Greed Will Destroy Ghana If It Is Not Checked

The current travails of Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, the CEO of Engineers and Planners, and Mr. Joseph Siaw Adjapong of the Jospong Group, illustrate perfectly the nature of the society that has evolved in Ghana since the overthrow of President Nkrumah in 1966.

Ghana has become a dog-eat-dog society in which it is  the most ruthless and cynical who are somehow able to manipulate the system that often get ahead.  Alas, it has virtually eroded Ghanaian society's moral fabric.

So although the Ibrahim Mahamas and Joseph Siaw Adjapongs are withought question personable and generous individuals it is hard to fault even their harshest critics who insist that political patronage has made them very wealthy businesspeople - sometimes even at the expense of Ghanaian society. 

That is the reason why the system is  now being manipulated in turn by some of today's most powerful individuals - who clearly feel that having 'conquered' Ghana they are entitled to the spoils: and are therefore determined to supplant yesteryear's leading crony-capitalists who prospered so  mightily during the era of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administrations of presidents Mills and Mahama respectively.

The grapevine points to some New Patriotic Party (NPP) bigwigs as those mainly behind what is said by some to be self-seeking cloaked as patriotism - which they insist is the main driving force motivating those now conducting the new era's crusade-of-the-avengers, apparently targeting Ibrahim Mahama and Joseph Siaw Adjapong amongst others.

Such cynics often wonder aloud in conversations whether the uncouth,  loud-mouthed and arrogant Kennedy Adjapongs and Bernard Antwi-Boasiakos (allegedly  today's master-puppeteers) forget that the very same one-step-removed tactics they are deploying to clip the wings of yesteryear's eagles and stop them soaring yet higher, will also be used against them too someday when regime-change occurs.

If indeed it is true that the duo are actually manipulating the system ultimately for their own ends, not for patriotic reasons, then the two gentlemen must not forget that wise saying, "No condition is permanent" - as they themselves very well know.

And as an old wag I know quipped:"Kofi, they will pay for their cruelty to Ibrahim Mahama and regret the envy driving them to destroy Joseph Siaw Adjapong's business empire, as sure as day follows night. Mark my words." Hmm, Oman Ghana - eyceasem o.

Still, Ibrahim Mahama and Joseph Siaw Adjapong  are neither meek children nor did they become super-rich by being shrinking violets - and know how to take care of themselves and will therefore survive regardless.

What a contrast to the Nkrumah-era for those my age - who are aware that President Nkrumah made it plain to the world that he did not want a powerful few with greedy ambitions to grab all the nation's resources (which in his view was owned by all Ghanaians) for themselves at  society's expense.

Indeed, it is inconcievable that under President Nkrumah - especially at a time when global climate change is negatively impacting the Ghanaian countryside - land inside forest reserves  anywhere in this country would have been parcelled out to private individuals and companies to mine sundry minerals in. Greed will destroy Ghana if it is not checked,

Unfortunately, because it is not an issue that has been on their radars much, large sections of the Ghanaian media have been silent on the issue of mining being allowed in forest reserves for years now.

Surely, the time has now come for the media to make amends for badly letting down present and future generations of our people in that regard - by leading a national campaign  to end all mining (both legal and illegal, ditto  illegal logging) in forest reserves nationwide. No nation whose ruling elites have foresight and know the priceless nature of biodiversity and the eco system services forests provide will permit mining in forest reserves in this day and age. We must be careful: Greed will destroy our nation as sure as day follows night.