A letter for posterity: Tears of Ghanaians matters not?

"Had I known is the philosophy of fools" Wise men and women always look out for the 'had I known' in every life activity. Procrastination is not part and stock in trade that purpose driven life entertains. The fame of the game named blame is not tamed on the minds of achievers.

Achievers are purposeful and focused. They don't live wishful thinking life. The focused person or people works very hard till their hands are raw and sweat stain their shirts. Sleeves of hardworking individuals or peoples are almost always rolled up. They know when to put their shoulders to the wheel and when to propel the catalyst for development. Successful people are futuristic or do future piercing.

Ghana as a nation has the penchant of playing around dire issues only to be rudely awoken to disaster of an escalated proportion. Acting after a major mishap has gotten into the Ghanaian attitude colour fabric. This has gradually become a cancer which is eating away precious, cheerful and wonderful souls. Unfortunately, as a nation we keep learning only after an incident of heart wrenching proportions. What will beat any well thinking human mind are the promises that follow on the heels of major man made and insured disasters that carry in it way already miserable and poverty drubbed citizens to their graves. This way of life surely passes for the proverbial bird that promises itself of building its nest any time the cloud gathers. However, after the rain the proverbial bird postpones the building of the nest till the clouds gather again. No serious nation that aim at development that can stand the test of time and up lift her citizens from poverty must be dabbling in this self-defeating attitude.

The June 3, 2015 flood disaster was nothing from the blue sky all of a sudden. As a nation we saw it coming our way. However, we buried our heads with the belief God was going to perform the miracle of the Red Sea in our time. Sorry there was no Moses to raise the staff at the Red Sea. Hundreds of thousands of properties and worthy lives were lost.

The Goil Service Station explosion at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, which accompanied the flooding, was unfortunate; however, it could have been prevented. But in our true colours and elements, we waited till the sad event got hold of our souls, only for it to be atoned with a national church service, which has now become an annual celebration. Many corporate entities donated thousands of cedis as a support fund to the victims of the unfortunate incident. How old was the Goil Service Station? Are Service Stations mandated to carry out maintenance after a period of operation? What institution (s) is/are in charge of ensuring such laws are adhered to?

Tellingly, after the horrific incident, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MSTI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a tour of Service Stations in Ghana, but first in Accra. It came as a shock to the Minister and his entourage that, most of the Service Stations either did not have permit to be established and operate or had no permit to site such facilities at the locations they were found. Sadly, these facilities were either already in operation or under construction. Some of the structures were found to be on water ways or were simply seating on major drains. The query remains, where has the City Authorities been all these while, when these structures were raised? Do we need strong institutions or what?

Do we need to end up commemorating the day such as this with the theme: Never Again? Are we indeed working to lend meaning to the theme for the 2016 commemoration of the June 3, 2015 flood and fire victims? Our-look-on-till-a-disaster occurs attitude is eating us up like moth.

It will amaze any curious mind to know that, the structures earmarked to be demolished for been sited on major drains and water ways are still standing. The Service Station at Mile 7, which was uncompleted at the time of the visit of the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MSTI), has now been completed and operating. Do we pay lip service to dire situations or take drastic measures to avoid an unfortunate scene in future? Fast forward to 2016 and flooding is once again chasing Landlords and Tenants alike out from their homes. What went wrong to the promises put forward by the Mayor of the Accra Metropolis in 2015?

The citizens cannot be exonerated totally as indiscriminate dumping of waste, both solid and liquid has taken a strangle hold of the sanitation culture of the Ghanaian citizenry. The absence of dust bins is not a nice ticket for drains to be used as substitute till they get clogged. Littering cannot equally become a fantasy pool for even the literate to swim. Again, waste management has become a nightmare to City Authorities all over Ghana. An example which is unfortunately worth citing is the case of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) discharging feacal matter into the sea without prior treatment. The various Assemblies across the country discharge human excreta in similar fashion.



There are many homes in Ghana without toilet. This has given spike to open defaecation, leading to the annual outbreak of cholera, which has been sweeping souls to the grave. In fact Ghana shamefully ranks second in Africa, after Sudan, in open defaecation (Daily Graphic, June 22, 2016). In 2014 Ghana had her worse cholera outbreak since the first infection in 1983 of 28,971 with Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 275. Greater Accra alone had reported cases up to 20,000 with the Accra Metropolis recording more than half the regions infection rate with an associated Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 121.

Sanitation in the national capital is a real nightmare of a challenge. There are no visible signs of dust or waste bins in Accra. Where it could be found, it takes time before they are emptied. Drains are substituting for litter bins. This has led to clogged gutters, which remains the key architect of the flooding that the capital experience annually. The theme "Never Again" for the commemoration of the June 3, 2016 disaster might remain the words of a people who know titling programmes glamorously, but will return in tears once again same time next year. I am not the prophet of doom; however, let us be critical of our actions in relation to sanitation. Are we going to scale over this experience this year, when citizens are still dumping refuse into drains and buildings remain in water ways?

The Melcom Shopping Mall that collapsed at Achimota and claimed innocent lives is alleged had no permit. Yet such a building was available for rent. This is not news, because there are many structures – major - in Ghana that do not have permit, but by dint of deception and evil connivance with City Authorities they are still standing tall, in the city landscape.

The lack of discipline on the part of many public Officers, who have confidence reposed in them with fiduciary right to protect the public good has resulted in the haphazard infrastructural development and associated deaths.

Nonetheless, in our sorrow let us be forthright with how as a nation we have handled issues of national importance. Downrightly, we are bound to return to the forecourt of the State House for funerals if we keep handling the environment the way we are doing. The tears will not stop, the flooding, and further explosions are on hand to occur, if the right structures and strategies are not put in place.

As a reminder, Rev. Benihin, an American Evangelist, was invited to lay his hands on a Ghana Airways aeroplane. The God of Rev. Benihin is still at work; however, the national airline has collapsed. It's the people who are involved with God not the hand of God that is incapable. Classically, it sends the signals that, the people; in this case Ghanaians are the issue not any faceless shark. The sorrowful tears of those who lost their loved ones' will be useless and needless if we keep trampling upon the various toothless sanitation bye-laws. We need to be active tacitly and not passive. Remaining passive is gradually eroding our limited defenses. Are there no clogged drains? What is happening to us is mirroring our attitudes. Hence, we can cry till we are flooded in our tears, yet we will cry again, just because we have refused to do the right things.

We just celebrated Wednesday May 9, dubbed stadium disaster, which also swept away some hundred and over souls of cheerful spectators of the beautiful game, football. The unfortunate incident was an opportunity for the authorities to team up with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to educate football fans and restructure the security that attends football marches.

It will amaze you how the security detailed to maintain safety in our stadia end up celebrating goals ahead of the spectators.

Recently, the GN Bank suspended sponsorship to the National Division One League due to crowd violence. Last year a Referee was beaten to death in the Western region. Again, one of the oldest Football Clubs Accra Hearts of Oak had to be slapped with a three empty stadium sanction, which was later reduce to two and a fine of twelve thousand Ghana cedis. The supporters of Accra Hearts of Oak are said to have attacked Officials that handled the fixture with Wa All Stars. There are litanies of hooliganism in most League centers across the country. Why are spectators still misbehaving in the stadia, irrespective of the dangers involved? This attitude is hurting the smooth development of Ghanaian football. Currently, the Ghana Premier League (GPL) is running without sponsorship and not attracting the needed patronage as before. This has the capacity to orchestrate and thicken the dreaded attrition of quality football players away from the Ghana Premier League (GPL).

A Trader at Makola, a trading avenue of the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra Metropolis, died from a falling metal at the Makola extension site. Soon after the gory and avoidable incident a protective net has been put all around the building to trap falling objects. Why was this not done from the very beginning, but we had to look on till we lost a soul before safety measures was put in place? Is 'wait-and-see' attitude ingrain in us or is this generation that is perpetrating such trait? There is the very need for this dear country to depart from the 'wait-and-see' attitude and the habit of putting on our thinking cups only after citizens have descended the cliff.

Again, it is time for citizens to take on fellow Ghanaians, who have public confidence to be up and doing. Such personalities need to be made aware that, nobility and elevation call for great responsibility.

Let us all work to improve on the well-being of the safety of fellow Ghanaians and be proactive to responsibilities.



Patrick Twumasi

(0209045931)