John Prempeh Bonsu was our wise counsel : A tribute to Ghana’s former Controller and Accountant General
“For all the saints who from their labours rest, Who thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesu, be for ever blest, Alleluia”
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We first met September 8, 1961 on the Kwabotwe Hill, having come to Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast, as part of a cohort of one hundred and one greenhorns from various parts of Ghana.
John arrived from Kumasi, in the company of mates now Architect Ernest “Boston” Banning, Quantity Surveyor Kofi Newman, and yours truly.
In Balmer House, his friends included Ing Manasseh Paintsil, Lt Col Timothy Barnes, K. Karikari, and MOBA 66 members Ing William Sam, Dr William Amanfu, Dr Harry Tawiah, Joe Ashie, and others.
Introduction
I recall the day in Ashanti New Town, Kumasi, when I attempted to introduce John to my uncle, Isaac Kwamena Tamakloe. I said, “This is my friend John Prempeh. We are form mates at Mfantsipim”. My uncle smiled, and said, “I’ve known ‘John Bull’ since his childhood”. It happened that one of John’s elder brothers shared a house with my uncle in the 1950s, and the amiable little John was the kid they sent out to pick a weekly British newspaper called “John Bull”, hence the nickname. Back in school we were to call him John Bull, in addition to Prempeh, the tradition by which we called each other by our last names.
[The real John Bull was depicted in British political cartoons as an iconic character full of native common sense and strong like a bull, with a fondness for beer. The John Bull satiric image was similar to the Uncle Sam image used in the United States.]
Our own John was born in Kumasi, 6th May 1946, to Barima Kojo Bonsu, a son of Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom and a brother of Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh ll, Asantehene. His mother was Madam Clara Derkyi (Maame Afua Amoa) of Appeadu Oyoko Family. John was the Kaakyire, the last of seven children which included the industrious Bonsu Brothers.
Right from his youth, John stood tall, disciplined, neat, handsome, cheerful and graceful. He stammered a bit, so he compensated by learning to be a good listener. On many occasions at school, in lieu of taking part in fast paced jumpy conversations, he just listened and let out a hearty laughter when impressed by a sharp point of view. He joined arguments mostly as a last resort: to break a tie, or when a speedy conclusion was needed. Looking back, he served as our wise counsel, our de facto chairman. I remember his worldly advice, “Be in a state of readiness always.”
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He and I sat by the same desks from Form 1A to Form 3A, after which we parted ways to pursue different options in Form 4. He was particularly interested in the Arts - English, French, Latin, Literature, Geography, and was later to win a prize in History. He spoke Twi, Fanti, and Ga.
I recall an occasion when we attended the yearly inter-colleges athletic meeting at Adisadel College - where the secondary schools in Cape Coast (including St. Augustine’s,
Ghana National, Wesley Girls, Holy Child, Mfantsiman, Aggrey Memorial) competed. At such social events everyone tried to look cool; the few who had dark glasses (we termed them “Kusum” or “Ray Charles”) wore them for swagger rights. And here we were with only one pair between us. We resolved the impasse by wearing the glasses in turns: about thirty minutes for him, and an equal time for me.
Nana Akwasi’s joint
John was to introduce me to Nana Akwasi Agyeman (later the Mayor of Kumasi) who was so gracious as to open his house at Ashanti New Town to us. We loved Nana
Akwasi’s joint during the vacation: it sported a state of the art stereo radiogram and numerous long playing vinyl albums many of which were rare in Ghana; they were gifts from his friends abroad.
The songs included latest albums from the 1960s by James Brown, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Cliff Richard, and others. But
John preferred the national bands: Uhuru, Black Beats, Stargazers, and The Globemasters. He had a great ear for music, and after each holiday, he treated us to a repertoire of highlife songs. He enjoyed singing Eben Asem Na Omma Da, and Jerry Hansen’s Ramblers tunes as Ama Bonsu, Agyanka Dabre, and Nyame Mbere. When he sang, the stammering disappeared completely.
After his Cambridge O Level’s, he opted to continue his sixth form at Prempeh College, Kumasi, in line with his ancestral royal roots. Even before then, he spoke often of studying Banking and Law in London.
1977 Summer meeting
We met again in London in the summer of 1977. He had just about completed his studies as a Chartered Accountant, and I was visiting briefly from California. That was my first time in London, and John was a perfect companion, picking me up to meet some bosom friends. Next, he took me to his favourite shops on Oxford Street where he helped me select two sports jackets: one brown, the other navy blue. Now at his flat, his better half had prepared a sumptuous feast for good measure.
Back in Ghana, John was to serve as the deputy Controller and Accountant General from 1994, and the substantive Controller from 2001 to 2005. We used to hang out at our monthly MOBA 66 meetings, but he was to keep to himself later on: he was not well. His Maker called him home, finally, November 20, 2015.
Oheneba, damirifa due. John Bull, nante yie.