Feature Article of Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Columnist: Nketiah, Kwadwo
As l write this morning, over 2000 graduates of various Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges remain unemployed 2 years after graduating. Every morning, they have to look up to their parents and guardians like toddlers to be given 5 or 3 cedis to break their fast with the “waakye” at the junction or the popular “banku ” in that ‘lungulungu.’ Government claims there’s no money to put extra workers on government payroll hence the unfortunate plight of our nursing and midwifery graduates.
But wait, reading the news today, Madam Akua Donkor, the failed presidential hopeful who couldn’t even purchase forms to contest the 2012 elections is on a STATE SPONSORED VISIT to Italy with the first gentleman of the land, sleeping and dining at plush five star hotels at the expense of the poor taxpayer. A month ago, the same woman was on a chartered flight to Nigeria to witness Buhari’s swearing in as president of the federal republic of Nigeria all from state coffers. Similarly, when Mahama invited economic brains across board to formulate an emergency economic plan to arrest the then free falling Cedi, Madam Akua Donkor who can’t even write or spell her own name spent over 3 days at the mega-rich SENCHI RESORT CENTER which bills hundreds of dollars each night. She dined and wined and at the expense of the poor taxpayer.
While serious economic and technocratic brains like that of Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom and Dr Abu Sakara Foster who could have contributed positively and meaningfully towards Ghana’s economic transformation have been relegated to the dungeon of opposition wilderness, our so called smart and youthful president continue to entertain himself with people like Madam Akua Donkor. The president has every right to choose his close confidants. Fair deal, we’ve all got ours. But when state resources are being used on individuals, it must innure to the benefit of the people in whose name the resources are being used and on whose sweat and toil such trips are funded. I ask, how does the nation’s expenses on Akua Donkor help the poor cocoa farmer at Sefwi, whose sweat and toil nourishes the state purse? How does our investments in Akua Donkor help the already penniless trader at the Kumasi Central Market, Bawku, Keta, Techiman, Kukurantumi, Bechem, Dodowa, Savelugu, Tumu and Assin Fosu whose daily market tolls fund our dear nation.
Medical students sent in Ghana’s name to Cuba have been crying on radio for months, complaining about hunger and lack of support from the very government that sent them there. Junior doctors at Korle-Bu have still not been paid. As for our energy crisis there’s no need talking about it. Sadly, special schools in Ghana for the blind and deaf as well as mentally challenged individuals have not been given a penny of government’s financial assistance that has been offered them since independence by every government. Government is even forcing already jobless university students to pay their utility bills, a responsibility that has been carried out by every government since Nkrumah.
For what shall it profit a nation if its future; university students are forced to pay their utility bills while Akua Donkor is fully catered for by the state?
When l hear people say there’s no money in Ghana, l just shake my head and laugh. For money, we have a lot. Unfortunately, president Mahama has chosen to spend the nation’s resources on people like Madam Akua Donkor, sponsor NDC footsoldiers to Brazil and Equatorial Guinea for football trips, spend extravagantly in Talensi in the name of winning just one by-election and offered to Chiefs and heads of senior high schools in the Ashanti region to help garner one million votes for his excellency in the region. There is a word called priority and it’s pretty obvious it doesn’t feature in the president’s lexicon of words.
It’s blatantly undeniable, that everything president Mahama touches, goes from best to worse. Some few years ago, young Ghanaian students discovered oil in the nursing profession. Most abandoned their dreams of university education to enroll in various nursing training institutions. The lure of direct employment after graduation coupled with monthly allowances that were offered to nursing students made the profession an oil discovery to students. Today, not only have they been denied their allowances but robbed of the direct employment that made the nursing career attractive. The National Health Insurance Scheme, School Feeding Programme, Metro Mass Transport System, National Youth Employment now GYEEDA and the Ghanaian economy in general have all gone from best to worse under the leadership of John Mahama. Apparently, the president is more interested in winning elections and appeasing his cronies and confidants than developing Ghana. He seeme not to be listening to the numerous concerns raised by Ghanaians about hardships in the country. Afterall, this is a man who calls himself a dead goat and dances to Daddy Lumba’s “yentie obiara ” hit song.
I will end by sharing with you what Dr. Myles Munroe said about leadership; “True leaders do not seek power, but to empower others to greatness. True leaders make other people
Great! Seek the best for others.” May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our electorates and leaders wise and strong.
Michael Kwadwo Nketiah
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