The trouble with Sonnie Badu’s public offer to help Yaw Siki

I love giving and I love people who give. In fact, I love the concept of giving, so when people give, I am super excited. I do not share in the opinion that, one must have a lot before he or she can extend a hand but it is a plus when you have more.

 

However, what I detest is when people give and they want the whole world to know about it. It irks me.

We can pardon people who don’t have but it doesn’t sit well with me when you have and refuse to give. I love people who give but I appreciate people who give and don’t make needless noise as if they are the first person to ever give freely on this planet.

Occasionally, I get invitations to attend and cover donations. I don’t know which orphanage home and hospital in Accra and some outside Accra that I have not been to. At a point, I turn down such invitations because it appears it’s all about the fanfare and the little fame that is associated with such exercise than the primary reason for the donations.

It’s actually a pain to watch when churches and Christians donate to orphanage homes and it’s shown on television like the latest telenovelas or mini serial. Why would you want to help people or a brother in need and want the whole world to know about it? Can’t you help without a third party knowing? Of what use is the third party to know you are helping this brother or that sister?

Sonnie Badu to help Yaw Siki

I gladly share in the words of Winston S. Churchill when he said, “we make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Though I feel the medium he used was not the best, Sonnie Badu’s decision to sponsor former Hip Life artiste turned preacher of the gospel was well intentioned.

“I would like to meet the young man who has moved from being a secular artist to a preacher on the bus…I would like our ministry to sponsor him for a few next years.. It will not be easy with the decision you have made as there will be long suffering, however, we are here to let you know that you made the right decision.#YawSiki.”

He posted the above to his Instagram account when the former rapper, real name, Isaac Okai told Joy News that as a born-again Christian, he spends time preaching and winning souls for Christ and admitted that he lives on monies donated to him by people after preaching in buses.

Yaw Siki rejects Sonnie Badu’s offer

After weeks of Sonnie Badu’s public announcement to financially support him because of his new faith, Yaw Siki came out publicly to reject what would have been a mouthwatering assistance.

Times are hard and especially in Ghana, gestures such as these come in handy. A lot would have seen the opportunity in this and grabbed it accordingly but for Yaw Siki, he suspects a hunger for fame at his expense, hence his decision.
He told Graphic Showbiz that, he turned down Sonnie Badu’s kind gesture because of the manner in which he made it known to him when he could have resorted to privately contacting him first. He used Mathew 6:1-4 to back his stance.

“I’m not saying that it was his intention to get praises for the intended act but it wasn’t right to make it known to everyone. I know that life hasn’t been easy since I gave my life to Christ but the truth is that I just had to reject my senior brother’s offer.”

“That isn’t to say that I don’t appreciate it but of what good is a blessing when you make your good deeds public for human praise. If he truly wanted to assist, he could have contacted me first without making it public. I’m not in support of that because my Christian beliefs are against that so upon careful consideration, I had to turn down the offer,” he told Graphic Showbiz.

His decision to turn down the offer has been described as ‘shocking’, however, one may agree with Yaw Siki based solely on Biblical principles whiles others will disagree and play the pride cards.

Sonnie Badu replies Yaw Siki

Yaw Siki’s decision to reject Sonnie Badu’s offer to support him financially was because he went public. The Gospel and businessman, Sonnie Badu used the same medium he used to announce his decision to support him to respond to his rejection.

“It has been drawn to our attention that the young man, Yaw Siki has rejected our help based on the following reasons: 1. Because I made it public. 2. Because I want fame from him … Lol I will not answer the second one. I would think at least he would have been thankful to us for speaking about his situation since it had generated a lot of interest. However, to answer his first accusation, the only reason we put it out on Instagram and social media was, We discovered him on social media from an interview he granted in the first place.

“If he feels he did not need help, he should not have granted the interview. No normal person would watch that and not want to help. Having said this, whatever was allocated for him has gone into other charitable projects…”

“We wish him well in all his endeavours … It’s still a great thing to serve the Lord so it’s a good decision and step he took since there is nothing in the secular world. We were actually interested in reviving his music in the gospel world as well since I was told he only has one single out…”, he posted on Instagram.

My comments

Clearly, pride and egos are at play here. Sonnie Badu is a giver; in fact, he is a good giver. I have been to several events that he has donated both cash and different items to all kinds of people. So deciding to help a young brother Yaw Siki may not be a big deal.

For me, going public to announce the financial assistance was wrong in the first place. It was wrong to start with. It does not matter Sonnie Badu’s soaring status and Yaw Siki’s dwindling status in the society, it was wrong. Absolutely wrong.

If a young Yaw Siki was naive enough to have make it known that he survives from monies given to him after preaching in buses, in my humble opinion, it doesn’t warrant a much older big brother from committing the same blunder the young man committed.

Sonnie Badu is often not in Ghana but his team in Ghana could have met the young man and made his intentions known to him than in the manner that it was done.

These kind of good deeds always find a way to come to the media and I felt that was what Sonnie Badu and his management should have resorted to. I do not want to believe that, there is an ulterior motive behind that but clearly; things were not done in from a Christian point of view.

graphic.com.gh