It is not uncommon for children of a deceased influential leader to battle for control over who would be the custodian of the departed person’s legacy. Some sibling rivalries and family feuds are stoked by perceptions of unequal access to opportunity, family wealth and resources. These are frequently instigated by pockets of influence from persons within or outside a family who create factions among family members often for self-serving purposes. While this appears more rampant in polygamous families or with children who do not share both parents, even shared parentage can get obscured by sheer greed, love for power and control. The individuals involved may be driven by a host of factors including fear, avarice and pent-up hate towards each other. The Ambani brothers of India, Peter and Paul Okoye of P Square fame and the children of Alhaji Salia Abdullai (Ghanaian businessman and transport entrepreneur) of Spintex Road, Ghana are clear cases in point.
The Succession Question
The recent passing of Apostle Ing. Emeritus Kwadwo Safo has led to a similar struggle between his children, notably Kwadwo Safo Akofena on one side and his six other children, led by Adwoa Safo on the other. This appears to have resulted from a lack of consensus over the leadership of the church and overall control of the Kantanka empire. In addition to the Kristo Asafo Mission, the Kantanka Empire reportedly includes an automobile assemblage (Kantanka Automobile), a transport service company (Imperial Express), farms and media and broadcasting companies among several others. Unless the late Apostle had clearly spelt out the modalities for the leadership, management and control of all these entities in his absence, there was bound to be a fierce battle for control. There is a video in which the late Apostle purportedly anointed Akofena as his successor. There are other accounts that suggest the Apostle later revoked his choice of Akofena as his successor for some undisclosed reasons. Nonetheless, the Apostle being a deep thinker and having enormous foresight did not die intestate and is said to have a valid will which would hopefully and substantially or perhaps totally put to rest all the confusion regarding his legacy.
Why Akofena May Have Been Chosen
The late Apostle had seven children. Akofena was the sole child of his mother with the Apostle, while the remaining children were born to his other wife. As a man who loves all his children, I suspect he must have considered that the best way to guarantee their unity in his absence was to make Akofena the leader. Through my father’s experiences, I have come to appreciate what it can mean to be an only child of one parent within a blended family. The possibility of getting ostracized and having the other siblings who share both parents exclude you from the family’s narrative is real. The late Apostle, in my view, sought to avoid this by appointing Akofena, who would be least likely to collude with himself against his other siblings.
Akofena’s Purported Removal
Whilst the late Apostle must have been very clear in his mind what he was doing, It is possible that the late Apostle had come to perceive rebellious or ‘Absalomian’ traits in Akofena and probably troubled by this and what it might mean for his legacy, he removed him as Crown Prince. The reports about any subsequent appointment are hazy, but the late Apostle’s will might give substantial clues over what should guide the processes leading to the choice of a new leader of the Kristo Asafo Mission and all the businesses he founded.
The Future of Kristo Asafo Mission and the Kantanka Empire
I still think the best person to lead the Kristo Asafo Mission is Kwadwo Safo Akofena for the same reasons I stated above. I am not completely certain about his personal competence and abilities as a leader, but he clearly would have a lot of learning to do should he still emerge as the chosen one. Navigating the milieu of a vast array of competing interests, mostly selfish, would require tact, magnanimity, transparency and strategic deference to the “other side” of his family. That way, the Apostle’s legacy will have a much better chance of surviving and thriving for many years—perhaps even FOREVER!
The writer, M. Muniru Husseini, is a lecturer in Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
