Respect for Abra Appiah…

PLB Boss, Welbeck Abra Appiah

In this part of the world, it is so rare to find leaders on their own accord leaving important positions they have occupied for a considerable length of time. If they don’t cling to power in office until old-age catches up on them, they are often forced out. Their good deeds and the fine principles with which they came to office and their achievements are often ruined by the ills associated with their stubborn grip of power.

This is common especially in politics. Governments hang onto power either by cunningly altering term limits or disregarding agreed constitutional dictates. Politics in Africa and generally third-world countries is replete with stories of such obstinate power-drunks.

Outside politics, particularly in sports and African football for that matter, there are many examples of leaders who stay in office till eternity. That is why I was excited last Thursday, when I read news stories indicating that, Premier League Board (PLB) Chairman, Welbeck Abra Appiah has announced that, he would voluntarily vacate his post when the 2014/15 season ends.

“Yes, I’ll step down at the end of the season. It’s been 10 years and I think it’s time for me to allow someone to continue… I guess anyone interested should start lobbying for the position. It’s not been all gloomy as others want us to believe. We have chalked some successes and at the appropriate time, we’ll make the necessary disclosure” Abra Appiah was quoted as saying.

Without any flattery, I say Abra Appiah is of a different breed. His kind is rare. While I won’t draw comparisons which potentially could be misconstrued to impugn the integrity of others, I would want to use this space to applaud Abra Appiah for showing that, there are still leaders in Ghana and Africa who know and believe that, holding onto power for too long isn’t helpful.

Not that, Abra Appiah has been incompetent. It isn’t that he can’t continue with the work but he believes he has served well enough. This is the time for him to leave for “someone to continue”. That’s the type of leaders Africa needs – not those who hang on to power even when indications are clear that, bowing out gracefully would be helpful to them and the people they came to serve.

I have been admiring Abra Appiah from a distance. I have for all the period he has been around liked him and his seeming disciplinarian posture and his constant insistence on doing the right thing. I have on few occasions met and interacted with him but our phone conversations have been many.

Abra Appiah comes across as a decent, open-minded man. I respect him. I borrow part of Burning Spear’s lyrics in his song, “This Man” to once say again: “I respect him”. As he alluded to in that quote from an interview he reportedly granted Atinka FM, the time will come for his tenure to be thoroughly assessed. I guess that will be when he appropriately and finally quits.

I want to believe Abra Appiah will leave the PLB post – not necessarily the Ghana Football Association. By then, it would be prudent to critically evaluate his term as Chairman of the PLB for a decade. What he achieved and what he wasn’t able to achieve would be looked at. 

Even before that time comes, I agree with him in totality that, it hasn’t been all gloomy for his administration. He definitely must have brought some transformation and talk about that will presently be shelved. I will only trek on Abra Appiah’s passion to see the local league being promoted to conclude that, we do ourselves greater harm with the continuous bastardization of our Premier League especially by people in the media who should know better.

Commentaries that, the Ghanaian league is in shambles – a state of disorganization – only denigrate the competition in the eyes of the corporate groups we want to court. It’s easy to overlook the gains made by our league especially when you aren’t so aware of where we were.

It’s indeed cheap to assume that, our league is the worst you can find. We are so fond of measuring the standards here without taking into consideration the living standards in the country. That isn’t fair and explains why we come to such hasty, harsh conclusions. I will return to this subject in future, God willing. For now, I doff my hat to Mr. Abra Appiah for his honourable decision. He has done a lot for Ghana football.