Feature: Oh, Ghana

Ma omanyihonhia wo; Ghana-man ye woara wo man… Dwen omanyi ho… 

Imagine the ecstasy! Imagine the euphoria! Imagine the hallucination! Celebrating Ghana’s independence. It was no longer “God save the Queen….” (the British Anthem) but rather “Lift high the flag of Ghana…” the first stanza of the Ghana National Anthem. That was 6th March, 1957, – great hopes for the future.

Industrialization; Akosombo Dam, Tema Motorway, Expansion of electricity, water to every nook and corner, Ghana Food Distribution, Shoe Factory, Glass Factory, Nsawam Cannery… Workers (Builders) Brigade.

Dr. Nkrumah was the Messaiah; he did not want the opposition to disrupt his programme, especially the 7-Year Development Plan. So, Dr. Nkrumah introduced the Preventive Detention Act, leading to the detention of many opposition elements. On 24th February, 1966, Dr. Nkrumah was overthrown by Kotoka and Afrifa and Ghanaians were “liberated” from one-party system.

Soft spoken Dr. Abrefa Busia followed and his “dialogue” with apartheid South Africa hit the Pan-Africanists, and his Aliens’ Compliance Order hit the ECOWAS-minded citizens. Kutu Acheampong did his bit, particularly Operation Feed Yourself during his 6-year rule. Then came Jerry Rawlings whose main aim was to rid Ghana of corruption.

He formed the National Democratic Congress on eclipsing the Prof. Adu Boahen’s New Patriotic Party. But the NPP’s message had a great appeal, and in 2000, respectable Agyekum Kufuor won. The “gentle giant” did a yeoman’s job, introducing many social interventions and respect for human rights.

Prof. Mills took over from Kufuor (2009) and later Mills’ Vice, John Mahama took over till 2016. Then, it was Akufo-Addo, a veteran politician. He caught all of us napping when he proclaimed: “I am not corrupt… I have never been corrupt…” We had great hopes, and we thought the party and government would live by the epithet “patriotic” in the party’s name. Akufo-Addo must have disappointed his admirers.

Napoleon Opoku Prempeh compared his singular achievements among all other heads of state, including even “your Kwame Nkrumah” or as a “clearing agent” covering his own corrupt Ministers and apparatchiki, including Cecilia Dapaah to whom the resignation letter he sent her a reply: “I am confident, like you, that at the end of the day your integrity while in office will be fully established…” AND, prior to the 2024 election, NDC was togged with corruption: “Woyome, woyome; woyome…” to the extent that Jennifer Ambolley could write in The Chronicle: “Airbus scandal: Gov’t Official I is Mahama…”

Mahama made history on 7th December, 2024 by following American Trump’s victory by returning to the Presidential seat — after licking his wounds for 8 years.

BUT what is happening in the country now? Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)  Containers with cables missing? And each container load alleged to value $400,000! ECG has been notorious for such thefts at Tema Harbour: 2006, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023… Who can we trust again? Missing ECG containers located at the factory of Indian and Lebanese nationals (as for the Chinese, they are more interested in “helping us” to pollute our waters with “galamsey”).

With Police, Customs Officers, National Security and GPHA men at the Gate, over 1,000 containers can slip through as if they were a pack of cards! Are these not easy to trace? The manifests sent to GPHA, Customs, Harbour Police, National Security… the shipping lines… and the paper trail from Customs Commission to the Terminal Manager, Overseas Annex dated 6th February, 2023:

“I write to bring to your attention containers marked FSCU6768269, FSCU6339412, FSCU6810271, FSCU6993275 and FSCU6625289 (only 5?) said to contain ECG meter enclosures and prepaid meters belonging to Electricity Company of Ghana which were listed overstayed and subsequently gazetted in CIB No. 35 of 2021. The Auction Unit of the Customs Division of the GRA reports that containers in the attached list were not auctioned by the Unit…”

And Overseas Commerce replies per Veronica Aduamoah: “…the containers marked … (only 5) are at our main terminal full. We stand by for further direction from GRA to know how to proceed on the next step…” Simple or complex? How knowledgeable are the people running the affairs at the Tema Harbour about Customs clearance? Oh, Ghana!

In November, 2024, TogbeAfede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State lamented: “Ghana is full of scandals”, saying: “Almost every day there is something new. From the PDS scandal involving the Electricity Company of Ghana, the Ameri scandal and the very bad scandal surrounding the National Cathedral project, to judgment debts that we do not deserve to pay and the list goes on… we heard about this story of Agyapadie, quite worrying because it talks about a plot by a few people to seize control of our economy while trying to undermine other Ghanaians who also deserve the opportunities that this country has to offer…” Symbolic! Prophetic! Noble!

And the scandal TogbeAfede mentions would include Adu Boahene and his wife over a deal involving GH¢39.46 million on State Cyber Defence software – alleging Mr. Adu Boahene transferred GH¢ 27.1 million from the state’s BNC Operation Account at Fidelity Bank to his private PNC Account at UMB Bank… the Skytrain $2m deal for what? Feasibility studies? And the National Service Scheme (NSS) scandal: over 80,000 “ghost” names?

Fake currencies (dollars and cedis) impounded? And empty Bank of Ghana boxes allegedly found in the ex-Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Addison’s home so, the suspected deal: swap the genuine currency with the fake ones; later, get the fake currencies destroyed because of suspected intrusion of fake currencies in the system.

Well, Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader is urging “NPP followers (not to) despair”, when Great Ampong and Omani Acheampong, who had publicly supported NPP called: “…NPP is the only political party that when it comes into government, it introduces life impacting social intervention policies and programs and implements them successfully.

The NDC is all about making noise. They made a lot of noise promising to build landing beaches across the coastal belt, but ended up doing nothing when in power between 2009 and 2017…”

There Afenyo goes again: leaving his own party’s mistakes (arrogance, pride, huu-huu, greed, selfishness, deceit, corruption) to talk about the NDC? Aren’t we fed up with all this political chicanery? And an MP for Tafo South, Hon. Assafua is accusing Ghanaians of “not understanding” politics and praising Mahama who “has not done anything remarkable.” How do some of these politicians see us? Ye woo me too NPP mu (I was born into NPP…) balderdash, arguing that comparing Akufo-Addo arrogantly ordering chiefs to rise up to greet him with Mahama humbly beseeching chiefs to sit down is an exercise in “trivialities.”

And the pastors… genuine versus fake. Rev. Otabil says 90% of them are fake! Perhaps those that visited Mahama and urged him to drop the idea of investigating the National Cathedral project are among the 10% “clean”. Why would they not give such advice – to protect their own positions!

Now, the media space has been expanded, and Maurice Ampaw exchanges his wig for that of a foul-mouthed serial caller: attacks Yaa Sisi: “a nonentity,…borla,… shapeless… with low educational background.”

Will you call the Ghana Bar Association, a toothless bull-dog if the Association does not call Maurice Ampaw to order?

So, the NPP wants to stifle Adwoa Safo, arguing that a meeting with her had to be called off to enable the Executives to concentrate on the cocaine and money laundering allegations made by Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour. The principle is “he who alleges must prove”. Miserable Ghana.

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