… _through the blood and toil of our Fathers,and I pledge myself in all things, to uphold and defend the good name of Ghana…_
Reciting these words so boldly and confidently during morning assembly’s at the basic school level was really an awesome way every child could promise Mother Ghana.
Little did I know that all of the pledges were just spoken words with little impact.
As the days go by, I keep pondering on these questions but I get no answers, I wish to see Mr. President and ask…
Why are your youths unemployed?… do you hear the cry of your people?…
But, these scriptures of promise are muttered everytime by presidential aspirants in their quest for votes from Ghanaians.
“If I am elected into office, I will provide employment opportunities for the youths and revive the collapsed economy. I would also make the constitution of the state superior”.
Now the question is, do they fulfill their pledges when they are given the chance?
Ghana succinctly exercises its franchise every four years to elect a leader and president into office we wish to see transformation in all sectors to a better one but here we go again wallowing in poverty and in bitterness.
In an economy where inflation is unsurmounted, citizenry barely have a meal to survive, these, should always be a topic of interest.
“Ama Ghana”, where are our natural resources nature granted us? Where is the Gold, diamond and bauxite we boast of? After 66 years of independence, the country has never been reliant. We believe we possess all the resources to develop a nation yet our leaders are always absconding to the International Monetary fund for a financial bailout.
Our roads continue to deteriorate causing lots of crashes, ricketing of vehicles and loss of lives. We often say democracy has been good and it will always be. Looking at the other side of democracy is the problem we have as a country. We have the latitude of electing whoever we want into office, yet looking down on the repercussions.
In a democratic system as this, is where we should have our checks and balances. The three arms of government namely the judiciary, executive and legislature should keep an eye on each other but seemingly not in existence.
Democracy is working in the country they say but here lies the case where people experience brutalities during protest over dissatisfaction on the governance.
Freedom of the press has been guaranteed under the 1992 constitution yet the press is being gagged in its watchdog role. Journalists are being assassinated in their quest to ensure accountability for the government and the general well-being of the people.
A pragmatic scenario is when the police tried to quell a protest by a group named Occupy Jubilee House which led to several brutalities on 21st September, 2023.
Oh… but I thought citizens demonstrating was a right?… Sigh..
The function of dams we have in Ghana are to generate hydro electric power and water for irrigation farms but to our surprise, the dams are adversities.. Spillage of dams have been an annual ritual.
There was a Spillage of the Weija Dam on 4th October, 2022 which caused the displacement of thousands of people… What causes dam spillage?? Who should the blame be apportioned to? The government, engineers or citizens???..
In relation is another spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams which happened on 15th October, 2023 causing the displacement of over 8,000 people along the areas and collapsing of businesses which is mitigating productivity. If this should be repeated, government and authorities would have to account for .
As an adage in the Akan language goes “Nsuo 3tae ap)nkyer3nii a , )gye w))” which literally means when water chokes the throat of a goat, it bleats differently. This implies, Ghanaians would not endure anymore catastrophes in the coming years if things are not worked on.
Apparently, nothing seems to work in the country. It’s high time people in authority worked for what they have been paid for. How well have we protected state properties especially what Dr. Kwame Nkrumah toiled hard for??… The factories, institutions and roads have all been jeopardised.
It is obvious that our leaders have failed us but citizens also play pivotal roles in the shaping of the country. Hardly will you see a Ghanaian employee under the government being punctual and discipline at workplaces. The perception that “whether I work or not ,I will receive stipends at the end of the month” is becoming a havoc on our productivity.
If citizens should change their lackadaisical behaviours towards work and state properties, productivity will be at its pinnacle which will alleviate the burden on the government.
Ghanaians are noted of being ignorant in everything concerning the country. At sectors where, waste bins are furnished, citizens will still be seen discarding waste in the environment. Are we not being sensitised enough???
We are in an era where all youths prefer white collar jobs to entrepreneurial skills. If most of them do not get the opportunity to be employed at companies and other institutions, they are being rendered jobless. And this is a great threat to our nation since they would engage in any illegal activity for survival.
This is where the case of illegal mining is of intrigue. Youths who mine illegally is as a result of unemployment, frustration and financial hurdles. Western , Ashanti and Eastern regions have most of their water bodies being polluted which is wreaking havoc.
The times head would be detrimental to the state if our leaders do not change their selfish interest and put the nation at heart. It’s high time citizens also changed their attitudes for a better Ghana.
Source:otixpress.com/Francisca Nanaba Amoako
