Thoughts of Hajia Fati's son Alfa Shaban: Ghana dynasty patrona: Narkwor, the ‘tall order' kick-ass leader of men

From a distance, an acquaintance from way back

The word "kick-ass" sounded someway to me till I looked it up and it meant, "Successful, effective, aggressive, forceful," I hope the script below justifies that label for the "tall order" that a relatively short subject of this piece achieved - in a short period.

Entering the same professional knicker with Veronica in 2016 in the faraway Congo Republic was for me, a rebirth of someone I’d known but not known. Don’t be quick to brand me confused, I’m just too known with words, ask THE Ama.

Real name, Dynasty patrona, more popular alias Veronica Narkwor Kwabla, was to me known since she was in Senior High School, me in Junior High, she was big sister Fuleira’s friend.

Both attended Accra Girls but she was in the boarding house. The reason I got to know where she stayed. I escorted Fuleira to their home to collect commodities for her a number of times.

Then I got to secondary school and found myself in Accra Boys secondary school, we, at St. Thomas Aquinas, were the boys school for Accra Girls. STAAGA was a union to bask in.

Veronica on Africanews set (L), Narkwor at KIA (M), Ms. Kwabla in Africanews "corridors of power"

Vrooom, next stop the screens – TV Africa, TV3 and out

I’m not attempting to write a biography of someone, of all people Veronica knows I cannot. But big sister always spoke about her when she popped up on the screens way back, of TV Africa.

Then from TV Africa, a drastic upgrade. She left behind the then one-way TV Africa settings in Awudome – famed for a cemetery, then did she BURST into life.

Cue in the flashy studios of TV3 right about the diplomatic, presidential enclave in Kanda. Got lost from screens and we didn’t know to where, she was not my friend, I didn’t care.

This piece is written to coincide with the second-year anniversary when she was crowned with Health and Medical Award at the 2016 CNN Multichoice African Journalist Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Location Johannesburg, when we grabbed award for Ebola efforts.

Africanews and the feisty face up to nasty enemies of the dynasty

“Narkwor isn’t the tallest person in the room. For whatever reason some folks felt, that plus the fact that she is female will make her a walkover. That’s what I figured. She may be under 5 5” but she packs a punch,” professional summary of Veronica, thanks to THE Ama.

“As Shaban will say, don’t bring yourself. She’s a live and let’s live kindda lady. You underestimate her at your own peril. She fought their fire with professional fire,” THE Ama continues in her blog post, A tribe called DYNASTY.”

So is the story told of Cameroonians, Nigerians and Kenyans who set out to accuse Veronica of bias and favoritism. After proving that the claims were spineless. She stood up, despite her height, and demanded that standards are adhered to – have I stated that she was the English desk chief at the time? Ok, now you know.

We, Ghanaians at Africanews, sojourning in Congo, six of us in as many months. Not exactly the Big Six, we were already independent and didn’t need liberation but one Veronica was Nkrumah, Obetsebi, Ako Adjei, Danquah et. al. even add Kwegiri Aggrey.

Our escapades as a group is captured in an earlier blog I wrote titled: “Congo sojourn: Asase aban Ghana dynasty and our je m’en fou swag.” All this while she didn’t know I knew her. One day, outta the blue, the facts came to bear. I mean, just like that!

Three professional landmarks I chalked under Narkwor’s leadership

Africanews.com started in 2015 but went live in January 2016. I joined in February same year. Despite the benefit of having a bigger sister company, Euronews, we had different audiences and needed to cultivate our niche and if you like, curate our audience.

We set out to cover elections in a special way. The LIVE page. Then South Africa’s local polls came along. I was on daytime duty and Veronica asked that I keep a keen eye on the vote. Long story short, that LIVE page became the biggest read on the site since kick-off. It elicited an appreciation email from company CEO in Lyon.

I sent Narkwor an email thanking her for the heads up. She saw the mail late and replied with a terrorism laced test – 100% magnanimity. “… you did it man. Congrats. More grace to do higher things…” apt from a 5 5” boss.

Magnanimity, you doubt?

Then came my days of mistakes, supervisors got worried. Shaban had a good eye for stories but would commit a spelling or grammatical blunder somewhere in there. Solution, I needed a second eye before publishing article – step in, Veronica.

I did a story on Kabila visiting Uganda where he spoke about elections that were expected in late 2016. It was a long article, sent to Veronica to vet. Then she replied that from a journalistic angle, Kabila speaking about polls is more important a headline.

Available options, I either broke the story into two or bring his views top of the article. I chose option one. Since then, I have developed a keen sense of picking story angles, subsequent successes have largely been built on that.

Lastly, I still have an inheritance she bequeathed to a colleague when she resigned. Real name aportoryuwa, alias earthen ware pot and grinder. She left it for Smart Akrofi Abbey Nii, THE star boy. When Nii decided to quit, I got it.

That aportoyuwa is currently doing the work of the Lord in my kitchen. My days of tomatoes and pepper slicing evaporated, just like that. Don’t ask me how Congolese grind pepper. And don’t dare question the professional nature of this last point.

Long Walk to Freedom – Pointe Noire, Istanbul via Accra

When Veronica finally said “Time Up,” she meant it. Double-header party, evening pizza and drinks on last Friday – Veronica, Ismail, Nii and me.

Part two, a weekend at Andy’s residence. The day J-Rice chef said a prayer and served us a blast. Andy is an affiliate dynasty member, ask THE Ama.

Away into the skies, she flew back to Accra and onwards to Turkey where she took post at TRT World. From Africa to the world, another summary to the person and character of Veronica.

The daring Ebola reports from Sierra Leone and Liberia crowned our patrona best health journalist on the continent, CNN Journalists award. T’was at a time she had collected enough at home, go and ask the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA.

Sunset on Congo, Pointe-Noire, Vero in shot straight from Istanbul.

Dear Veronica,

That your life of looking in people’s faces and telling them off eh, I recall when I responded to your tweet with official Africanews account. You were like, “do you know you have insulted me?” Surprised I responded, “Ow….” Then the fire, “Fii…” Quietly did I go and delete le tweet.

And oh, Narkwor and Ismail even sparred on pronounciations, what word was it? J'oublie. Ismail, web + TV journalist, opinionated, cantankerous, racist hating Face to Face Africa boss. THE Ama describes him best.

And then, there was Narkwor's ORDER to the office drivers to wait after midnight to take journalists home. Veronica was like, “ici c’est media, c’est pas boulangerie.” Translated: This is a media house not a bakery.

I won’t go into your ”fireball” episodes with people during Friday meetings. The dynasty is proud of your continued leadership. You served the motherland well. Kiki as Juliet and THE Ama called you, many are those you kicked and “keeked” – Ghana term for electrocuted.

This was her message to those that brought sand to the gari party.

Long may you continue along that path of impacting. It is only for you we pray the Lira strengthens. Cheers to the future – professional, love and family, old age and all the fun that comes with it.

End of my nonsense, at least I have said my own.

Safar 8, 1440 = October 17, 2018

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