Why line up our Ministers like school children to receive the Ivorian leader?

Nothing could be sadder than watching the video and pictures of our Ministers of State lined up like school kids to welcome the Ivorian leader, who was a two day visit to Ghana.

The ministers were in a parade, like school kids about to receive the proposed one kid, one chocolate policy announced by the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Leaders are not supposed to be perfect or infallible but, they should be above board, because they are the yardstick being used to measure the functionality of the society.

Ghana attained Independence 60 years ago, we are not only expected to grow economically, but the way we approach issues, including how we receive foreign dignitaries.

President Akufo-Ado, has always reminded us that, he is a man in a hurry. Let us be reasonable, once a president of another country is visiting, it will be insulting to send, just anybody to go and receive him or her. We could have done with the president and few other ministers, to receive a president, who is coming from a neighboring country.

We do our things as though, we have no use for time, the country is behind on some many fronts, we have appointed ministers and tasked them to perform various functions, which does not include abandoning post and lining up to receive a visiting head of state.



Development never happens by accident, it comes about as a result of deliberate effort and planning.

In case you are wondering, this is why the United States of America and Asian Tigers are great nations and we remain perpetually missing in the hall of greatness.

If we continue the way we are going, we are never going to get to the promise land, our leaders keep promising us. School children as usual were not left out. To be fair to the administration, this is not the first time this malady is being visited on the innocent citizens. We must of necessity, have a fun fair, because a foreign dignitary is coming to Ghana.

We even erect billboards to welcome them, all in our bid to waste tax payers’ money that is already not enough.

We beg for virtually everything, we do not have time to work to better the lot of our people, yet we have enough time to get everyone who matter from their offices to form a parade for Allasane Quattara.

When the dignitaries visit Ghana, as part of the protocol arrangements, they inspect guard of honour, formed by our security services. It is in line with their mandate, so they is nothing wrong with it, but to ask ministers of state to line up like kids, waiting to be given toffee, is something that, should worry every right-thinking Ghanaian.



On Monday, anyone who used the Airport-Afgo road, will tell you how wicked our leaders are. Students were drawn from their classrooms, and made to line up the street waving flags in the scorching sun like slaves.

As I mentioned earlier, it is not the first time, such an eyesore, has been displayed. It is something we have been doing since we became Independence. Past leaders can be pardoned, because in the 50s, 60s and 70s up to the 80s, we were still opening the country to civilization. But things have changed, the world has moved on and some things are no longer entertained anywhere.

When you take a look at the students, made to endure the scorching sun, you will realize that, the students were drawn from already struggling public schools. No private school student will be allowed by their headmasters and headmistresses, to leave class, just to come and wave at a visiting dignitary.

These students are not spared during Independence Day celebration. They are always treated with disdain, as though they are children of second class citizens.

No minister or Member of Parliament, will allow his or her child to be subjected to such inhumane treatment.

I have come to the realization that Ghanaian leaders are dumb, and we the citizens are even dumber. When issues come up, radio stations, will open phone lines and offer us the opportunity to air my views and frustrations, we will just talk about it and bury our heads in the sand as if this too shall come to pass.

With the economic biting so deeply into the lives of the average person, our leaders put on blinders while we seem to have resigned to our faith that nothing is going to change.

Our stupidity was confirmed on Monday, we are never a serious country, and as dumb as we the citizens are, we have elected leaders, who are even dumber.

What was the rationale behind such a gesture? Allasane Quatarra, has come and gone and our situation has not changed.

We are still a third world country, whose citizens cannot afford three square meals a day. A recent report released by the Institute of Statistical Service and Research (ISSER) and corroborated by the United Nations (UN), tell the story of our pathetic state.

In Ghana today, some of our kinsmen live below one dollar a day, which is not surprising as our leaders, have refused to think. Poverty is still endemic, despite the abundance of natural resources.