CRAWLING @ 57

CRAWLING @ 57

We have come far

57 long years after independence is no mean journey

Dr Kwame Nkrumah gained us independence from colonial rule

But after his uncharitable removal from office

Ghana has traded her independence for porridge served in a Chinese bowl

After 57 years of independence

We still find ourselves in needless economic and mental yokes and shackles

The Dubais and the Saudi Arabias were once dry desert lands

Yet today, with just one major natural resource

They have transformed their dry lands into paradises

We have gold, bauxite, manganese, diamond and other minerals

We have vast tracts of arable land at our disposal

We have the sea and other water resources

With crude oil in addition

Yet as the legendary Robert Nesta Marley put it

‘In the midst of abundant water, the foolish man is thirsty’

After 57 years of independence

We still cannot feed ourselves squarely

We are in dire need of everything

From common sewing needles and threads to ordinary toothpicks

We can barely do anything on our own without foreign assistance

Except for rigging of elections

After 57 years of independence

IMF still instructs us on how to manage our own economy

After 57 years of independence

We still prefer foreign currencies to our cedi

After 57 years of independence

Majority of the products we consume in our land are made in China

After 57 years of independence

Water and electricity supply remains a right for the ruling class

But to the populace, they are costly luxuries

After 57 years of independence

We still want to adopt genetically modified foods

When tonnes of foodstuffs are constantly getting rotten in the hinterlands

Series of governments have emerged after Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

But instead of carrying on with the vision of Nkrumah

Their major focus has been on how to stay longer in power

Life they say begins at 40

Yet at 57 years Ghana is still a crawling adult

Who begs and depends on her neighbours for every single thing

The Indonesias and Singapores whom we started life with

Have matured into grown ups

Who are standing firm on their feet

And even assisting other nations to be self-sufficient

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah

You really fought hard for independence from colonial rule

But those who came after you are fighting harder and harder

To return the nation to colonial rule

The mental and economic freedom you won for this nation

Has been auctioned to the highest bidder by your successors

Weep in your grave Osagyefo, weep!

For the nation you left on its feet

 Is now an adult crawling at the age of 57!!!