GHANA DEY JOM: ALL HAIL NOBEL LAUREATE FAUSTER

Ghana is a great country no doubt. Sometimes, the exploits of some Ghanaians is a testimony of how great we are as a nation. The ingenuity and how easy it is to walk to the status of greatness is unfathomable. It leaves you awed, stealing away your breath and freezing your thoughts and words. All that you can say afterwards is HMM! I suggest there should be a statutory HMM!! Day.

Ghana is a great country. A nation applauded for her respect for individual freedoms and a beacon of democracy, the shining star among other sister African nations. Our sense of patriotism is second to known, especially when Ghana is playing a soccer match. Our sense of hospitality is incomparable.  I’m yet to hear one non-Ghanaian speak ill about the legendary ‘Ghanaian Hospitality’.

Unlike other countries, one can say and do anything in Ghana and will return home, sleep comfortably in his sofa or bed , next to his wife/hubby, wake up the next bright day, drink his/her hausa koko or eat waakye and be on a roll again. If you doubt this then you have not been listening to political radio discussions especially the phone-in segment.

This safety net of freedom is not readily available in some countries. This week we heard of six Iranians charged for making and dancing in video inspired by Pharrell Williams’ hit song ‘Happy’. According to the Iranian authorities, it is “improper” for Muslims to “jump around in that way, whether or not they are on camera.” Global appeals led to the release of the six young Iranians. This is crazy chale! (apologies EL).

Fauster at work

Back to Ghana, and a certain young man without portfolio engineered his own path to greatness and national attention. He became a ‘celebrity’ just few hours (in a country where you are touted a celebrity if you appear on TV, you should understand Fauster). A self acclaimed scientists and the youngest Ghanaian to have worked with NASA, a ‘Nobel’ Laureate (dude has a tall list of credentials), Fauster Attah Mensah had the guts to fraudulently exploit the gullibility of the State owned television station, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) into granting him an interview, where he succeeded at nearly bamboozling the nation if not for the vigilance of some who noticed the fraud of Fauster. All the photos used by the Nobel Laureate were photo shopped. What guts!

One Kofi Abronomaa Nyarko took time to investigate Fauster’s claim it came out that most, if not all, were fabricated. See Kofi Nyarko’s report here https://app.box.com/s/qyv4pmgsyqffluu3n6za).

Next story we heard was that his church, Church of Pentencost has celebrated and honoured this ‘prodigious’ young scientist for his achievement (his ‘Nobel’ Laureate award) which no one ever heard. That’s not all; the Ministry in charge of Science in Ghana had also bought this fraud, hosting the story on their website (the story and the video link have all been deleted by those who swallowed the bait).

Now, the journalist who interviewed Fauster Atta Mensah, Abdul Hayi Moomen has received stick from the public for not verifying the claims of Fauster before hosting him on his show, ‘Moomen Tonight’. I feel sorry for him since he is the face of the show. I think the irresponsibility should be shared in this manner: 25% to Moomen for being a ‘low-down popcorn’, 30% to GBC for rushing for the right to exclusive news, and the other 45% to the producer of the show for being plainly stupid and silly for failing to check and double check the story and credentials of Fauster Atta Mensah.

The hurried manner in which the Church of Pentecost celebrated the ‘success’ of Fauster shows one thing: How we, as a society are quick to celebrate someone without bothering to investigate the authenticity of his claims and/achievement. We are too quick to bask in the glory and sometimes the end harm our reputation as the case of the church clearly shows.

The Church has issues a disclaimer to disassociate itself from the claims of their honorary Nobel Laureate church member, Fauster Atta Mensah (published below):

The action exhibited by The Church of Pentecost hereby dissociates itself from the claim by Fauster Atta Mensah as being a Nobel prize in physics awardee and all other such claims by him. The Church wishes to intimate that yearly it acknowledges members who excel in their fields of endeavour as a way of motivation based on trust. It is in this vein that seven members were honoured during this year’s Extra Ordinary Council Meetings including Fauster. Fauster’s claim has however turned out to be false. 

Meanwhile the church is helping him to see a clinical psychologist. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

If I’m allowed to make a suggestion it will be that GBC invite him for another interview so he can explain how he succeeded in conning almost everyone in Ghana here! (As we say down here)