Just a few more days to the end of the year. It has been a tragic year for me and I would like to see the back of it with some renewed vigor into 2015. Unfortunately, the budget forecast into 2015 is so �de bii kɛkɛ�, I can�t see my way to a glorious transformation in the medium to long term.
I have lost many close friends and family this year from accidents and illness, I keep my fingers crossed that the coming year will be a bit more lenient.
I can�t help but observe though, that Bishop Duncan Williams must revisit his prophesies and ask his maker whether he correctly interpreted the arrival of Ebola in Ghana by the end of November. I am sure he prayed hard for it not to come true and communed with the Lord to stay this plague away from Ghana, but for his sake, I wish he could have deflected the engine failure of the Presidential jet to compensate.
President Mahama had to, above all days, arrive three hours late to the greatest farmers day event on the calendar of the year, when some principalities tampered with the engine. He had just come out of a prayer gathering with the Bishop and some associates when this happened. Principalities seem to have a thing against jets in the air, because TB Joshua�s temple also collapsed from revolving jets not too long ago.
Yet all this did not prevent Chief Justice Georgina Wood from determining a prima facie case for the start of investigations into the removal of CHRAJ boss Lauretta Lamptey.
In a history-making decision, the CJ announced that she had responded to the petitioners, Richard Nyamah and his lawyer Samson Lardy. With more tenacity on our part and continued vigilance we can see her going back to wherever. The beauty about this part of the constitution is, the President cannot veto it if the case is won. So Richard, Occupy Ghana says go ahead, she has to �going, going, to go?�
But in these days that new ministry transfer windows are open, let�s hope she does not get a transfer ticket to the Electoral Commission. That position too has to be sorted out. But with the mood the President is in, doing his own damage control for a change, she could be side-swapped to even the Power Ministry as their legal rep.
Positions are created every day, even Elvis Afriyie is still occupying a seat near his President and on the left side of Presidential Staffer Prosper Bani.
But watch the power crisis, it is not going anywhere soon. Despite all the problems facing us with power generation, we are not seeing the fact that ECG tariffs cannot sustain the chain of business from VRA to GRIDCO to independent IPPs and have anything left over to manage its own.
The ultimate culprit is more broke than Government and the consumer is punished with higher than normal retail prices despite the significant drop in international crude prices. Suddenly the great automatic tariff adjustment formula, which used to be sacrosanct, has evaporated like Shell V-Power. It only adjusts upwards.
One Dovlo resigned from the Ghana Water Company, another Gbevlo, former head of National Security was made acting CEO of fading telephone company Expresso. What the papers did not report is, Chinese company ZTE also now have a stake in Expresso. It could be an interesting corporate challenge, but I would watch my back if I was still working at Expresso. Does Gbevlo have a watch-everybody strategy?
Well, we are talking free SHS again, this time after the sneak attack by government. I think free SHS is feasible, but definitely not when you are broke.
This Government is so broke, rating agency Fitch is still on our case, that Bank of Ghana is printing money to support Government�s borrowing habits. They were so definite, NPP�s Mahamoudu Bawumia also waded in, accusing government of incapable of accounting for the recent $1billion loan.
Of course Finance Minister Terkper was not going to have this and offered that if he had asked for the information up front he would have disclosed all, but since he did not, we can all remain in the dark and have more babies in �dum-dum.�
I think this country needs more babies so I don�t have a problem. Maybe the President�s brother can lead the way, followed by Alhaji Dawood and Dr. Opuni. They might have figured a way forward on the milky �kokonte� road.
President Mahama promised he would not promise again, so gave his latest promise to the farmers in Sefwi when he disclosed a $95million facility to help improve agriculture in Ghana. Forgetting he had promised not to promise, his Western Region Minister Paul Evans Aidoo, jolted a small reminder that the roads in the area had not been delivered as promised ooo!
The feeder roads to bring the produce from the farm gates are still on the promise plank, waiting to be released. I think President Mahama just has to understand that it is not the promising that creates the problem; it is the failure to deliver to the promise.
We all have to promise one thing or the other every so often, but coming through with the promise is key to engaging public confidence.
But why did he have to go and pick a fight with Robert Mugabe of all persons?
After the BNI arrested Samuel �Samens� Atta Mensah, boss of Citifm, in connection to the Ruby Adu Gyamfi cocaine case, the President compared our press freedom to Zimbi. Eh bei!
Papa Mugabe gave it back in economic underdevelopment coinage, reminding JDM and all of Ghana that our economy is stuck ever since the day he nestled on Sally Mugabe�s mammalian glands.
As we say, �e bring n sef�. But Papa Mugabs has to be careful; his attempt to sexually transmit political power to his new wife might be the apogee of his life presidency. Even in Zimbi, people no go sit make dem cheat anymore.
I am �not a bad person� JDM has to be reminded every so often that this is the worst economic downturn ever in our history and his government is way below expectation at this time. The recent Afrobarometer report of Ghanaians� view of the state of affairs is so abysmal, he can only thank our peace-loving nature for his continuing occupancy.
The 2nd National Sanitation day flopped. There was such little participation, Government has threatened to make it a law. Is the problem that we do not want to clean? Or is it that we expect that taxpayer�s money given to cleaning companies such as ZoomLion means ZoomLion should be cleaning and not us?
Should we pay them, only to do their work for them? There is a contract with the refuse collection companies to collect garbage. Shouldn�t we enforce the contract and insist that they ensure a clean city?
But you know we can�t do that right? They are owed a lot of money. Between Mayor Vanderpuye and Local Government Minister Julius Debrah you can�t figure where we are with payments to these contractors.
I think Ghanaians are just tired of all the free loaders on our backs. After sacking our made in Ghana coach, we have loaded an Israeli �obroni pɛtɛ� to come and tell us we can win tournaments. Y�all never knew this? Every competition, we hope and train; but when we hit the park, we pray the Lord smites our competitors so we can be victorious. Even with our national sport, we cannot do made in Ghana. Tweeaa!
But I went to the MoGo (Music of Ghanaian origin) concert at the Alisa Hotel on Friday night. Nana Ampadu, Akaboa and rocking the stage, Ramblers International and Okyeame Kwame. It was a great night, well chosen venue, great acoustics and much dancing.
But the best part; there were plenty �Rubys� there on the night. Go figure. Can�t wait for March 2015. Well done Citifm. Decemba2Rememba on the 24th, ɛbɛ yɛ butu butu.
I really like our music evolution. I like the fact that many of the musicians can see growing audiences at their concerts, means gate proceeds are growing and they will start seeing steady incomes coming through. Then the �tax specialist� NDC Government will come knocking at the gate.
We will not let them in.
Ghana, Aha a ye din papa. Alius atrox week advenio. Another terrible week to come!
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