Zita Sarbah Okaikoi, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic, threw diplomatic decorum to the woods when she launched a verbal tirade on Bright Simons, one of Ghana’s foremost technology innovators, on social media platform, Facebook.
According to Zita, the Mpedigree Founder who is also a member of policy think-tank, IMANI Ghana, had made remarks that appeared to suggest that South Africa rejected her as Ghana’s High Commissioner.
“It has come to my notice that one Bright Simons, who should know better, is peddling falsehood about me and the government. I wish to put on record that I, Zita Okaikoi, was never at any point in time posted to South Africa by H. E. the President,” Zita charged.
According to her, it was the media and “people like him (Bright Simons) who at the time when I was announced ambassador-designate, started speculating about countries that we could be sent to and I believe one of the newspapers posted me to South Africa.”
Diplomatic Reasons
The former information minister said, “There is a reason why the country of posting is not announced, and it is for diplomatic reasons. So I guess I need to educate Bright Simons to help him out of his ignorance. And there is also a reason the ambassadors stay in Ghana for a few months before they leave.”
She added, “An agreement has to be sent to the receiving country first. It sometimes takes three to four months for a response to come. And when that is done, you go through your visa preparation, etc before you can leave.”
Kenkey & Fish
She said “It’s not like kenkey and fish Simons. And we also do the same for diplomats who come to our country.
“But to the point you made about South Africa rejecting me, if you had been more diligent, and not laid in your bed to just think of creating mischief with my name, you would have gotten out of your bed, gone to the South African embassy and find out if at any point in time I was posted to them as ambassador-designate.”
Legal Threats
She threatened to take legal action against Bright if he peddled falsehood against her for not cross-checking the information before putting it out.
“You just decide to mislead people on your page with lies. If you dare write any falsehood about me again, I will not be responding on Facebook. We shall be meeting in court for you to prove your lies. I have served notice to you. I am sure Simons can use his time to do better things than paint the image of our country black. Nation wreckers!” she charged.
Simons’ Comment
Bright Simons’ crime was that he had posted on Facebook that “Reports from the country suggest that South Africa finally accepted Ghana’s choice of High Commissioner.
“If my records are right, the last high commissioner was Mr. Lee Ocran, who was accredited in 2010. He was then appointed in 2012 to the Education Ministry. If my understanding is still right, the South Africans then rejected, for failing to satisfy their diplomatic expectations, a number of appointees, including former Information Minister, Ms. Zita Okaikoi.”
He had said “The effect is that for nearly three years (essentially throughout the current administration) we have not had a diplomat of full standing in Africa’s most advanced economy, and have had to make do with an acting legate, simply because we refused to send to South Africa someone that country considers worthy of full diplomatic status in that country.
“Apparently, we have had these problems with a few other diplomatic appointments too. So, people are announced as diplomats, and then they sit in Accra for months doing nothing. SMH,” he added.
DAILY GUIDE checks indicated that General Henry Smith, a former Defence Minister, was also posted to South Africa before re-routing him to the United States after the US government allegedly rejected Dr Cadman Mills, brother of the late President Atta Mills.
Dr Mills is said to have backed out of the Mahama administration because of frustration.
<<Print>>