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Ghana; 50 years after Nkrumah's dream
A GNA feature by Caesar Abagali
Tamale, Dec. 26, GNA – March 6 2007 would mark 50 years of
the birth of Ghana, a by-product of British Colonialism.
Ghana is an amalgam of the Crown Colony; Ashanti
Protectorate; Northern Territories and Trans-Volta-Togoland
crafted to suit the purposes and convenience of the British.
It is germane to point out this fact because it is said if
one did not know where one was coming from it would be
unlikely that the one would know where one was going.
This characteristic is common to many independent Africa
countries, such as Democratic Republic of Congo or Nigeria.
This contrivance called Ghana was bequeathed to Osagyefo Dr
Kwame Nkrumah, the First President, to manage. In spite of
the turmoil, tribulations and bitter experiences, Ghana
still continues to prod on as one bundle after 50 years of
travelling.
It calls for a sober reflection on the gains and burdens of
a nation at 50. This is the time to take stock of this long
but short arduous journey, in order to appreciate where the
journey takes the nation in the future.
The big question analysts would like to know is: Is the
dream of Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah today unfolded? Does it express
the just hopes of its people? Is it a good chariot for the
journey? These and many more questions should be raised even
if answers could not be found for all of them.
Every citizen of this country has reason to be thankful to
Almighty God for the ability of this fragile and
artificially crafted nation to endure. While other nations
like Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia have succumbed to the
artificiality of their creation and torn apart along their
seams due to pressures exerted by creed, ethnicity,
inefficient administration and narrow mindedness Ghana has
held together and has endured to the threshold of 50 years
of nationhood. So in spite of the occasional interruptions,
anxiety and threats this nation Ghana has managed to march
on peacefully. The value of this in itself must be
appreciated. Therefore, citizens can proudly say; "I come
from Ghana, I am a Ghanaian" to the admiration of other
nationals.
We've stayed long enough to be seen at the World Cup in one
piece. However, this nation from the perspective of the
analysts could have done better. It could have broken away
from the trauma of poverty that burdens many countries of
Africa. It could have lived the Nkrumah's dream much more
realistically. It could have taken another direction of
development or better still a multi dimensional direction to
development. It is still held hostage by poverty, by hunger
and disease. It is still grappling with insufficiency of
ordinary drinking water. It has occasional eruption of
chieftaincy disputes. It is wobbling on its legs. It is in
urgent need of an elixir that can let the nation stand firm
to mount the chariot in its determined journey to develop.
The nation still finds it difficult to abandon the status
quo. While other nations are identifying new challenges and
adopting fresh mechanisms of doing things, Ghana still
persist with increasing tenacity to what was bequeathed by
the British to its colonial subjects but abandoned by the
master himself.
A clear demonstration of this is the country's Civil Service
structure, many of the laws, the salary structure and more
dangerously the educational system. There is the need to
redefine the challenges, ambitions, objectives and methods.
The solution lies in the hands of the citizenry.
The greater challenge to this relatively young nation can be
found in the political realm. Therein lies the leadership
function; the social organisation and therefore its destiny.
The greatest challenge of the nation, therefore, is its
political organisation and the type of leadership provided
from time to time. Leadership must imbibe determination,
conscious selflessness, the will to sacrifice and the love
for the people.
To fulfill Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah's dream, the nation has to
strengthen its leadership; galvanize its people; call for
sacrifice at all levels of society and above all have
genuine interest in the welfare of one another.
The present situation, where those at the helm of affairs
appear to be more interested in what they could siphon from
the State for the benefit of their families and cronies,
should be replaced with altruism.
All Ghanaians must learn to see beyond their differences in
order to shape the destiny of this country. A vision founded
on larger purposes; greater aspiration and ambitious but
realizable objectives.
Only in this way could Ghana's 50th anniversary celebration
be worthy of it. Only also can the nation truly have
celebrated an anniversary founded on 50 years experience.
The year 2007 should, therefore, mark a beginning and a
milestone for the people of this country to rise up to the
occasion and make poverty; hunger; disease; ignorance and
misery things of the past.
This way the nation would begin its triumphant march for
progress. Ghana must succeed. It cannot be left behind. The
future of Ghana is bright, hopeful and the celebration of
the 50 years as a nation is called for. Long live Ghana;
long live Ghanaians for better aspirations for development.
GNA
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