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Opinions of Tuesday, 26 January 2021

Columnist: Godwin-Xavier Ayeebo

Dear Chairman Rawlings

The late former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings The late former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings

You did a lot for Ghana and the world.

Some say your decade was the end of the decay. Unfortunately, you are more than missed because the decay resurrected even stronger the moment you decided to hand over power peacefully.

Though you are gone you, the decay that began just after you left office has now taken gargantuan dimensions and we don't know if there will ever be a Ghana which you envisaged to be a Ghana for all with equal opportunities, freedoms, rights, justices and hope for those present and for those yet unborn.

It seems your Ghana is not going to be realised. If you get there, tell Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah that if there is something that you people can do even in your graves, you must team updo for Ghana to regain its glory to become the true African Star which shines on all compounds, on all campuses, on all parks, on plains whether the plains lie in the east, west, south or north.

Tell Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah that you left Ghana in a sorry state of division. That you left Ghana in so a polarized state of tribalism, ethnocentric sentiments, a pure political partizan seeking for power-profiteering to the destruction of the moral fibre of the foundation of this country.

Tell him that the visions of Atomic Energy energization and more powerful industrialized ideas and super technological ideas and visions he had and had instituted them for Ghana to take off and become the true star of Africa have been thrown to the dogs and that Ghana is now even struggling to build KVIPs for its citizens.

Let Osagyefo Know that the cocoa, the bauxite, the manganese, the gold, the diamond, the timber that he knew Ghana had had almost been depleted with virtually nothing matching to show for their depletion. Tell him that recently his Ghana discovered the Black Gold or Oil and Gas in commercial quantities just after you, left office but before you left us, Ghana could not boldly and proudly say it had heaved some sigh of relief after it started exporting oil in 2010.

Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, please, don't hide your disappointment to Osagyefo, tell him that Ghana still has only one motorway, the one he built and that even that one has not seen any major maintenance since he constructed it but more 15,000 vehicles of different types ply on it daily.

Tell him that the Tema Dry Dock also called Tema Ship Yard which he envisaged the importance and built doesn't give Ghana tangible income.

Tell him that Ghana has no workable and enforceable development plan that is enviable and could not changed by any new president and that Ghana is now ruled by the whims and caprices of the president of the day without much regard to rules and regulations and honestly without the fuller implementation of the clauses of the constitution. That the constitution has become like the Bible, where pastors quote verses which suit their deeds and works to the admiration of their admirers and so do people of the ruling party of the day interpret the laws of Ghana to suit their deeds or misdeeds to the admiration of their party admirers. Truly, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Your Excellency, President Rawlings tell Osagyefo that today in Ghana students go school and complete and don't know how they would get jobs in the public sector space and that irrespective of the grade or performance of a Ghanaian student especially after the tertiary level one would find it difficult to get a job in the public sector if that person does not know someone in the ruling government.

Ask, Osagyefo whether there is the need and motivation to seek for high educational qualifications in Ghana today if one does not want to do politics with one's life? Ask him whether during his time as president if every Ghanaian voted for him and ask him again whether he and his party people gave Ghana's public sector jobs to only their party people?

Tell Osagyefo that when you were leaving Ghana things did not look like there will be a bright future for the children of today and those yet unborn. Tell him boldly that, yes you were also a politician but that many of the bad politicians had already destroyed Ghana and that things did not look like the president of the day or presidents yet to come will be prepared to make Ghana a country where everyone feels happy and be proud of being of the Black Star of Africa that he dreamt for us.

In your conversation with Nkrumah tell him the road from Accra to his home town, Nkrofu is still single carriage with many vehicular accidents yet Western Region and now Western North Region still remain the regions with much of the exported natural resources from Ghana to the outside world.

Chairman Rawlings, you and Osagyefo were Catholics and I believe you were all saints in your own rights and so as saints of Ghana I can only ask for prayers for Ghana as you two are closer to God now. As an old soldier, you can always push Osagyefo for you people to do prayer exercises daily for Ghana.

Enjoy your journey with your Maker.