The flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says he wanted to be a film director.
The thought of studying and practising law seemed an afterthought following an eye-opening banter between a man who later became one of his political mentors – the late Victor Owusu – and another in open court.
Victor Owusu was Attorney General during the Busia-led United Party (UP) administration.
In an interview with Joy FM’s Kojo Yankson on his 72nd birthday which fell on Tuesday, he recalled with nostalgic memory how he relished the desire of being a film director.
“There was a moment in my life when I wanted to be a film director; yes, yes,” he told his host in an interview conducted at his private residence located at Nima, Accra.
That, he said, is one of the reasons he has such admiration for the movie industry in neighbouring Nigeria. “They are developing a home-grown film industry which is really beginning to take off and have wings,” he noted.
The celebrated politician and three times standard bearer of the largest opposition party in the country was, however, confident that Ghana’s struggling movie industry would soon get there. . “I am hoping that one day we too will be getting on to it,” he assured himself.
Interestingly, however, Nana Akufo-Addo had a change of mind from his dream of becoming a film director to wanting to be a lawyer when he witnessed the banter between Victor Owusu and one lawyer, Joe Reindolf, in court.
The state was prosecuting a case against the Legon Observer newspaper, represented by Reindolf, for publishing an article thought to be scandalous.
He watched proceedings with admiration as the two slugged it out in the law court.
“Watching him in court was something absolutely extraordinary – the sheer quality of his advocacy – and I said to myself, ‘this is what I want to do.’ It was a very big moment of my life,” he recalled with nostalgia while beaming with smiles.
This, according to him, marked a significant turning point in his life since it spurred him on to change his dream of becoming a filmmaker to that of a lawyer and eventually a reputable politician.
“Whatever it was that my father was doing which brought this excitement was something that I would like to do,” he underscored. Nana thought of himself growing up in a family of politicians, with his late father being a lawyer and Chief Justice, and later becoming the ceremonial President of the Republic.
He is therefore hopeful and confident of winning the November 7, 2016 general election to become the President of Ghana to turn round the dwindling fortunes of the country as witnessed under President Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
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