Mahama: Be patient; things can’t change overnight

President John Mahama says Ghanaians must be “patient” with his government because “things cannot change overnight”.

He says the quest for jobs, better housing, economic prosperity and improved living standards, demand patience and sacrifice.

“Ghanaians and Africans, in general, do have patience. We all need to be patient these days, once more, because nothing can change overnight”, President Mahama wrote on his blog under the title, “be confident, be patient, be Ghanaian”.

According to him, “Ghana these days is a land of continuous starts - a factory begins its production here, a school opens its classes there, large companies from the world's most powerful countries ask about our potential and many become our partners in building roads, harbours and power plants”.

He says “nothing is easy in modernising a country and nothing can be done properly without all the necessary steps. That's why we need patience”.

“A farmer has to wait five years until the cocoa seeds become mature trees with fruits he can harvest. And his patience is rewarded hundred fold. A mother has to have patience for nine months before she sees her child, before she can hug her baby and maybe discover who he or she resembles with. And her patience and love are rewarded thousand fold”, Mahama wrote.

He argued: “The same goes for a country. Time has its own meanings and helps everyone and everything grow inside out. Time teaches us patience and allows us to enjoy every minute and every breath we take. Be confident, be patient, be Ghanaian”.

“Patience in finding a solution through words, not through conflict; patience in working for a living, day by day, and expecting nothing from others; patience in trying to make your guest feel like home”.

He said: “I hear and read almost every day about people asking themselves and asking politicians why things do not move faster in Ghana. Young people look for jobs, families hope for a better house, older folk do not want their nephews to fly away, so everybody expects the state administration to solve problems faster”.

While admitting such concerns are “a legitimate desire”, the President said the quest to achieving peace, stability and hospitality require patience.