Will Ghana's Political Elite Learn Lessons From The Horrific Northern Nigerian Islamic Mass Murderers?

The shocking mass murders committed recently by Islamic fanatics known as Boko Haram (the so-called “Nigerian Taliban”) -  who seem to forget, in their sworn aim of removing every trace of Western influence from Nigerian society, that Islam itself, is also a foreign influence in African society - apparently caught officialdom in Nigeria, both at the state and federal levels, completely by surprise.

For the average pan-Africanist, who cares about the fate of major nations in the continent, such as Nigeria, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya, the constant threat posed to their stability by a variety of divisive forces, is a source of great worry.

The tragic and horrific events in which misguided Islamic fanatics unleashed a reign of terror in coordinated attacks on police stations and other public buildings in a number of northern states, during which hundreds of innocent people were murdered for the most incredible and lunatic of reasons, could never have occurred, if the ruling Nigerian elite had ensured that the massive revenues, which they have misappropriated over the years, were applied to improving the quality of life of all Nigeria’s citizens: thus making it less likely that such an evil organisation would be able to find so many vulnerable young people to influence with such catastrophic consequences.

One can only hope that they will now wake up to the danger posed to the long-term future of their great country, by their continued insistence on siphoning billions of dollars from their national treasury – money that ought to be used instead to develop Nigeria into a more equitable society for the benefit of its teeming and impoverished millions.

In the light of the abominations in northern Nigeria, one could not help but be apprehensive, as one listened to the smugness in the tone of Mr. Mahama Ayariga, the presidential spokesperson, as he blithely mentioned, in passing, during a telephone contribution he made (whiles commenting on a number of points the host of the programme sought his clarification on) to a discussion about strengthening the constitutional bodies mandated to fight corruption in Ghana, such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), on Joy FM’s “Super Morning Show” programme, which was broadcast on July 28, 2009. 

According to Mr. Ayariga, the Mills administration would not breach the constitutional provisions, which guarantee privacy for ministers who have declared their assets to Ghana’s Auditor General, as required by the constitution. It made one wonder if Ghana’s obdurate political elite, will ever learn any lessons from tragedies that occur elsewhere in Africa, such as the horrific events that have just occurred in northern Nigeria. 

Do privileged people in Ghanaian society, such as Mr. Mahama Ayariga, not understand that beneath the patina of a civilized and peaceful nation lies a seething cauldron of disaffection: a potent and toxic mix of anger and hopelessness that could blow up at any time – if this regime, at the very least, does not show by concrete action that it is serious about fighting corruption? 

Why have they not prosecuted Alhaji Muntaka yet, for example? Do the Mahama Ayarigas not understand that instead of the endless platitudes about transparency and accountability, most discerning Ghanaians simply want all those in government, from the president down to the last district chief executive in the land, and their spouses, to publicly declare their assets?

In their view, that is the best way of confirming, by deeds, not mere words, that the Mills administration is serious about fighting high-level corruption in Ghana – so that the good people of this country will be able to keep an eye on any crooks lurking in this regime: who might now be biding their time to rip our country off, by stealth, as they too await their Alhaji-Muntaka-type opportunity: and eagerly look forward to the day when Ghana’s oil and natural gas revenues start coming on stream. 

The demand that the assets of high government officials and their spouses, ought to be publicly published, is a non-negotiable political fact on the ground, in the Ghana of today – and if the government of President Mills does not make that happen soon, they will find some of us becoming their most implacable of foes: who will wage a determined campaign and fight relentlessly to ensure that they are not returned to office again in 2012 (as we did their corrupt and amoral predecessors in office). 

As the many egregious examples of abuse of office, aimed at the amassing of wealth illegally, by some of the most powerful members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) regime of ex-President Kufuor, begin to come to light, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, and the other members of the regime of which he is such a prominent member, must understand clearly, that there has been a sea-change in Ghanaian politics – and that Ghanaians will simply not tolerate a repeat of the corruption that went on in the past regime under any circumstances. 

It was that fundamental change in Ghanaian politics that ensured the victory of President Mills in the run-off of the December 2008 presidential elections.

He won that election, largely because the real kingmakers of Ghanaian politics, the independent-minded patriots and Ghanaian nationalists, who put the interests of Nkrumah’s Ghana above that of party affiliation and tribal sentiment, in all matters that concern the well-being of our country, and the welfare of its people, believed that he was the candidate most capable of changing Ghana for the better, despite the mostly-corrupt nature of our political class and the opaque system they superintend and exploit for their own ends: because of his honest and fair nature. 

In a very real sense, the opinions of the fanatical party supporters, whose unflinching support the Mahama Ayarigas and their political opponents can always rely on (and often manipulate for their own parochial ends), do not really matter any more, in the politics of today’s Ghana – as they are equally distributed amongst all the political parties in our country. 

Those zillions of “My-party-my-tribe-right-or-wrong” myrmidon-types, are simply too blinkered to see what is wrong with our nation, and too thick to think for themselves (when being bamboozled by “book-long-politicos”). 

A quintessential example, are the ethically-challenged and intellectually-challenged pro-New Patriotic Party political-zombies, who call themselves the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) – who seem to have lost sight of the fact that the economic situation of our nation today, is a direct result of the dishonesty and monumental incompetence of their ruling party, especially towards the end of its tenure. 

The leaking roofs of the new presidential palace, after a figure of some US$170 millions had been expended on it, sums up the Kufuor regime perfectly: It was simply a regime dominated by a powerful cabal of hypocritical and greedy world-class incompetents – who simply came to exploit our national economy for their own benefit.

Perhaps it might interest those geniuses in AFAG to know that even oil-rich Angola is having the same problems we are currently experiencing here too. The question is: what alternative solutions do they have to offer that might bring about the paradise they seek for Ghanaians? 

At least the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), which they doubtless model themselves on, invariably offers solutions, whenever it criticizes the government of the day’s policies. But I digress. 

If the Mahama Ayarigas want to continue being successful at election time in this country, going forward, into the future, they must take the views of Ghana’s independent-minded and discerning voters (the so-called “floating voters”), far more seriously, than they currently do. 

The end of their four-year tenure of office, might very well turn out to be the end of the road for their party, as Ghana’s governing political party, if they fail to amend the constitution: so as to make all the relevant public officials who are now required to declare their assets to the Auditor General, henceforth do so publicly: and declare those assets, as well as that of their spouses, openly, for all the good people of Ghana to know the true extent and value of their declared personal net worth, both before and after serving their various tenures of office. 

Let them understand clearly, and without any ambiguities, that that really is a small price to pay to enable their regime restore the credibility of our political class amongst ordinary Ghanaians – a vital prerequisite for the continued survival of Ghanaian democracy: in a nation whose over-pampered political class has, after nearly fifty-two years of independence, still not been able to deliver an equitable and fair society to the good people of Ghana.

Yet, Ghanaians simply yearn for an equitable society in which ordinary people (who are constantly being called upon to make never-ending sacrifices for a better tomorrow for their country: even as politicians insist on obscene ex-gratia payments and overly-generous retirement packages for themselves – and all that, in a nation in which scores of mothers still die during childbirth, because of inadequate health-care facilities nationwide, and in which most homes do not even have potable water regularly, if at all), are able to live happy and fulfilled lives, too: just like their leaders do at hapless taxpayers' expense. 

Surely, that is not asking for too much, is it, dear reader? It is important that the Mahama Ayarigas in our country understand that the growing disparities of wealth in Ghana does indeed pose a real threat to the stability of our nation. 

The burgeoning underclass that is increasing in numbers at such a frightening rate (and in inverse proportion to the spectacular rise in the value of the personal fortunes of the politically well-connected lucky few – who have prospered mightily from the dramatic increase in Ghana’s GDP since our large external debt was written off in 2001 ), is a ticking social time-bomb, which is persisting because a large army of disaffected rural youth continue to flock to the urban areas in search of their dream of the good life: access to which they are totally cut off from, in reality. 

The bald and painful truth, is that in terms of their educational backgrounds and qualifications, achieving that goal through honest means, will always be well nigh impossible for the vast majority of them – despite their expectations to the contrary, when they initially set off from their villages to urban Ghana: because they are so inadequately prepared for upward social mobility in the modern 21st century ICT age. 

It is a pity that our not-so-bright political class (well, what else can one call a class of politicians, in which a cabinet minister, rather than be outraged that Vodafone, which would not dare make a similar offer to his British counterpart, because it would be regarded as unethical, had had the nerve to offer to pay for his hotel accommodation at Newbury, when a delegation from Ghana visited the company's UK HQ, instead comes on national television to congratulate himself for refusing an improper and unethical offer, clearly meant to corrupt him, dear reader?) has not yet grasped the fact that a poor developing nation with aspirations, cannot possibly afford not to provide free education up to tertiary level, for all those with the aptitude to do so from underprivileged backgrounds, whose families cannot afford to educate them to that level.

As things now stand, clearly, if nothing is done about it, at some historic point, many of the members of the new underclass will doubtless end up as cannon fodder for the political ambitions of others – to be manipulated by the ruthless demagogues in our midst: who are forever waiting patiently in the wings, ready to strike to end our experiment in democratic governance, when the opportunity to do so presents itself to them. 

The availability of oil and natural gas revenues, is bound to make that possibility a reality in the end, if our political elite chooses to follow in the footsteps of Nigeria’s political elite. 

Whatever they do, they must not siphon off those revenues, which we are all counting on to help transform our country into Africa’s equivalent of the egalitarian societies of Scandinavia, into their bank accounts, to enable them send their personal net worth into the stratosphere as Ghanaian politicians are wont to – despite their protestations to the contrary: because they invariably end up exploiting our national economy for their personal enrichment, as well as that of the members of their family clans and their cronies. 

If President Mills is serious about fighting corruption in Ghana, he must make sure that the constitution is changed, to make the public declaration of the assets of government members, and that of their spouses, a reality as soon as it is practicable for that to be done by Parliament. 

Ghana’s political elite must learn the lessons inherent in the tragic events in northern Nigeria – and quickly change their ways, and make transparency their watchword in governance: and ensure above all, that all aspects of our public life are underpinned by an ethical ethos. That is a sure-fire way for President Mills to ensure a long-lasting legacy for his regime.