The President in an interview shortly after his aerial view of the devastation wrecked by the recent downpour in the capital, Accra, proffered the gradual relocation of the capital to elsewhere, possibly the Shai Hills thereabouts as one of the solutions to the perennial flooding in Accra.
I believe this idea of a new capital has been sitting on his mind for a long time as it was captured in his SONA somewhere last year. Remember London, Amsterdam and Rotterdam are all sitting below sea level. What has sustained them is discipline.
Personally, it is a very beautiful idea, however, l don’t think Accra is choked and dare say that the President must tread cautiously for if it is the same people in Accra and for that matter indisciplined Ghanaians, who will inhibit the new capital, then he should “find something eating” and forget about any relocation and its concomitant new capital.
I used to admonish my subordinates that most businesses in Ghana fail because we tend to transport our present work attitude – lateness, lackadaisical attitude to work, failure to switch off electrical appliances especially non-essential lights, waste of A4 paper, misuse of tissue paper at the washroom, absenteeism, abuse of everything official, to the businesses we establish, forgetting that they are now on their own, thus its collapse.
Indiscipline has been so ingrained and become an integral part of us to the extent that it has become very difficult to shear off our old skin.Again, if the same institutions will be present without undergoing any reforms, this is to say, by making them work devoid of governmental and political interferences, yah isolate them from any form and or shape of interferences, we should forget.
Further, going by his analogy, what therefore happens to Samreboi Township and the University of Cape Coast, which experienced flooding – is he going to relocate the duo for the same reason and reasoning?
I recall Kyebi flooded sometime back when River Birim decided to pay courtesy calls on his subjects at their various abodes – has he any plans of relocating Kyebi too?
Yah, part of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) got flooded some few weeks back – John, are you going to relocate KNUST too? I had the privilege of spending my youthful days on KNUST campus and was taken aback when l heard of the floods therein.
I recall with nostalgia the greenery thereof. All the vegetation that once served as buffer for River Wewe stretching from Weweso MA School transversing through G line/Hall Six through the Botanical gardens to Paa Joe stadium, thence to the faculties enclave have all gone down for whatever. I recall the stretch around Horticulture once hosted a spice of white and black monkeys, all consigned to history, what thou should thy expect?
John, l shall reiterate – THE FAULT IS NOT IN OUR STARS, BUT OURSELVES, if Ghanaians do not embrace discipline, stop the indiscriminate disposal of waste into drains, stop building on waterways and courses, constructing open drains, encroaching on wetlands, yah, treating the environment as if the present generation are the bona fide owners, drop the attitude of allowing illegalities to fester and thereby legalize same under the auspices of job creation, curb galamsey for which lip service happens to be the only antidote, the MMDAs sitting up and be up and doing, and more importantly isolating them from any form and shape of governmental and political interferences, no amount of change will bring about the needed change.
John, above all listen and reach out to the Engineers.
Already there are murmurings over the constituents of the Committee you have set up to deal same. Some critics say, it depicts lack of seriousness on your part which l am tempted to side with them.
Again, it is bereft of those who have and possess the wherewithal to deal same and it seems the present constituents are all wearing green, black, red and white lenses.
I recall you set up a similar Committee last year (2025) whose findings and recommendations were never made public nor implemented.
For now, all the actions and inaction proffered, in my estimation, are not addressing the root cause but scratching the surface thereof, oh yes, like cow dung (Nantwibin) or to put it bluntly, “Bɔlaso gya”, the real problem not being tackled.
John, go back to the drawing board without the greens, white and what nots, engage the technocrats and think tanks, take bold but unpleasant decisions which will inure to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
If am permitted to ask again, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FINDINGS OF THE FLOOD COMMITTEE SET UP LAST YEAR TO WARRANT ANOTHER COMMITTEE THIS YEAR? IS IT A CIRCUS?
By Kwabena Osei Esq., Etia Street, Asante Effiduase
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