The reign of the avenger - The son of Edward Akuffo

The Dankwa sect of the Busia/Danquah tradition has found it impossible to 'forgive' us Ghanaians for the vicious yet deserving overthrow of its progenitor and torch bearer, William Akufo-Addo. And it appears that the sword of vengeance has been nurtured and borne over the years by Ghana's current president, H.E Nana Akuffo Addo. Every Ghanaian who is familiar with our nation's past can't help but get struck with an awful feeling of déjà vu as events unfold under this regime. Have we been here before?

Like the proverbial ostrich, we failed to notice rather obvious signs, and the clarion calls of oracles warning us about the ineptitude and unsavoury temperaments of the then-candidate Akuffo Addo. Perhaps a tribal statement had to be made at every cost. The aboriginals had to affirm their birthright; that none except their kind deserve the right to rule. Now we all have an uneasy wait to endure, while we keep hope that debris from what would remain of the state would suffice to rebuild it. Things are indeed falling apart.

The present state of affairs of the nation gives indications of a monarchy rather than a representative democracy. The latter of which Ghanaians approve of, which same the 1992 constitution upholds. The demeanour of the president of the Republic is akin to that of a vicious king; an emperor who has eventually had the better of an unyielding adversary after a long and fierce battle. 'King' as he supposes himself, H.E. Akuffo Addo considers it only customary to usurp the sovereign rights of citizens as custodians of political power.

Excepting for an instance of retribution and purposeful effort, one would find it impossible to understand what Ghanaians now witness as the worst economic suffering of the fourth republic. As the Russia-Ukrain war and the COVID-19 cover gradually breaks down, the government's ineptitude and perhaps insensitivity become rather more noticeable. Are we simply suffering the aftermath of voting into office the most incapable hands to ever manage affairs of the state, or indeed we are observing a state-capture conspiracy unfold before our very eyes?

Like the vanquished, amidst deplorable living and working conditions, Ghanaians are gagged, repressed, and ridiculed. The president and his crew nonetheless flaunt opulence as though in a bid to exact anguish. The woes of the average Ghanaian deepen by the day as opinion leaders- the clergy, and the media remain tight-lipped and indifferent. For a share of the loot and the prospect to be excused from the scourge of slavery, the people's voices have stooped and have become minions of the oppressor.

The ruling NPP appears to have been leveraged and is now tossed out by the avenger. It is indeed an awkward awakening, especially for NPP fanatics, to now discover that they have been hoodwinked by an uncharitable mafia clique and that they have no stake in the spoils from 'the battle'. Key stakeholders of the NPP now look on helplessly while pirates run their beloved party down a bottomless ditch. Of course, Ghanaians would always have these times of untold hardship in mind whenever we go to the polls-granted that the NPP would survive these dark days.

The leading opposition party, NDC, although retaining a formidable presence in the legislature, is nothing more than a toothless barking dog. The aphorism that 'the ruling party would always have its way' had not made much sense up until lately. The several incidents of blatant collusion which transpired during the 2020 general election present sufficient reasons for well-meaning NDC members to be wary of their party's chances in the forthcoming 2024 elections.

After failing to fully realize its diabolical agenda against the good people of ghana in its first term of office, the regime required a crucial second term to solidify its gains and execute an orchestrated exit strategy. Nothing would prevent the regime's drive in this regard, not even the sovereign will of the people for a change. It seems that the opposition only has to cross its fingers while it counts on the magnanimity of the incumbent regime for a free and transparent election come December 2024. Alternatively, many in the opposition have joined in on the regime's transgressions against citizens to keep body and soul together.

Talks of corruption in these days of serfdom tend to be misleading, as they downplay the gravity of our predicament. Is it mistakable judging by the president's conduct that he considers himself a conqueror, not a custodian, and hence possesses unbridled rights over the nation's resources? This regime has long overstepped the national corruption threshold. Over the years, Ghanaian politicians have left no stone unturned in their bid to conceal their corrupt deeds, an act which now occurs openly, and with impunity. By any stretch, the scope of wealth-grabbing that prevails under this administration renders all indexes for corruption meaningless.

Private property and businesses have scarcely eluded the regime's gluttony. The shady policy by the administration to "clean up" the financial sector appears to have prevailed to cripple and obliterate potential competitors in the regime's quest for economic dominance. Businesses now thrive on the regime's friendship. Accordingly, all businesses of notable mention have collapsed, with a peculiar exception of those businesses owned by the regime and its associates. Regime-backed cartels in the insurance and banking sectors especially have been considerably menacing, considering their scope of influence vis-à-vis a near-collapse state economy.

Also, ordinary citizens have seen their earnings sapped away by back-breaking tariffs (an aggregate of 25%) coupled with galloping inflationary rates(unclassified). As though that wasn't enough, the regime's debauchery has reached incredible volumes lately as it launches a crusade against citizens' savings and investments. For the first time in the history of our beloved nation, the baking industry is not a haven for personal savings and investments as unlawful bond 'cuts' by the government have become the new normal.

Given the foregoing, every Ghanaian is now driven by the singular object of avoiding starvation. In this scramble for survival, no one appears to give a hoot about how their actions affect others. In a typical dog-eat-dog fashion, every Ghanaian would not hesitate to take advantage of their fellow citizens; through overpricing, hoarding, and racketeering. Have we Ghanaians lost sight of the actual adversary and thus draw spears at one another, or the enemy is just insurmountable? Your guess is as good as mine. Our hypocrisy has taken us down this path of self-destruction.

We have not only failed ourselves as a people, by looking on unconcerned while self-seeking reprobates run down our hard-earned democracy and our gains, but we have also been negligent in our obligations to posterity. No doubt, posterity's judgment of us would not differ by any stretch from the slurs we now cast on past generations. What degree of arm-twisting and deterioration should be enough to provoke our vexation as a people and to shake us back to wakefulness? As much as I agree with Dr. Kwame Nkrumah that, ''Ghanaians are not timid people... they may take time to organize and act...'', I think the time Ghanaians acted is long overdue.

With all democratic and conventional avenues for protest shut off by this regime, we citizens are left with no option but to explore unorthodox pathways in asserting our sovereign rights and to defend what is left of democracy-a feat we must embark in earnest. As pointed out already, we not only owe this to ourselves, but it behoves us as a people to preserve the existing democratic dispensation for posterity, if not enrich it. It is about time we said enough of this aristocratic and class-run democracy, and strive to establish a truly democratic system that would offer equal and accessible opportunities for all.

May I serve a reminder at this juncture: that we remain the offspring of our ancestors; progeny of the gallant men and women who defied British imperialism and led a daring crusade to emancipate the entire African continent from colonial oppression.

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.