Today, Ghana is celebrating 59 years of independence and let's kindly join the masses to say a happy independence day to mother Ghana. During this period of celebrations, one may be moved to ask the pertinent question; what is Ghana really celebrating?
Are we celebrating 59 years of poor supply of electricity? Are we celebrating our over-dependence of foreign aid for the running of our economy? Are we celebrating 59 years of poor road networks? Are we celebrating 59 years of corruption in our public institutions? Are we celebrating 59 years of mass unemployment? Are we celebrating 59 years of poverty among majority of the citizenry?
Are we celebrating 59 years of manipulation of justice as Anas Aremeyaw Anas can testify? Are we celebrating 59 years of studying under trees? Are we celebrating 59 years of improper use of tax payers monies? Are we celebrating 59 years of poor maintenance culture in all sectors? Are we celebrating 59 years of causing cold division among citizens in the name of politics?
The questions can go on and on without really finding a remedy for it because this is the kind of country we find ourselves in. Several years have come and gone since Ghana's first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah blessed the nation with the Akosombo Dam but once again the question remains; what is the current state of the Dam? Has there been any proper development of the Akosombo Dam to sort of curtail the power menace we have been experiencing in the last four years? One would quickly jump into conclusion that as at the construction of the Dam, the population of Ghana was proportional to the supply the Dam could provide and hence, the increase in population is the cause of insufficient power supply. Sometimes you look at folks who make such appalling statements and you can't but to weep for mother Ghana.
How can you attribute the poor supply of energy to our population while you know very well that there will definitely be a need for it and so you should plan for it ahead of time! It is just fascinating to think that several change of governance since the era of Nkrumah didn't arouse a visionary idea to make this power crisis something of the past.
At this point, someone may be musing "what am I talking about? Isn't our power crisis over?" Oh No! A capital No! Our power crisis is never over because you cannot be paying outrageous hard-earned tax payers monies to a foreign company to install their equipment here to provide electricity for you. Ghana as a nation has gone a long way to be experiencing this shameful situation. It is even more sad that political parties will be using the energy crisis which has been nicknamed 'dumsor" as their grand campaign message this election year.
There is no need mentioning other sources of power which have been neglected by our leaders for reasons best known to them. The point is; depending on foreign companies to solve your energy crisis will not the problem entirely in the long run because these companies seek to make profit in any adventure they partake in. In addition, their profit making means our losses because we will be channeling our resources to ensuring they stabilize our energy crisis.
Every year during the 6th day of March, we gather at various jubilee parks to ignorantly celebrate our flaws, failures and mediocrity. One may wonder how long will Ghanaians be celebrating this feet cloaked by Nkrumah on 6th March 1957 without critically thinking about what they could do to unearth a positively lasting change in the country. The big six led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah risked their lives to make mother Ghana a better place to live in but these days, we are not seeing those traits in our leaders in the 21st century.
One doesn't need to climb mountain Afadjato to broadcast to all Ghanaians that what majority of leaders seek for is first of all their wealth and comfortability, their families and friends before they think about the ordinary Ghanaian who voted them into power on election day.
Without a shadow of doubt, one of the causes of unemployment in Ghana now and even over the years is the "who you know syndrome." Oh Yes! A country full of leaders who don't give employment to people based on their qualification or experience but on whether or not they know them or related by blood. It is one of the things that is making many join some intellectuals who call themselves "Association Of Unemployed Graduates." My goodness! It is only a nation who lack vision who will entertain such association in their domicile.
How can one pay outrageously expensive school fees in the university and graduate after four years only to walk about in the streets without anything to do with his or her qualifications. The point is not about Ghana being a poor a country because we are really not that poor if we were able to give thirty members of a single nation team $100,000 as appearance fees in the 2014 world cup.
The point is, who is ready to put our monies into the right perspective which will cause the mass citizenry to have a fair and equal share of the national cake? After 59 years of supposed independence, we have only seen a few personalities who have the liberality and independence of the nation at heart like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the likes. With unity and oneness of heart, Ghana can really get to that level of total dependence because truth be said, we are really not an independent nation.
How can you say you are independent when after 59 years you still import table, chalk, pen, chair, rice, toothpaste, wood, cement and the list is endless. Ghana is blessed with natural resources like cocoa, timber, gold, oil and the likes, yet we cannot take advantage of them to grow our economy.
The youth of today must really sit up to plan for tomorrow because what you do today frames your picture of tomorrow. The future belongs to those who plan for it; so forgo the promises of politicians that never materializes to anything fruitful and think of contributing your quota to make Ghana a better place.
All sectors of the economy must use these 59th independence celebrations to reflect on how best they can perform to bring about the development we are all dreaming of in this beautiful nation.
We are in an election year and Ghana has track record of organizing peaceful and successful elections and so all stakeholders and citizens are kindly admonished to avoid the bitter taste of violence and rather smell the sweet fragrance of peace.
This is just the first part of unraveling what Ghana is really celebrating. Until the second part comes your way, keep living in an atmosphere
of peace, love and tranquility.
God bless our homeland Ghana! Happy 59th Independence Anniversary Ghana
Writer: Edward Kyei Frimpong
Eddybless100@yahoo.com
Former Hearts & Real Sportive player Charles Vardiss has disclosed in an interview with Shadow Radio that deputy operations manager of Kotoko, Alhaji Ali Maradona tried to bribe him ahead of his team's encounter with Kotoko in 2005.
