GHANA @60; THE STORY TO TELL...

 

GHANA @60; THE STORY TO TELL...

Iddi Muhayu-Deen writes...

On the 6th of March 1957, the World witnessed the birth of a beautiful woman, called Ghana, amidst widespread celebration and razzmatazz because of the significance of that occasion. It was an occasion of solemnity; it was an occasion of joy; it was an occasion that signified hope for the Ghanaian people. It was a culmination of decades of legendary sacrifices and monumental struggles against the ambience of oppression, suppression, depression, hopelessness, disrespect for the dignity of the Ghanaian, economic enslavement and political servitude, which were prevalent at the time.

You can therefore imagine what self governance and independence meant for the Ghanaian people at this period. Of course, the story of Ghana's independence cannot be told in full without the mention of our forebears, many of whom lost their precious lives in the struggle for this all important emancipation for love of country. I am talking about the likes of J. B. Danquah, Paa Grant, Obetsebi Lamptey, Edward Akufo-Addo, kwame Nkrumah and other leaders of the UGCC, who gave out their all in the circumstances leading to the momentous proclamation of Ghana's independence.

On this day and time, Ghana climaxes her 60th Anniversary and surely, there can't be a better time to pay glowing tribute to these gallant heroes and heroines, whose legacies remain indelible in the annals of history. The President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo did just that when he took turn to address the nation today at the Independence Parade ground in Accra. He virtually mentioned every name that played a role in our Independence struggle. Characteristic of our President, he delivered an international award winning address which revivifies the Ghanaian consciousness and spirit of nationhood in us.

If you ask me whether we have reasons to celebrate, my answer is in the affirmative. I am however quick to admit that we have absolutely no reason to be where we are as a country, considering how much God has blessed us. Ghana is undoubtedly, one of the luckiest and most blessed countries in the World. A country that has been blessed with so much gold, diamond, cocoa, manganese, oil and virtually every natural resource to turn around our fortunes and make us rub shoulders with the developed countries in the World. 

Not even almighty Malaysia or Britain or Germany or China or the United States has been that lucky. So I ask, why has Ghana remained the biblical hewer of wood and drawer of water in the comity of nations? Clearly, three things account for our "sorry state of affairs" and they are, LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP and LEADERSHIP. Our leaders, regrettably, are the very people that have failed us and there is absolutely no debate about that. There is therefore no need to argue beyond this point. Leadership or I should say, the lack of it, is the cause of our problems and every other thing is an effect. 

I don't know about you, but I see in President Nana Akufo-Addo and his indefatigable Veep, H E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the kind of visionary and trustworthy leadership that this country religiously needs in order to change her narrative for the better. In President Nana Addo, we have a very competent driver to drive the Ghanaian people to the promise land. Maybe I should end with this quote from his anniversary address, "I have confidence that we can and will achieve the dreams of our forebears. I am hopeful that we will continue to make ourselves worthy inheritors of this land. I know that we will wear the accolade of being a Ghanaian with pride.

Let us mobilize for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realise their potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful. Then, we will have a Ghana beyond aid. Two months ago at my inauguration on these grounds, I urged that we renew the sacred compact that comes with being able to call yourself a citizen. I am proud that I am able to say without equivocation, I am a Ghanaian citizen" (President Nana Addo). Surely, there is nothing more to add. The thoughts of a proud Ghanaian citizen NOT a spectator. 

Assalamu alaikum 

Iddi Muhayu-Deen
#ForGodAndCountry

 

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