What an unusual preacher man this man was. Having preached in the trotro for almost half my journey, he asked us to bow our heads for a prayer. He said a lot of things during his prayer but what I least expected to hear was, ‘let every pregnancy conceived in Ghana give birth to a Martin Amidu’. When he said this, there was a thunderous amen.

I have followed with keen interest, the debates regarding the appointment of Martin Amidu. In most parts of our world, many a righteous person is often regarded as foolish and arrogant. If for instance you are in an office where everybody is looting, lying and cheating to make life ‘better’ for themselves and you do the contrary, then you are a fool. There are, however, a few people who by their upbringing and personal conviction, revere and fear the ‘hereafter’ than the ‘here’. For them, then here is a transit to the hereafter. So, because of this moral and religious obligation, they see and do things a different way.

I have heard many a person argues that Amidu is embittered with his own party; the NDC. I cannot say that is true. What I do know is he is bitter about the level of corruption in Ghana. My people from savanna-land have mentioned that if a chief ever goes for a charm to put his people in check, then for him to be taken seriously, he should start from his own household.

My engagement with the media these few days has revealed that the work given to Martin Amidu is not going to be easy. I envision that within and outside certain political spheres and conclaves, there would be attempts to frustrate the work of this saint of our time. I, however, find solace in the saying that the head cannot be heavier than the neck that carries it. 

I have read a lot about the saints of old. My Catholic teachings have revealed that most of them were martyred for the truth. And for this, their impeccable lifestyles which greatly shaped their societies and the world has immortalized their souls. The saints were ordinary people who did extraordinary things. At this era, of our lives, a lot of things are going wrong and it takes an Amidu to say them the way they are.

There will be great lessons to be learnt from the days to come. When the lion chanced upon the tortoise and wanted to devour him, the tortoise asked for time. Lion granted him the time and asked him to be quick with whatever he wanted to do. Then at the cross-road where they two animals met, tortoise started jumping about and scratching the ground. As a result, gullies and dust were formed. When the lion asked for an explanation to those fighting antics, tortoise explained that he wanted his progenies to know the good fight he had with the lion before he died.

Saints are never losers. They do not fail. It is a society that fails them. For the society not to fail, we have to be supportive; spiritually, physically and morally. Even the saints need that.

The author is a student of the University of Ghana (MA Theatre Arts [Media Arts Option])