By Emmanuel Oti Acheampong
Every June in every year is set aside for the acknowledgment and appreciation of fathers around the world, just as it is done for mothers in the month of May. It is well noticed that the attention span of the celebration of Mother’s Day cannot be compared to that of the fathers, who are originally known to be the “backbones” of every family.
As this year’s Father’s Day celebration draws near, we throw light on a man who has been in the meat roasting business, popularly known as the “abokyi” for over two decades.
Joseph Saman, a father of six, explained on the GTV Breakfast Show on June 16, 2023, that he had his first child at the age of twenty-six with initial plans of having a total of ten children before he passed on. He stated that he grew up as an orphan, and that made his growth period a very difficult one.
According to him, he started his kebab business in Tema and has now relocated to Mile 7 in the Ga-North Municipality, still doing what he does best with his meat joint. He revealed that after having his first three kids, who all happened to be girls, he encountered the challenge of having to marry another woman who could bear him a male child in addition to the female children he had.
He shared the experience he had to go through raising his kids as one that was very challenging, especially when his first daughter had entry into the higher educational level.
Mr. Saman mentioned that he had to at some point switch from his “abokyi” business into the private security field in order to raise some funds for himself and the upkeep of his six children and wife.
He added that, though selling meat was his main job, he added security when things went down.
He further revealed that, he sometimes made above GHS 1000 during festive seasons per day and at times too sees a reduction in his daily sales.
He advised that fathers should desist from sending their wards to stay with relatives because it does lots of harm than good to both the children and their future.
