Kwame Fordjour’s close friend reveals his dirty secrets

Animation of Saturday, September 5, 2020

Source: GH page

2020-09-05

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A close friend of the man of the moment that Dr. Kwame Fordjour identified as Jones Gyedu has come out to share some insightful revelations about the man behind the “UN Kofi Annan Awards of Excellence.”

Social media has been in shock after it emerged that the humanitarian award received by some celebrities and politicians in the country last week is just a scam.

After news of the scam went viral, a close friend of the man behind the act revealed that he (Kwame Fordjour) has been scamming people for the past 25 years.

Taking his timeline from social media, she shared her experience with him, including his nickname, adding that they grew up together and he knows what he’s saying.

Read her full story about him below:

Scammer for almost 25 years, now handing out fake UN prizes. I know him very well.

When I saw his photos on social media last night, I was not surprised. I was pretty sad. But I was surprised that the people who came to the awards didn’t do their due diligence.

We grew up together in Santasi, Kumasi. My house was about 50 meters from theirs. He was a few years older than me. When he was in SSS 3, I was in JSS 2. He was more like my academic mentor. It inspired me to read science at SHS. After school, I would go to his house where he would share stories about the national math and science quiz and encourage me to do well on my BECE, attend a good SSS (now SHS), and possibly represent my school.

I went on to win the NSMQ with St PETERS in 2000 and eventually ended up as a doctor. For this, I owe it in part to him for his encouragement.

What happened to him?

I saw that it has a title of “Dr.” before your name. It was when “my eyes were opened a little” that I realized that the results of his SSCE (as it was known then) were not good enough to ensure admission to a tertiary institution. Years later I learned that he had a total of 24. He confirmed it to me himself, when I became a big boy and also learned about the system.

When I finished SSS, I went to visit him one day. That was when I saw that something was really wrong. He had a replica of the KNUST and UG metal stamp in his bag. Along with copies of the works on which the university certificates were printed. He was handing out fake certificates to those who had the right amount. He used one himself to secure a job, but turned down the offer because the money was too small. This was in 2001.

In the years that followed, he practically became a full-time artist. This space cannot contain everything you did. I heard some of the third party stories. Some of his victims approached me to find out if I knew their whereabouts. Since he was on the run.

He was on the run because the BNI was looking for him. What happened? I will share this one in particular.

In 2004, the parents of a student staying in Kwadaso, Kumasi, hired me to teach science and math in their neighborhood at their home. When they found out that I lived in Santasi, they asked me if I knew “WyClef”. Of course, she knew because that was her nickname at Technology Secondary School (now KNUST SHS). So I told the family that I knew him.

They then shared the story. She had taken 1,500 GHC (fifteen million Cedis at the time, before the redenomination) from 20 students with a promise to facilitate their admission to KNUST. Make no mistake, ‘fifteen million cedis’ at the time was a lot of money. When the school began sending out letters of admission, those students contacted him for comment. He quickly asked them to organize more money and meet him in front of the KNUST Administration block to receive his letters of admission. Yes, in front of the Administration Block itself.

The couple told me that they also paid the money to secure a place for their first child who was seeking admission. Then WyClef showed up with an old man they didn’t know, but the description they gave me matched his father’s. There, you pay the recharge and they give you your “admission letter”. The 20 students and their parents / guardians formed a queue there.

I was surprised to learn that the man was possibly her father. This man was a very soft-spoken shepherd who had endured a lot at the hands of the people his son cheated on. But that’s for another day. But to this day, I still can’t believe that Emma went there with Osofo to take that money.

Of course, you can guess what happened after the funds were paid and those fake letters were issued. What hurt most of these victims was the fact that the fake letters had the correct KNUST bank account details, where they were instructed to pay the first year’s fees. And they did. Weeks later, a formal complaint was filed at the police station and the BNI got involved.

He disappeared from Kumasi for almost 10 years. And then it resurfaced with clear evidence of a health problem that I didn’t want to get into. This was after he was deported from Heathrow Airport after trying to emigrate to the UK. The last time I saw him was about 8 years ago, wearing two shirts and a suit in hot weather. We talked for about 15 minutes by the roadside, and I really believed all the stories I heard about his new health.

I say all this because he himself has admitted to ripping off some celebrities in a “prize” scheme. And some of his victims in previous schemes have been friends of mine for years.

Overall, I felt sad and sorry for how things turned out for him. He was certainly a smart guy. I fully appreciate and respect the fact that he encouraged me, gave me science books to learn and everything. When I completed JHS (and before my BECE results were published), he gave me his Physics and Chemistry books to start reading.

Regardless, I will add you to the three most important people who encouraged me to learn so much, during my JHS and SHS days. As for what happened to him on the way, I cannot say.

Every time I call my mother and she says, “Kwaku, I saw Emma at her house and she asked you,” I still get sad.

Although I know these things, I was still surprised to see his images on social media. And even more surprising that those who participated in the ceremony did not do due diligence. A simple Google check of his name would have revealed that in 2010 he was arrested for trying to scam some rural banks in a very similar prize scheme.

Life can be full of drama. He had really great potential and I seriously consider him a better student than me. But things went wrong. As for the real reason, I cannot say.

Hmmmmm, WyClef.

See the screenshot below: