Ghanaian Top Shot Hariy Zakkour Shoots Out Various Aspects of His Life

Owner of Bus Stop Restaurant, the former chairman Accra Hearts of Oak, which won the African Champions League Football in 2000, a politician, originally from Lebanon, chairman of the ruling party NDC, in one of the consistency in the capital city Accra, a friend of Presidents, Hariy Zakkour discloses basic details about his life in an exclusive interview with Olori Wendy, in Accra Ghana.

What is your root like, considering, you were born in Ghana?

One of my parents, my mum is from Ghana. She is half Lebanese, half Ghanaian. That's why my complexion is very white as my father was a Lebanese. Even my children are very white.

You are now a prominent person, would you say, your origin was one of the things that paved ways for you, or it was simply hard work and consistency?

Well it is hard work. I have been running this place for the past thirty six years. When I came to run Bus Stop, I was around twenty years old.

Bus Stop restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Accra, what led you into hospitality business and what is memorable about it?

I went to Europe to study fashion, but when I came back to this country, it wasn't the type of what they were doing then, they weren't into designers cloths, however, when I was schooling in London, I worked part time at a restaurant called Bus Stop in Regent Street, so I decided there's no need to stay in Europe, I decided to come back.

You were the former chairman Accra Hearts of oak, which won the African champions leagues football in 2000, what is your journey into football? 

Before that, I was somebody, I was a transport manager of a team called Accra Great Olympics, one of the big rival teams in Accra, I served them as transport manager, vice chairman, chairman and board chairman, before people started giving me problems and I moved to Accra Hearts of Oak where I was welcomed. 

I won a lot of awards in football, I was the best chairman in Africa, I won the local league six times, the FA, the Gala, Top Four, Super Cup, CAF cup in Africa. I represented the Black Star to play against Nigeria. I bought shares which I put in to the club. 

Are you still involved in football activities, or benefiting from football?

My hobby is football, I love football, I'm like Rawlings in football, if you make any mistake, I will take you out, you know what Rawlings does in NDC, if my team, chairman or board chairman does anything I'm not happy with, I always take him in the papers, I will give it to him straight. 

You are now a politician, what led you into politics?

The late president, His Excellency John Atta Mills, he was not just a friend, he was a brother, we have known eachother for the past thirty years. When he was a lecturer at the University, he used to come to Bus Stop, we do things, go out together even with the wife, we were good friends. I didn't want to be a politician but before he won the election, I was part of his campaign team, and we were good friends till he passed on. A day before he passed, I was with him. Sometimes I go to the castle and sit with him even when he had visitors, he won't let me go away, so when he died, people stared calling me and then I got involved and become the constituency chairman for NDC for six years and I decided now to go up for vice chairman for the National Party, NDC.  

As the chairman of the ruling party NDC, in one of the consistency in the capital city Accra, what are the things you have been able to achieve there as the chairman?

Well in my constituency, I made sure the streets are always clean, I made sure the lighting in the night are always there, potholes in the road straightened out. If you see the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, I was part of the people who brought it up, I was involved with the President to get the Brazilian loan. The president at the moment is a good friend of mine too. John Dramani Mahama. A lot of people support me politically

You are so agile, what is the secret of your healthy look?

I don't like pressure, I don't like anything worrying me, if I feel today I will lose money, then it is God's work, I can't do anything about it so I don't bother struggling, the way things happen is the work of God, how I am very nice to people, I'm very honest, I don't like corruption money, I have lived all my life, looked at people who become rich one night, tomorrow they will have to pay for it, but I'm very rough, if you do something I don't like, I will give it to you, nothing in life is permanent so I just take it easy. 

What is your family like, you have a four and half years old daughter at your age, what is love, life and family to you?

My four and half years old daughter is called Zara, she is my everything, I have nine kids, a twins, a late girl, she had cancer of the breasts, she didn't tell us, I don't know why she was hiding it, she died in 2008, that's from my first wife, from Adan, then I got married to Lugia, she was born and brought up in England, we have three kids together, then I was dating a girl called Akos, I have a baby boy with her, he's about three years in Chicago. I have educated all of them and they are doing great.

The mother of my last child, I have been with her for fourteen years, she is from Guinea, she came to Ghana to study, I have taken her like my wife. She is happy. 

What is Ghana to you, would you say being born and living here has been quite fulfilling to you? 

I went to school here, I was born and brought up here. Everybody knows who I am. I'm successful, If you sit here longer, you will see all the calls from other regions, you see how people are nice to me as well, even when we all were in Tamale, the Northern region, you saw how nice people were to me. They have given me a nickname "Chairman".