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President Mills With Oil vs. Governor Guggisberg With Cocoa

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 Source: Sam, Leo R.

Sir Gordon Guggisberg spent the revenue derived from the lucrative Cocoa, Gold, Manganese, Diamond and Timber business in the 1920's to build KORLEBU HOSPITAL, ACHIMOTA SCHOOL, TAKORADI HARBOUR and many new railway lines.

We should always remember that the University of Ghana, Legon had its roots in Achimota. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology also had its roots in Achimota.

The three major frontline founders of Achimota School, Dr. James Emman Kwegyir-Aggrey, Sir Gordon Guggisberg and Rev. Alexander Fraser must be revered for the educational legacy they established for Ghana. They are true selfless HEROES.

President Mills now has the rare opportunity to follow the steps of Guggisberg with the impending oil revenue.

If President Mills demonstrates clearly that his government is capable of managing the impending oil revenue for the benefit of ALL GHANAIANS instead of allowing the few pathologically greedy Ghanaians to use so-called legal means to STEAL the oil revenue, then he will be assured of a second term as president.

It is obvious that there are detractors( in both NDC and NPP), who are doing everything possible to derail the TRANSPARENT and CORRUPT-FREE management of the oil revenue. Some have already made sure that a significant amount of the revenue is going to their foreign bank accounts.

The developments initiated by Guggisberg benefited ALL Ghanaians. People from ALL the ten regions in Ghana have been educated in Achimota School, University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

In June 2010, while intereating with a delegation from Tullow Oil, President Mills stated "My Government would account for every PESEWA which would accrue from oil revenue in the country ."

If President Mills is able to use his expertise as a TAX LAWYER to establish an HONEST TRANSPARENT AND CORRUPT-FREE MANAGEMENT of the oil revenue in Ghana, most truly patriotic Ghanaians will consider voting for him to have a second term as president.

There are many Ghanaian politicians, who want to be in power just to satisfy their selfish greedy appetite. Their main aim is to enrich themselves, their immediate relatives and close associates. They only pretend to be caring Christians but ignore all concepts associated with Social Justice. Many of them are known to have amassed wealth hidden in oversea banks. They are fully aware that at least 10 MILLION Ghanaians live on less than one dollar a day and do not even have access to clean safe water and simple hygienic toilet facilities, but their major concern is to award contracts on OSTENTATIOUS projects, which will pay them KICKBACKS in one form or another. Projects, which will be of benefit to the majority of ordinary Ghanaians are always put on the back burners.

So far it APPEARS that President Mills has not shown any tendency to indicate that he would like to join the "elite league of EX AFRICAN MULTI MILLIONAIRE POLITICIANS ( Prime Ministers, Presidents, Ministers of State, Ambassadors etc )" , whose source of wealth is often questionable and dubious. Sometimes I wonder if these African Politicians are really HAPPY in the true sense of the word. Perhaps they need to be reminded to reflect and meditate on these two quotations:

1. "Better to be poor and honest than rich and a cheater ( Proverbs 28: 4 )

2. "When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily; but with

Honest sensible leaders there is stability. ( Proverbs 28: 2 )

I expect that in the next STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS ( February 2011 ), President Mills will tell all Ghanaians in simple terms:

1. The total Revenue the Government has derived from the Oil Industry. ( Production is

Expected to begin in December 2010 ) HOPEFULLY !!!

2. How much of the oil revenue has been put into a Heritage Saving Trust Account

Of some sort for the future generation.

NOTE: Alberta, the oil Capital of Canada has a Heritage Trust Fund which was started in the early 1970's. The fund now stands at $16,000,000,000 (Sixteen Billion Dollars). Everyone in Alberta knows how much is in the fund. The interest on the fund has been used to finance major projects ( Educational and Medical Research, Scholarships, Agricultural Development Corporations, Mortgage and Housing Corporations, Major Infrastructure Development etc. ) Transparency is evident in the management of the fund.

3. At least a 5-Year Plan outlining the Projects, which will be funded by the Oil

Revenue. Hopefully, all the ten provinces will benefit from these projects in the

Same way as the Cocoa revenue contributed to the development of all the

Provinces of Ghana.

Over to YOU, President Mills. You now have a chance to follow the Educational Philosophy of the Great but humble Dr. James Emman Kwegyir-Aggrey , who stated:

" BY EDUCATION, I DO NOT MEAN SIMPLY LEARNING. I MEAN THE TRAINING IN MIND, IN MORALS, AND IN HAND THAT HELPS TO MAKE ONE SOCIALLY EFFICIENT. NOT SIMPLY THE THREE R'S, BUT THE THREE H'S. THE HEAD, THE HEART AND THE HAND."

President Mills : It is now up to you to help direct some of the oil revenue to provide TRUE MEANINGFUL EDUCATION to all Ghanaian children. Good education starts with well trained fully qualified and dedicated teachers. Effective teachers at all levels

( from early childhood to the tertiary level ) should be well paid. As Obama stated in his best seller - the Audacity of Hope: " If we're serious about building a twenty-first century school system, we're going to have to take the TEACHING PROFESSION seriously.

.Highly skilled teachers in such critical fields as math and science should be paid even more."

May the Good Lord guide you to render a genuine selfless and dedicated service to the ordinary Ghanaian citizens.

GOD BLESS GHANA !!!

Columnist: Sam, Leo R.