Members of the public who thronged the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) to watch the latest exposé by the ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas have taken to social media to register their disappointment with the content of the documentary they queued to go and watch.
The exposé, dubbed Galamsey Economy, was expected to unveil a major undercover investigation of the galamsey phenomenon, which continues to devastate Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves.
Facebook discontent
“BigGodwin Martey”, a popular Facebook user, wrote the following on his page after watching the exposé: “Anas Galamsey Documentary. Much ado about nothing! Mtheeeew, totally disappointed with this one. 10/100. Anas quality seems to be on constant decline! This is not the Anas we knew! Mtheeeew!”
Another Facebook user, Nana Ama, also registering disappointment, said: “Your camera only captures some group of thieves and spare other groups of thieves. Stop being partial. Entrapment all the time. When will your camera capture all the thieves. Please come again. Half baked bread.”
Twitter annotations
On Twitter, BetMonster @betmonst wrote on his handle: “But seriously we black people have problem oo … so how comfortably people sitting with this guys that nobody knows their identity n saying they fighting corruption in Ghana and spending thousands of dollars just to make setup videos … and we think they are genuine.”
Another Twitter user, Richard K B Eyiah, wrote on his handle: “Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ Galamsey Economy Exposé. I think he and his team are doing well but I still have the view that there are ethical issues.
“If you decide to give an officer/anybody money (ie, without the person making any initial demands or solicitation) after talking with him/her I wonder if that will qualify for corruption. Suffice to say that it was even an ‘inducement’ to facilitate a legitimate process; aren’t both the giver and receiver candidates of a crime? #LordHaveMercy.”
Exit interviews
In an account given by a patron of the premiered documentary, he noted: “I went to watch the second show of the Anas documentary titled the Galamsey Economy.
“From inception it seems it targeted Hon. Charles Adu Boahene and Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta. The documentary lasted about 30/40 minutes and most of it focused mainly on the two honourable ministers.
“Almost 80% of the show captured comment and promises of then candidate Akufo-Addo; his ideologies in fighting corruption and government failure to act on the death of Ahmed Hussein-Suale despite an insightful comment from Hon Kennedy Agyapong.
“There was a section of the documentary that focused on how companies of the main figures, Charles Adu Boahen and Ken Ofori-Atta, had led to excessive borrowing by Ghana from the bond market since 2017 to date.
“The highlight was on Charles Adu Boahen as he was implicated in a deal. There was focus on him and no other person. Some money was received as a gift by Charles Adu Boahene where he further expressed his relationship and involvement in government businesses but the sound was poor.
“There were no long queues for the 8.00pm as compared to the 4.00pm. At the end people where very disappointed and angry labelling the entire documentary as ‘misleading’,” the viewer of Galamsey Economy recounted.
In another account, a viewer said, “I arrived at AICC at 7:00pm to watch the 8:00pm documentary of Anas. My observations were: the premiering of the documentary entitled GALAMSEY ECONOMY was attributed to the late Ahmed Hussein-Suale (an investigative journalist of Tiger Eye PI)”.
“The documentary lasted for about 30 minutes thereabout. About 80% of the show was on President Akufo-Addo’s campaign promise to use what is called the ‘Anas Principle’ to deal with corruption embedded within some tax collection agencies in the country if voted into power.
“There were excerpts of the Number 12 exposé on Kwesi Nyantakyi, galamsey fraud on Charles Bissue and Kennedy Agyapong exposing Ahmed Hussein-Suale in Who Watches the Watchman and how that led to his death.
“About 30% of the show seems like an attempt to trap Ken Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen for conflict of interest for using their companies (Databank and Black Star Advisors) to secure Eurobonds.
“One disguised Tiger Eye PI investigative journalist appears as an investor with the named sheikh (prince) who, after some interaction, gives some money (US dollars) to Charles Adu Boahen for shopping with the aim to assist him meet the Vice-President Bawumia. Mr Adu Boahen is seen taking the money.
“The auditorium was full to capacity at that time though it started almost half full and the audience starts murmuring whenever the Finance Minister appears on the screen.
“The show end[ed] abruptly and the audience beg[a]n murmuring again. Some were angry and were heard complaining that they are disappointed because the documentary was ‘over-exaggerated’ and ‘over-hyped’,” the viewer said in his account.
Wilberforce Asare
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