Nifa is still eating from his bowl

We became friends on our very first day at secondary school, sharing a dormitory in House 3, along with other boys with catchy names like Azizi, Shokoroko and Ogidigidi.

Like most Form 1 students, we were in our early teens or even younger. That’s not all; we realized we had something else in common. He hailed from my hometown, Adawso, even though he didn’t live there.

But unlike me, my new friend had better command of the English language and was good at French. He attended Datus. I went to a village school, where little English—and absolutely no French—was used or spoken. I was lucky to be his friend. It was my chance to learn a word or two from him, which could serve as an antidote against the friendly bite of Owo, the French master.

My new friend seemed to know more about worldly matters than I did. I was so green. He used to tell me stories that blew my mind. I put this down to his early exposure to a less restrictive family environment in which his interaction with his maternal uncles in particular had opened his eyes to the adult world at an early age.

But what really set us apart was that he was outgoing, funny and fun loving. I was reserved and boring. His friendly personality endeared him to many Nisecans. But he was also playfully mischievous, even in the classroom.

At the time, all the facilities at Nifa were pretty new and modern. Each classroom had a locker with keys for each student (I think the lockers were bright orange). One day at recess (during break as we knew it), my friend said we should stay inside. I knew he was up to some mischief. Once everyone was outside, he moved from one desk to the other, grabbing every pen he could find, and locking up all the pens in his locker. We then left the classroom. When recess was over, there was chaos, as everyone looked everywhere in vain for their pens. We had a big laugh before he returned the pens to their owners.But the most memorable part of his boarding school life at Nisec was yet to come. Returning from school holidays one day, he shocked everyone when he brought along a plastic chamber pot from which he prepared and ate his soakings (gari, either solid or liquid). We were all disgusted, initially.

With time, we started getting used to the bright orange chamber pot floating around. After all, it wasn’t as bad as we imagined. Its owner had bought it brand new from Markola; it had never been used for a wee or poo.

The realization that its owner was cheating everyone else also slowly dawned on us: he would join others to share in their soakings but others wouldn’t join him because he used the pot. But it wasn’t his intention not to share. He was a kind person. He was simply being silly and having fun along the way, as most boys his age in boarding school would. So the residents of the dormitory began to have a change of mind. Before long, the pot had become the most popular bowl for soakings. Everyone ate from that bowl.

After graduation, this happy-go-lucky dude enlisted in the Ghana Armed Forces. And nearly 40 years after leaving Nifa, the little rascal became a decorated soldier, having served his native Ghana and, later, the United States, his adopted country. His service has taken him to some of the world’s most dangerous war zones, from Iraq to Afghanistan. He’s witnessed some of humanity’s worst brutalities imaginable.

The work he does is certainly not for the faint hearted, but this great son of Nifa—and Adawso—has a heart of gold. Rather than living for himself and enjoying the fruits of his toils, he has shown enormous generosity towards his family, friends and the needy. And he hasn’t forgotten the school that gave him a head start in life.

When he was called upon to help his old school, he didn’t hesitate. He dug deep into his pockets to ensure not just one dormitory, but hundreds of students have a decent and safe place to answer nature’s call. He couldn’t bear the thought of students using the primitive atonko and being chased by snakes, as some reports have it.

As one of NAA’s founding members, he’s been a passionate advocate of the NAA cause. The highly unstable and unusual environment where he works and spends much of his time hasn’t prevented him from participating consistently in NAA’s activities. He has done more for NAA than many of us.

Please join me in thanking my good old friend, NAA’s biggest contributor of project funds, and one of Nifa’s illustrious sons Douglas Offei Bekoe.

By Dr Kofi Boafo Ansah