Over politicisation of issues & tribalism, the bane of our society...

Prosper Dzitse Speaks.

All my life I have always seen all tribes to be equal, I have resolved to see people as citizens, families, friends & loved ones with equal rights rather than as people belonging to one political party or tribe.

I am not by any means trying to take away the political affinities or tribal demarcations that God has given human kind.

I am of the firmest believe that most of our problems today as a student movement & as a country are basically due to tribalism and over politicisation of issues that affect our daily lives.

On deciding to run for NUGS President, I told myself that these were factors that I will have to contend with but will always condemn them anytime they come up & also work so hard against them.

Many of the student leaders & students I have come across on this journey lamented bitterly on the above issues and keep on crying for a leader who has fighting such factors at heart.

Anytime they are mentioned to me, I really wish you could see how my spirit sinks so low out of sorrow.

They are factors I have spent all my student life fighting against at every level I find myself.

Our public organizations keep on falling apart as a result of over politicisation. Many a public worker today, prefer to work for one political party to retain power or with the mentality of bringing their preferred political party to power. The overall result is sabotage and unproductivity which goes a long way to affect our forward march as a country.

Many a people today prefer to vote for someone from one tribe regardless of whether such a person is competent or not.

Even at students leadership level, many a student prefer voting for someone who has one political party colour or someone from one tribe whether he/she is competent or not.

Maybe what they forget is that issues that arise against our country, against our student movement know no tribe or political colorization.

In all my tours I kept on asking the question, 'if there have been a situation whereby issues of education affected a group of students belonging to one political party as against the rest?' The answer is obvious.

Day-in-day-out we complain and cry of unsatisfactory results from our leaders at almost every level and yet we have never changed our ways. As a leader, I have maintained that we are the cause of our own problems and hence we are the solutions we seek. Leaders are produced by the system( made up of the people & all other factors combine, favourable or unfavourable) not the other way round. We know our problems, let's solve them.

Today, I tell the students and student leaders of Ghana that, we may all have political affinity, but we must never forget the moment in which we are( challenging & trying moments for students of Ghana), the people we are, (students regardless of political affinity or tribal inclinations).

We therefore need leaders who have their own conscience & work with students in mind. We need leaders who will not close their eyes on our challenges & close their ears to our cries. We need leaders who will demonstrate a high level of sensitivity towards the plight of the 'ordinary' Ghanaian student.

We need leaders who have demonstrated over the years at their various levels of leadership that they are solution providers rather than problem causers.

To those who have cried to me, to those who have called on me to do something about the above at the students level, I say it is just a matter of time & all I need is your support and prayers to make this vision a reality.

To those who may not have made up their minds to join me make this vision a dream come through for the 'ordinary' Ghanaian student, I say there is no better time than now.

It is not just a pledge I make in a vacuum, but a pledge I have vowed to keep, a pledge backed by experience & result-oriented leadership at every stage of my life & I know that even the heavens can speak in my favor.

I am humbled for the overwhelming support & pledges to support me restore hope into the student system of our dear country Ghana, we are on this journey together, let's finish what we have started.

God bless the student movement of Ghana, & God bless our homeland Ghana & make our nation great & strong.

The author is the CEO of the Institute of Mentorship & Leadership Training (IMLT), Ghana &

an aspiring 2014 NUGS President.