Stop Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome - Deputy NSS Boss Tells Youth

The Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Madam Sophia Ackuaku, has cautioned Ghanaians, particularly the youth against the get-rich-quick syndrome and work hard to attain prosperity. According to her, the youth must be made to understand that prosperity comes after hard work. Many of the youth, she said have been swept away into believing that blood money could end their frustrations, hence the craze for what is popularly called �Sakawa�, the local name for cyber crime which comes with the performance of rituals sometimes involving animal and human sacrifices. There are instances also, where these young men sleep in coffins or graves in the cemetery. Madam Ackuaku, called on religious bodies and social organizations to pump more energy into preaching about salvation, instead of fueling the talks about riches on earth. �Our religious bodies need to educate the youth that to be successful and prosperous, it takes hard work, strategies, analysis, focus and perseverance. Most of our church leaders have stopped preaching about salvation and preaching about how to be wealthy overnight�, she observed. She cited the sad story of a twenty -two year old footballer, who wanted to use his own mother for rituals to get rich. The situation, she said, is so alarming to an extent that students are being asked to bring their pens to church, before they write their examinations, instead of asking the students to read their books. Madam Ackuaku, who was the ruling National Democratic Congress�(NDC) parliamentary candidate for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, made this comment speaking on Okay Fm, an Accra based radio station on Tuesday. �Because of these pray for me syndrome, most of these children desert their books and put their faith in what the preacher has to say and unfortunately things don�t work that way�, she stated. She posited that God has given to each man a physical role to play and this �should guide us to know that without playing your role in life, you should not expect to be rich overnight. Certainly nothing new under the sun comes for free but for some time now, Ghanaians have been hearing about developments which are virtually new to our culture�. Touching on the issue of the alleged stolen baby at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in the Ashanti Region, she noted that it all boils down to some selfish individuals, looking forward to make money from the vulnerable. Madam Ackuaku, called on all Ghanaians to assist the police as they are investigating the matter, to apprehend the people directly involved in the unfortunate incident at the hospital. She also pleaded to the health officials working at the hospital not to harbour any hatred for their patients, although their lives have come under threat over the issue. She asked the security forces to ensure the full protection of doctors and health workers in the area, following the tension that erupted after the issue broke out. Giving her views on the declining Cedi, she proffered that it would be better to support the local farmers to produce commodities, such as tomatoes, pepper and onions, instead of importing such items. She also added that the Cedi, can be arrested if manufacturing companies are fed with the needed raw materials, rather than spending US Dollars to import finish product from the European market.