My English Language Is Not Gone Bad – Lawyer Nti

Comedian, Richmond Xavier Amoakoh, popularly known as lawyer Nti, says his character in television series on Joy Prime, “Kejetia vrs Makola” does not affect his English language as perceived by a section of the public.

The hilarious Nti’s bad grammar, “unlawyerly” attire (colourful shirts, overly big or tight jackets and who can forget the gloves) just draws laughs not only those in the courtroom but the TV audience as well.

He is so bad that any case he wins is a cause for celebration.

In an interview on Accra-based Hitz FM, the comedian said although he is not fluent in spoken English, he is good when it comes to writing it.

“I don’t speak English very well… when people say it affects me… it’s does not in any way, my English level is the same, my English is not good, I can’t speak very well but I write very well”.

The comedian also rebutted the public perception about him not being sociable, explaining that he is only “lawyer Nti” when he is on set.

“People say I’m anti-social when they see me, the lawyer Nti effect, they expect me to be joking when I’m walking in town and I can’t do that when I’m lawyer Nti, I’m lawyer Nti, when I’m not, I’m not,” he explained.

He said the personality he portraits depends on when and where he is, adding he is able to switch at any time.

“When I know I’m talking as lawyer Nti, I talk as lawyer Nti, when I’m talking as Richmond then I talk like Richmond, it depends on where and when I’m speaking,” he said.

Lawyer Nti, however, said is affected when people criticise the TV series to be ‘stale’ because to him, he has given out his best since they started the series.

“We gave people too much in very little time so it got to a time people felt it [series] was stale and we have relax…when I’m shooting I don’t play with my people, I focus. I know what this means to people so when I’m doing it [series], I do it with my all.

“That is how I have been doing from day one until now so when people said you have to relax, it got to me somehow,” he explained.

‘Kejetia Vs Makola’ is an urban satirical show and a subversion of the Law Procedural genre. The production is unscripted and the actors purely deliver on skill and talent.

The first of its kind on the Joy Prime channel, it follows the amusingly unconventional legal battles between a band of misfit lawyers claiming to have been trained at a certain Ghana School of The Law somewhere at Kejetia and their colleagues from Ghana School of Law at Makola.

---Daily Graphic