Hiplife musician, Sidney Kofi Ofori, affectionately called Barima Sidney, has disclosed why he needed to take a long break from producing music.

After composing back-to-back hit songs including ‘Tinana,’ African Money,’ ‘Apuskeleke,’ ‘Papa No,’  ‘Awuchie Kpongor,’ during the early 2000s, the musician went off the scene for many years.

His last song, ‘Papa No’ exacerbated his situation, according to Barima Sidney, who claimed he received harsh criticism from industry players and social media users. Coming in the heat of the 2020 general elections in Ghana, many Ghanaians ascribed the song to ex-President John Dramani Mahama.

Speaking in an interview on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show, the hitmaker recounted the hurdles he went through which broke him and made him stay off in order to heal.

“At a point, I was heartbroken when the ‘Papa No’ thing came up. The lashing was too much, and I remember somebody saying I wait for things to trend so I can use them for songs. And I was like, do you think it’s easy for you to compose a song instantly? No, it makes you very creative instead, but then people took it some other way around. So, I decided to be quiet,” he recounted.

However, the musician did not blame himself for everything that happened because he was managing himself in that there was no one to play that role and guide his actions. This, he said, influenced his journey, contributing to his inability to remain relevant over time.

Despite his lack of financial resources, he performed at events for free in order to maintain his relationship with the event organisers. But it took Shatta Wale’s intervention to make him realise his mistakes.

 “Shatta told me something one time when we met. He’s my unofficial finance manager. He gave me advice a couple of years ago, and I think it happened. We were doing shows for free because of ‘paddy paddy’; we were following the love. So, shows that we were supposed to charge money, but we don’t do it because we feel like their friends, and that was when Shatta told me to collect the money. Truly, it got to the point where, when I needed help from them, they said no. Then I realised Shatta was right.”

Barima Sidney has returned with a new single titled ‘BBF,’ which he says is a way to console himself. The track features Kumasi-based rapper King Paluta.

The ‘African Money’ hitmaker says he is back for ‘good’ and will refrain from composing politically inclined and controversial songs.

He admonished individuals never to give up on themselves in times of difficulty. Instead, he urges them to consider such circumstances as moments for growth and self-strengthening, believing that things will eventually turn around for the better.

Ghanaian hiplife recording artiste Sidney Kofi Ofori popularly called Barima Sidney has rendered an apology to ex-President John Dramani Mahama for people linking him to the track ‘Papa No’ three years ago.

According to him, the song was not intended for Mr. Mahama, as many Ghanaians claimed. Many partly blamed the song for the former president’s defeat in the 2020 elections.

Explaining how the song came about, Barima Sidney said that it was inspired by a social media trend during that period. He emphasised that nobody was a target, as he was simply continuing with his usual music.

However, some individuals inserted Mr. Mahama’s pictures onto the track, and the musician clarified that he was unaware of it.

“I heard two ladies conversing on social media about ‘Papa No’ and we all know those two celebrities, Gloria Kani and Tracey Boakye. So, when I heard of Papa No, I was like, this is very interesting. Let me just work on something. So, I just went to the studio one night from 12 to 7 a.m.; we just released it, and by 9:00, it was all over.

“So, I didn’t have anybody in mind, but then some people gathered some rashes of the former president and put it behind the music, and they were using it to promote their own stuff. So, at the end of the day, people thought it was me. I had no idea.” 

As a result, Barima Sidney, during an interview on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show on Wednesday, apologised to the NDC flagbearer for any harm caused.

“I’ll take this opportunity to apologise to the former President John Mahama. I mean, it wasn’t about him, and I wasn’t the one who did those videos and rashes that circulated on social media. ‘Papa No’ goes to everybody,” the musician pleaded.

The ‘African Money’ hitmaker also revealed that he voted for the NPP in 2020 because he believed in Akufo-Addo’s policies and trusted they would improve Ghana’s economy.

He further said that he has no regrets about voting for the NPP and commended President Akufo-Addo for implementing the Free SHS policy. He pleaded that it should not be scrapped by any party that may assume power in the upcoming election later this year.

Nevertheless, Barima Sidney says he is yet to conclude his decisions on which party to vote for, as he is waiting to listen to the manifestoes of all parties before making his verdict.

Minister-designate for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has apologised for referring to his fellow MP John Jinapor as “papa no” in Parliament.

Speaking at the Appointments Committee vetting, he explained that his remark was said in jest and not meant to undermine the gravity of the ongoing debate on the floor of Parliament that day.

“Chairman as the leader will recall on that faithful evening, I voluntarily sent word to you that I would like to apologize and have it expunged from the record and you gave me leave so to do.”

“As leader will recall right in the division room here, when he stepped out, I approached them and expressed again my apologies.”

In August 2020, there was an uproar in Parliament after Mr Oppong Nkrumah referred to former Deputy Energy Minister John Jinapor as “Papa no.”

This phrase ‘Papa no’ had become popular on social media after actress Tracey Boakye used it repeatedly to describe a married man she claimed she and musician Mzbel were in a relationship with concurrently.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah during the conclusion of his submission on the controversial Agyapa Royalties Limited deal used the phrase “Papa no”. This, however, did not go down well with the NDC half of the House.

Although, he later stated that his comment was said in jest and not meant to offend anyone Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu referenced it during his vetting, stating that it was inappropriate for such a comment to be made on the floor of parliament especially during a debate of that magnitude and importance to the country.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah said he had no intentions of derailing the debate in the House when he made his comment and has since offered his apologies to Mr Jinapor.

“Indeed if you follow my entire debate, I had made my submissions on the substantive matter it was in the end that my good friend John Jinapo from the other side is the one I took a jest at.”

The Minister-designate for Information says his ‘papa no’ comment on the floor of the House was not meant to trivialize the Agyapa Royalty Minerals deal that was being discussed.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah explanation comes after the Ranking Member of the Appointments Committee, Haruna Iddrisu reiterated his displeasure of the choice of diction of the Minister-designate in the House Thursday.

According to him, the magnitude of the Agyapa Royalty Mineral transaction that was being deliberated on at the time, was too important for the Ofoase-Ayirebi MP to use such comments on the floor.

“We hold this offices in public trust and there is a parliamentary debate on the motion of government of Ghana seeking to monetize its mineral royalties of up to $1 billion you sought to reduce this to a debate about an innuendo which was being shared on social media,” he said.

However, responding to the issue, Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted that the he was only trying to take a jibe at the MP for the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency, John Jinapor and not to derail the essence of the topic that was being discussed.

The Minister-designate further indicated that he later apologised and asked for the ‘papa no’ comment be removed from Parliamentary records.

“Mr Chairman, as the Minority Leader will recall, on that faithful evening when his objection was raised you were in the Chair. I voluntarily sent words to you that I would like to apologise and have it expunged from the record. And you gave me leave to do so.

“As leader will recall, right in the division room here, when he stepped out, I approached him and expressed my apologies to him because as I argued, I had no intention of reducing the quality of the debate,” he said.

In August 2020, there was drama in Parliament after Mr Oppong Nkrumah described former Deputy Energy Minister John Jinapor as “Papa no.”

This phrase ‘Papa no’ had become popular on social media after actress Tracey Boakye used it repeatedly to describe a married man she claims she and musician Mzbel are in the same relationship with.

When Mr Oppong Nkrumah used the phrase in the house, the Minority Leader immediately demanded that the MP retract his words and apologised else the NDC MPs will refuse to recognise him as a Minister of State.

Founder of the Ghana Freedom Party Akua Donkor has been dragged to court alongside Wontumi Communications for alleging that former President John Mahama is the face behind the controversial phrase ‘Papa No’.

The plaintiff, only identified as Mary Awusi is demanding a total of ¢1,000,000 from the defendants for claiming that she is having an affair with Mr Mahama.

This comes after Akua Donkor who doubles as the flagbearer of the Ghana Freedom Party granted an interview to Oheneba Nana Asiedu, host of Ashanti Region-based Wontumi FM.

During the interview, Akua Donkor alleged that the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is ‘Papa No’ and is also responsible for the two children of the 2016 NDC parliamentary candidate for Asante Akim North.

‘Papa No’ became popular on social media after actress Tracey Boakye used it repeatedly to describe a married man she claims she and musician Mzbel are in the same relationship with.

After her comments, there have been speculations about who ‘Papa No’ is with many especially on the side of NPP alleging that former President Mahama is’Papa No’.

This time, however, the two could not get away with the claim as they are being dragged to court for the allegations.

Madam Awusi wants general damages of ¢300,000 to be awarded by the court against Akua Donkor, ¢100,000 in general damages against Oheneba Nana Asiedu, as well as ¢600,000 as punitive damages against the defendants which also include Wontumi Communications Limited.

Wontumi Communications Limited is a multimedia conglomerate owned by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako (alias Chairman Wontumi).

She is also demanding a retraction and apology and a restraining order to prevent them from making such utterances.

Here is the statement below:

Statement of claim

The plaintiff who was the Parliamentary Candidate for the NDC in the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, says Madam Donkor had earlier made a libellous statement without any justification against her person in an interview which was also uploaded to YouTube.

Madam Awusi adds that after calling Madam Donkor to question her on the “malicious and reckless claims”, Wontumi Communications Limited “in the most reckless and malicious manner gave their platforms to the 1st Defendant to repeat and utter the defamatory statements against the Plaintiff without any justification”.

The plaintiff avers that the interviewer and host of the radio programme failed and or neglected to dissociate himself from the defamatory statement made by Madam Donkor and also failed and or neglected to get her to retract the defamatory statement.

She adds that the statements uttered by Madam Donkor suggested that “she is an unfaithful spouse, an unchaste person, a pervert, a person of low moral character, a person of no integrity and that the second child of her marriage is not the child of her husband but that the child is the child of a man she is not married to”.

As a result, she wants the court to order an apology on the platforms operated by Wontumi Communications Limited “with the same prominence the defamatory words received within 14 days after the judgment”.

Madam Awusi also wants an interlocutory and perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, assigns and servants from further publishing any defamatory words against her.

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says his ‘Papa no’ comment in Parliament on Friday was not meant to offend anybody.

According to him, the comment was made in jest.

If you say something in jest, you do not mean it seriously.

The phrase ‘papa no’ has become popular on social media after actress Tracey Boakye used it repeatedly to describe a married man she claims she and musician Mzbel are in the same relationship with.

It found its way onto the floor of parliament as the House approved the Agyapa Royalties Limited agreement.

“Mr Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues on the other side. I want to encourage my good friend who just spoke (John Jinapor). In my hometown, we will say, ‘Papa no.’ ‘Papa no.’ I want to encourage ‘Papa no’ to take some time and follow the structure of this conversation and support,” the Ofoase Ayirebi MP told the House.

Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu demanded he withdraws the comment else they won’t recognise him as a minister, and referred to him as ‘Maame no’. He does not understand why the minister will introduce popular phrases being used on social media in the house.

“You come to parliament to employ those words used on social media, we take strong objection to it. If you don’t withdraw, we won’t recognize you today as minister. We will not. Do what you will do,” Haruna Iddrisu said.

“From today, we won’t recognize you as minister of this republic. And we will not accord you any respect as minister. Let’s throw it to the dogs. What do you take us for? So, ‘Papa no’ accepted. But from today, we will not.

“We will give you a name. We will give you a name. And we are serving notice, he was elected just like you. And his constituents respect him. Because you people use ‘Papa no’ on social media. We know what it means. We will match you. You have lost my respect as Minority leader from today. We will match with you. We too, we will call you ‘Maame no,” Mr. Iddrisu added.

Eventually, First deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu ruled that sleeping dogs should be allowed to lie.

“The honourable minority leader’s anger, I pretended to overlook it because I think it’s in the spur of the moment. And knowing this house, tomorrow, we will get over it. But some insist on making an issue over it.

“I don’t think we will gain anything as a house by pretending this is new. And the threats don’t come to anything. So, the house will proceed,” he said.

The debate on the deal continued after that. Eventually, the Minority MPs walked out of the house in protest of the deal. But the majority went ahead to approve it.

After the approval was given, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told the house; “Mr. Speaker, earlier, I was trying to catch your eye to request that the use of my expression which caused apprehension on the other side be expunged from the record. I didn’t mean it to offend anybody. It was in jest. And if anybody took offence to it, the records should reflect that it’s been expunged,” he said.

There was drama in Parliament on Friday after Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah described former Deputy Energy Minister John Jinapor as “Papa no.”

This phrase ‘Papa no’ has become popular on social media after actress Tracey Boakye used it repeatedly to describe a married man she claims she and musician Mzbel are in the same relationship with.

Well, it found its way onto the floor of parliament late Friday night as the house approved the Agyapa Royalties Limited agreement.

“Mr Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues on the other side. I want to encourage my good friend who just spoke (John Jinapor). In my hometown, we will say, ‘Papa no.’ ‘Papa no.’ I want to encourage ‘Papa no’ to take some time and follow the structure of this conversation and support,” the Ofoase Ayirebi MP told the House.

Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu demanded he withdraws the comment else they wont recognise him as minister, and referred to him as ‘Maame no’. He does not understand why the minister will introduce popular phrases being used on social media in the house.

“You come to parliament to employ those words used on social media, we take strong objection to it. If you don’t withdraw, we won’t recognize you today as minister. We will not. Do what you will do,” Haruna Iddrisu said.

“From today, we won’t recognize you as minister of this republic. And we will not accord you any respect as minister. Let’s throw it to the dogs. What do you take us for? So, ‘Papa no’ accepted. But from today, we will not.

“We will give you a name. We will give you a name. And we are serving notice, he was elected just like you. And his constituents respect him. Because you people use ‘Papa no’ on social media. We know what it means. We will match you. You have lost my respect as Minority leader from today. We will match with you. We too, we will call you ‘Maame no,” Mr. Iddrisu added.

Minority MPs banged the table whilst Majority MPs shouted ‘Papa no’ in the background as the debate continued.

Eventually, First deputy Speaker of Parliament Joe Osei Owusu ruled that sleeping dogs should be allowed to lie.

“The honourable minority leader’s anger, I pretended to overlook it because I think it’s in the spur of the moment. And knowing this house, tomorrow, we will get over it. But some insist on making an issue over it.

“I don’t think we will gain anything as a house by pretending this is new. And the threats don’t come to anything. So, the house will proceed,” he said.

The debate on the deal continued after that. Eventually, the Minority MPs walked out of the house in protest of the deal. But the majority went ahead to approve it.