Host of Onua TV’s flagship show Onua Maakye Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, has disclosed how he came by the alias ‘Captain Smart’

He explained that his popular stage name ‘Captain Smart’ was given to him by Ghana’s
former Minister for Defence and former acting Interior Minister Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor.

Dr Addo Kufuor has recently been appointed Chancellor of the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU).

Captain Smart whiles speaking in an exclusive interview on Akoma FM‘s weekend personality profile show Saturday, October 1 told host of the show Nana Biila Kantanka that “my real name is Blessed Godsbrain Smart but my stage name ‘Captain Smart’ was given to me by my uncle Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor. That time I was working at a Kumasi-based radio station with the name ‘Blessed Smart’, so he advised me that name will not sink into the radio market in Kumasi. People won’t really easily remember that name so I should add ‘Captain’ to my surname ‘Smart’. So that’s how come I got that popular name that has brought me this far.”

When asked why his uncle suggested Captain instead of any other name, Captain Smart responded thus: “Seriously I wanted to join the military so at a point I was nearly enlisted into the military academy and my mother cried that she won’t allow her only son to join the military so I withdrew from the academy then later became a media personality that’s why my uncle suggested that if I had completed the military academy, I would have been a Captain by now so that’s why he added ‘Captain to my Surname ‘Smart’.”

The up-close interview with the firm, outspoken and firebrand media personality Captain Smart had him disclosed several aspects of his life.

Amidst all the issues, he discussed the story behind how he came by the name ‘Captain Smart’.

Who is Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor?

Born 14th July 1940, Dr. Addo Kufuor is one of the most accomplished and respected politicians in Ghana, and he has recently been appointed the first Chancellor of the Kumasi Technical University. Hon Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, a former Minister for Defence and former acting Interior Minister is a consultant physician and a former lecturer at the Department of Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University for Science and Technology, School of Medicine. He was a Physician specialist at the Kufuor Clinic, Kumasi.

He was educated at Achimota School, University of Cambridge, England and University College Medical School Hospital, London. He was a postgraduate student-member of staff at the Middlesex Medical School Hospital, London.

At Cambridge, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor was elected secretary of the Medical Students Association of Jesus College of the University. He qualified in 1970 from the University of Cambridge with M.A. (Cantal), Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. After house jobs at the West Suffolk General and St. Charles Hospitals, London, he returned in 1971 to work as a Medical officer in various rotation jobs at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital till 1973.

In the middle of 1973, he returned to the Middlesex Medical School Hospital, London as a postgraduate student in medicine and a member of staff and passed the MRCP (U.K.) examination in 1975. In the same year, he was awarded Fellow, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Addo-Kufuor worked as Medical Registrar at the Old Church and St. Hillier’s Hospital, both in South-East England, before returning to Ghana to work as a physician at the Komfo Anokye Hospital, Kumasi.

He Taught at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Medical school for years on a part-time basis without taking any stipend.

He was an Inspector of Examinations at the University of Ghana Medical School Department of Medicine, and a Member of the Court of Examiners responsible for assessing Foreign Trained Doctors wishing to practice in Ghana – by the Ghana Medical and Dental Council.
He is among few physicians in Ghana who are fellows of the Royal College of Physicians (London).

He instituted a Prize for the overall best final year student in medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – The Addo Kufuor Prize, which is still very coveted by students.

Dr. Addo Kufuor was elected National President of the Ghana Medical Association from 1992 to 1995 (three times unopposed).

It was during the Presidency of Dr. Addo Kufuor that construction of the G.M.A. headquarters at Korle-Bu was initiated, and he was honoured by his colleague doctors with a plague at the commissioning of the building in appreciation of his contribution.

Dr. Addo Kufuor, as President of G.M.A., represented doctors on the board of the University of Ghana Medical School and the Ghana Prisons Service Council. He also represented the association at meetings in South Africa, Nigeria, and United Kingdom.

He is a founding member of the Popular Front Party (P.F.P.), All People’s Party (A.P.P.), the Danquah-Busia Club, and the NPP.

Dr. Addo Kufuor was also a member of the National Policy and Advisory Committee of the NPP, chairperson of the Health Committee of the party, and member of the National Executive Council and the National Council of the Party.

As the chairperson of the NPP National Campaign on Health for the 2000 general elections, Dr. Addo Kufuor wrote the party’s health policy for the manifesto.

Dr. Addo Kufuor was elected unopposed as the NPP parliamentary candidate for Manhyia Constituency four times and entered parliament in 1997 after winning the 1996 parliamentary elections convincingly.

As MP for Manhyia, he got support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Swiss Embassy, European Union, the British High Commission, GETFund, Japanese Embassy, and Latter Day Saints to complete numerous projects for the constituents; water closet toilet facilities, school blocks, computers and accessories for schools, road rehabilitation, books and uniforms, and microcredit for women traders.

The Buokrom Estate in Kumasi, for the first time, was provided with a huge overhead water reservoir that considerably eased the water shortage for the residents.

The biggest project accomplished for the people of Manhyia during the tenure of Dr. Addo Kufuor was the Ash Town Community Centre. The centre has a library, computer lab, canteen, indoor games room, offices for the Manhyia Sub metro, a meeting hall seating 300 people, and a football field nearby.

He was the Ranking Member for Health. He was also a member of the House Committee, Committee on Selection and Committee on Environment, Science and Technology.

Dr. Addo Kufuor was the guest speaker at the U.N. Conference on peace-keeping in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2002 on the theme “Security and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. It was during this conference that late President Nelson Mandela invited him to his home at Sandton, Johannesburg.

In May 2003, Dr. Addo Kufuor delivered the keynote address at the second Tswalu Dialogue at Tswalu. This was a conference attended by heads of state, cabinet ministers, leading academics, and influential journalists. The topic for the occasion was “Meeting the challenges of Democracy and Economic Development in Africa”. In attendance at the conference were President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Mr. F.W. de Klerk, former President of South Africa, Baroness Linda Chalker, British Minister, the U.S. Assistance Secretary of State for Africa, many ambassadors, academics and others.

Led the Ghana delegation to the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Rwandan Genocide in Kigali.

It was during the tenure of Dr. Addo Kufuor as the Minister of Defence that the second phase of the 37 Military Hospital was constructed, and the hospital was elevated to a Post-Graduate Teaching Hospital. The project consists of Polyclinic, I.T. Centre, Physiotherapy Department, a Male Surgical Ward, Public Health Division, Out Patient Clinic for surgical Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ear Nose and Throat, Dermatology and medical departments.
Other significant achievements of Dr. Addo Kufuor as a Minister of Defence are the construction of the New Burma Hall and Library, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, the Computer and Commercial Centre at Burma Camp, the Beijing Barracks, and the rehabilitation of the Nicholson Stadium.

It was during the tenure of Dr. Addo Kufuor that the Postgraduate degree program was introduced at Armed Forces Staff and Command College.

Dr. Addo Kufuor introduced the “Armed Forces Open Day”. It was intended to thaw the cold relations between the military and civilians. During the Armed Forces Open Day, civilians were encouraged to visit the barracks, interact with the service personnel and have a look at some of the military hardware.

Another significant achievement of Dr. Addo Kufuor is the construction of the new office building for the Ministry of Defence. Like other building projects completed, including the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre, Computer Centre, Post-Graduate Medical School and to some extent, the imposing Burma Hall, the new Ministry Building was constructed with resources from outside the national budget.

Dr. Addo-Kufuor was adjudged both as Man of the Year and Minister of the Year by the Independent and the Spectator News Papers, respectively, in 2002.

Dr. Addo Kufuor was the Board Chairman For SSNIT from 2017 to 2020.

He was adjudged the Outstanding Board Chairman of the year 2019 at the 10th Entrepreneur and Corporate Executive Awards for Ghana.

By Nana Asenso Mensah|Akoma FM|3news.com|Ghana