that pressure.

“Albert Salia asked that I should recommend anyone I thought was capable for immediate employment, and you were the only person who came to mind,” she explained. 

Continue reading from this link: My Journey through Graphic - Part 3