NPP Destroyed Dagbon And Dagombas!

NPP Destroyed Dagbon And Dagombas!

The NPP has caused unforgettable and recurring damage to Ghana in nearly almost every pursuit of her endeavour. However, my interest lies on the savagery to the Dagbon, Dagombas and the north.

In 2000 campaign trail, the NDC peddled the information that the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II was going to be assassinated if NPP is voted into power on every podium they (NDC) mounted. I was a staunch activist of the NPP, so many others and I believed that this was very outrageous and expensive political propaganda to swoop the new sympathisers of the NPP in the Dagbon. This perceived propaganda was rubbished by the good people of Dagbon who were all out for “POISONOUS CHANGE”

Regrettably, the late Ya-Na was offered a telephone interview with Savannah Radio in Tamale about this political hearsay surrounding his name. Unknowingly, he firmly stated that politicians should not try to make political capital from his name. He declared that politics has no business with chieftaincy and called for a stop to this incredulous kidding.

Indeed, we have had the bitterest taste of a change where people of Dagbon were frogmarched from day one of NPP’s Reign Of Terror.

Lo and behold, all that preambles as stated by the NDC with regards to the regicide systematically came to pass. It was not a trance! People of Dagbon had the greatest shock of their lifetime when the Overlord, owner of trees and plants met his political waterloo battle that saw him out of humans in March 2002. The ambience was enough to tell the sacrilege that has been committed. I could not stand this political desecration of my very roots. “Had I known....” were the only words I could utter. People came to realisation of the saying that there is truth in every rumour.

All efforts by the erstwhile NPP Kufour-led government to grab the perpetrators of this heinous crime were sham. The circumstances surrounding the daggers with the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II were self-speaking to any person with sixth sense. The police station was not only a stone throw to the Ya-Na’s Palace but all telephone links to Yendi were cut off for good three days. In fact, there were profound indications of malice aforethought!

I was utterly convinced that the murder had a political umbrella because before Wuaku’s Commission was photographs of people (Sugri and Yidana) juggling with body parts of the Overlord. And that was not enough evidence for prosecution. This was a high mockery to the sacrosanctity of the skin of Dagombas and their allies.

The death of the Mighty Lord of Dagbon brought so much dishonour and ignominy to well-meaning Dagombas and non-Dagombas in the Dagbon Traditional Area. I was gripped with lowliness by the disdainful and gruesome manner the whole Ya-Na body was mutilated in the full glare and assistance of so-called national security (peace keepers). I could hardly stand the disrepute this act has brought to the whole brethren of the north. It made news beyond Far East, where Dagombas were perceived as the most barbaric tribe of the millennium somewhere in a hole in Ghana.

The situation caused a lot of relations dearly: breakdown of marriages, rancour in families, crumbling of youth associations just to list a few. I was in my early twenties and I never knew anything pertaining to Abudu or Andani. Today, a-day-old Dagomba child understands the nitty-gritty of the Dagbon chieftaincy matter as far to Tohazie. The ratchet that was unanimously buried by the blood brothers many years ago have been excavated by reckless and insatiable self-seekers of ill-mannered antecedent.

Moreover, the rich Dagbon tradition was crushed to hibernation. Both bigwigs and ordinary persons who were typical Dagombas shied away cladding in the fineries of Dagbon attribution. Our smock which was worn with pride was reduced to the dogs. Dagombas could no longer hold themselves high for the fear of being humiliated with heartbreaking rhetorics and finger pointing.

I know for sure that many children of Dagbon can never forgive the NPP because they virtual grew up with no childhood stories of the colourful Dagbon festivals. Festivals are one of the traditional norms that market every ethnic group beyond Ghana. Dagombas were grossly denied of this right for seven good years whiles their counterparts’ cultural heritage took centre-stage. Many Dagombas especially the youth lost touch with the tradition because the Damba festival, Fire festival and the likes could not be celebrated as the mangled mortal remains of the HUMBLE LION was still in purgatory.

The NPP’s eight years rule of mother Ghana can best be described as Reign of Terror to Dagbon and north. Just after two years in office, we the good people of Dagbon were no longer recognised by the 1992 Constitution. Our rights became privileges and privileges became charities. Several innocent people suffered needlessly the brutalities of “fed-up” military personnel. We were driven into our pens like animals no matter the condition of the weather. Our petty businesses fell flat because of “open late and close early” directive in the name of curfew and state of emergency. Those who ran afoul of this directive many a times met the wrath of the NPP-sent angels (soldiers).

Thousands of investors and growing-up businesses had to bag and baggage and leave for the sake of their lives and hard-earned properties. A magazine “Foreign Policy” cautioned American tourist to vacate the Northern Region as they could not be granted full security by America’s Outfit in Ghana. In fact, everything with regards to businesses and income generation was “basaa”

Life in the north was just HELL. I wondered why we could be treated as second citizens in our own motherland with democratically-elected government in the 21st century. The turmoil and pain we were going through was enough to merit suicide. Everything was on the left-hand side of the number scale. I developed a great aversion for the infamous Busia-Dankwa NPP. I swore to demolish Mount Everest if that could send NPP out of power.

Today, the NPP has caused a monumental damage to Dagombas by their divide and rule political shenanigans and tomfoolery. My heart always bleeds when I hear about Abudu-Andani and all that. I have a strong conviction that the solution of Dagbon chieftaincy deadlock cannot be solved with politics. Dagombas as a dignified ethnic group in Ghana has offered out themselves for political manoeuvrings and vilification for long. It is time we redeemed the glory of our past life by all humanly possible actions. We all ought to know that NPP is the cause of our woes and no uncontaminated Dagomba has the moral justification to sympathise with the yahoo Busia-Dankwa tradition with an enviable track record of “Kulunguugu”. We need to unite for a formidable Dagbon but the miscreant should be purged out within our midst.

Frankly speaking, many young people in the north never voted for the NDC to come and fix the NPP milked economy, but voted for the NDC to help them re-establish contact with peace that eluded Dagbon since 2001. The NDC’s Election 2008 manifesto really endeared our hearts for spelling out its commitment to restore serenity to the land of Dagbon – thus trampling down the perpetrators of the ungodly murder of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, which qualifies as crime of the century.

The road map to finding an everlasting peace and solution to Dagbon Abudu-Andani hassle is the case of taking the bull by the horn. We have been impatiently waiting to see that bold actions on board. However, we are somewhat tired of waiting, as the good first professor president promised the long-awaited people of Dagbon of digging into the bottom of the “bigwigicide” of the late Overlord of Dagbon and forty plus others.

Now, both Dagombas and non-Dagombas in the Dagbon north are appreciative of the president’s steps towards the land of Sensibles. So far peace is our playmate and bedmate. And the noted lawless miscreants cum Satan-incarnates have gone back to roost because the era of the beast and strayed bunch of ogres are over.

Both the royals of Andanis and Abudus ought to understand that what happened is part of nature. Dagbon is badly wounded and the wound is very dirty now. We need to clean the wound and apply some herbs to promote the healing process. How do we clean the wound? President Mills is willing to clean our rotten wound that the injurer failed to do.

However, after these Societal Negatives have been unravelled, the elders of Dagbon can decide as to whether to treat them with Retributive Justice or Restorative Justice. But I would have wished for Restorative Justice as it is built on true human and traditional values and seeks to bargain with the invariable (uncompromisable). But with the magnitude of the crime, I think any eliminatory option will not be bad. Abudu and Andani is older than NPP, so we need to “THINK” twice “NOW!”

As a matter of urgency, we call on President Mills to bullshit all political noises and give justice to the soul of the supra-patient Sage and Overlord, his family and all those who suffered from that premeditated barbarity.

May the soul of the late Ya-Na daunts and haunts all those who contributed as little as “ki” to his elimination. May his soul rest in the bosom of his ancestors. His overdue justice is on the way soon. Justice can only be delayed but never denied. The night might be a long one, but day patiently waits.

“Kavini”, our greatest pride shall surely be redeemed. Long live the Royal Gates of Abudu and Andani! Long live Dagbon!!!


Abdulai Hanan R. Confidence
Tertiary Institutions Network (P.R.O)
Northern Ghana At Heart, NORGAH
Tamale
confidencegh@gmail.com

Asabee, Running Away From Accountability!

It is only in the Professor of Law’s government that Criminals can sue the state institutions over and over again. Ghanaians are experiencing a new kind of governance where “arm robbers” caught pants down can still demand due process before their prosecution.

Did I hear that Asabee has sued BNI again? Ghanaians must clap for President Mills because this “HOLY SHIT” could never have happened in Mr. Oxford Lawyer’s (?) Ghana. He would have appointed the Harriettas to find a place for it in a Garbage Can.

I think it is a positive signal for Ghanaians, as the executive-annex judiciary of the NPP is now free from tentacles of any sort. Interestingly, Asabee, with all his reprehensible and bastardly attitude to the rule of law, now runs for cover from the law. To me, the court should be the last resort to Asabee in addressing his Legitimate Problems with regards to human rights.

I feel supremely bilious about Asabee’s incessant lamentations over his maltreatment by the government and equally I forgive all those who seem to sympathise with him. Fortunately, not all Ghanaians have suffered amnesia of any sort and we (the mentally-intact) can retell Asabee’s foolery and beast-manners towards innocent people in his heydays.

May I ask Asabee if he has ever come across the word “Human Rights”? Or he has recently been tutored on a workshop by his comrades? Asabee is a political twerp cum blue elephant who deserves neither sympathy nor empathy. It is only Hodari Okine, Asabee’s victim, who can expatiate how Asabee might be feeling now.

As a common minister of information, Asabee sacked Hodari Okine from work (Immigration Services) simply because the latter insisted on due process of anyone at his workplace. Hodari Okine, now an ambassador, was denied salary for over one year for his refusal to kowtow to the dictates of Asabee. Hodari was arrogantly told to show subordination to Asabee before he is reinstated. Nonsense! Is Immigration Service under Ministry of Information?

As a former Information Minister, I had expected him to know better that accountability per Rawlings-endorsed 1992 Constitution is not by choice but a MUST. So, ex-government functionaries should not fool themselves that going to the court day in, day out will do any magic for them. But I will advise them to stop wasting the monies they have looted on writs and courts because the journey is just steps away.

Down to the memory lane, the Abodakpes, ETs, Ahwois, Victors et cetera were unduly barricaded from moving out the country in 2001. Compare 2001 to 2009, virtually all the NPP ex-government underlings are moving out and in without any hassle. Even the Broad Day Light Thief who “sekyi-hused” both soft and hard furnishings including chamber pot from state-furnished bungalow is out of the country.

It is only Asabee who is trying to take to the woods and enjoy his booty but the BNI says Big No! I commend the BNI for keeping eagle’s eye on this man. Ghanaians perhaps might forgive him (Asabee) for his eight years vituperations but we cannot allow him to run away with this $15 million dubious, sister-in-law-not-aware and unbidden contract to his ministry.

This man by common sense is running away. Asabee should answer these questions to convince accountability loving Ghanaians that he is not running from his stinking mess.

1. Why did you choose to travel at a time that your name and ministry is grossly involved in serious financial malfeasance? If I were you, I would simply stay back and clear my name from this malodorous rot. Why can’t you stay back?

2. Why is Asabee travelling with all his bag and baggage and all of his family (nuclear) at a time of no known vacations or holidays?

3. Why is Asabee going out of the country with his two kids at a time that the kids are not on vacation (still in school for his first attempt escape on July 14)?

4. Why is Asabee trying to bolt out the country nicodemusly without taking clearance from the security agencies as required by his pre-criminal status?

May I know the maltreatment Asabee and his sympathisers are lamenting about? Please, let us get this point clear: the era of lawlessness is over and I will rather counsel Asabee to throw his arrogance away and submit himself to due process of the law.

President Mills on January 7, pledged not to entertain any kind of political vendetta and witch-hunting, but he proclaimed that there shall be no mercy for the Ata Ayis. The simple adage goes: “where people’s rights end, other’s rights begin”. Asabee’s right to spend our money as government official has ended; it is our (Ghanaians) right to find out whether it was spent wisely or not. So, he is not moving an inch until he extricates himself from this entanglement.

However, he can go to the court because President Mills has reposed back the confidence and trust to the judiciary system to the extent that his political rivals even win legal battles in court. Hodari Okine had no such opportunity from Mr. Oxford Lawyer’s (?) judiciary. Thumps up to President Mills, a true Law Professor who understands the tenets of rule of law!

The Jekyll and Hyde drama is not an abracadabra to Asabee’s impending doom. This Asabee man ought to exercise patience for the competent investigative bodies to decide whether he should go to JAIL or go back to London to continue his old job (Taxi Driving).

Period!

Abdulai Hanan R. Confidence

Tertiary Institutions Network [P.R.O]

Tamale

confidencegh@gmail.com

Weird Equations

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS

Smart man + smart woman = romance

Smart man + dumb woman = affair

Dumb man + smart woman = marriage

Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

OFFICE ARITHMETIC

Smart boss + smart employee = profit

Smart boss + dumb employee = production

Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion

Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

SHOPPING MATH

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

Barack Obama's Ghana Speech

Good morning. It is an honor for me to be in Accra, and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've received, as are Michelle, Malia, and Sasha Obama. Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States.

I am speaking to you at the end of a long trip. I began in Russia, for a Summit between two great powers. I traveled to Italy, for a meeting of the world's leading economies. And I have come here, to Ghana, for a simple reason: the 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well.

This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections. Your prosperity can expand America's. Your health and security can contribute to the world's. And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere.

So I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world - as partners with America on behalf of the future that we want for all our children. That partnership must be grounded in mutual responsibility, and that is what I want to speak with you about today.

We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans.

I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family's own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.

My grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya, and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him "boy" for much of his life. He was on the periphery of Kenya's liberation struggles, but he was still imprisoned briefly during repressive times. In his life, colonialism wasn't simply the creation of unnatural borders or unfair terms of trade - it was something experienced personally, day after day, year after year.

My father grew up herding goats in a tiny village, an impossible distance away from the American universities where he would come to get an education. He came of age at an extraordinary moment of promise for Africa. The struggles of his own father's generation were giving birth to new nations, beginning right here in Ghana. Africans were educating and asserting themselves in new ways. History was on the move.

But despite the progress that has been made - and there has been considerable progress in parts of Africa - we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya, which had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born, have been badly outpaced. Disease and conflict have ravaged parts of the African continent. In many places, the hope of my father's generation gave way to cynicism, even despair.

It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father's life, it was partly tribalism and patronage in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is a daily fact of life for far too many.

Of course, we also know that is not the whole story. Here in Ghana, you show us a face of Africa that is too often overlooked by a world that sees only tragedy or the need for charity. The people of Ghana have worked hard to put democracy on a firmer footing, with peaceful transfers of power even in the wake of closely contested elections. And with improved governance and an emerging civil society, Ghana's economy has shown impressive rates of growth.

This progress may lack the drama of the 20th century's liberation struggles, but make no mistake: it will ultimately be more significant. For just as it is important to emerge from the control of another nation, it is even more important to build one's own.

So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana - and for Africa - as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born. This is a new moment of promise. Only this time, we have learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa's future. Instead, it will be you - the men and women in Ghana's Parliament, and the people you represent. Above all, it will be the young people - brimming with talent and energy and hope - who can claim the future that so many in my father's generation never found.

To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.

As for America and the West, our commitment must be measured by more than just the dollars we spend. I have pledged substantial increases in our foreign assistance, which is in Africa's interest and America's. But the true sign of success is not whether we are a source of aid that helps people scrape by - it is whether we are partners in building the capacity for transformational change.

This mutual responsibility must be the foundation of our partnership. And today, I will focus on four areas that are critical to the future of Africa and the entire developing world: democracy; opportunity; health; and the peaceful resolution of conflict.

First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments.

As I said in Cairo, each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions. But history offers a clear verdict: governments that respect the will of their own people are more prosperous, more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.

This is about more than holding elections - it's also about what happens between them. Repression takes many forms, and too many nations are plagued by problems that condemn their people to poverty. No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.

In the 21st century, capable, reliable and transparent institutions are the key to success - strong parliaments and honest police forces; independent judges and journalists; a vibrant private sector and civil society. Those are the things that give life to democracy, because that is what matters in peoples' lives.

Time and again, Ghanaians have chosen Constitutional rule over autocracy, and shown a democratic spirit that allows the energy of your people to break through. We see that in leaders who accept defeat graciously, and victors who resist calls to wield power against the opposition. We see that spirit in courageous journalists like Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who risked his life to report the truth. We see it in police like Patience Quaye, who helped prosecute the first human trafficker in Ghana. We see it in the young people who are speaking up against patronage, and participating in the political process.

Across Africa, we have seen countless examples of people taking control of their destiny, and making change from the bottom up. We saw it in Kenya, where civil society and business came together to help stop post-election violence. We saw it in South Africa, where over three quarters of the country voted in the recent election - the fourth since the end of Apartheid. We saw it in Zimbabwe, where the Election Support Network braved brutal repression to stand up for the principle that a person's vote is their sacred right.

Make no mistake: history is on the side of these brave Africans, and not with those who use coups or change Constitutions to stay in power. Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.

America will not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation - the essential truth of democracy is that each nation determines its own destiny. What we will do is increase assistance for responsible individuals and institutions, with a focus on supporting good governance - on parliaments, which check abuses of power and ensure that opposition voices are heard; on the rule of law, which ensures the equal administration of justice; on civic participation, so that young people get involved; and on concrete solutions to corruption like forensic accounting, automating services, strengthening hotlines, and protecting whistle-blowers to advance transparency and accountability.

As we provide this support, I have directed my Administration to give greater attention to corruption in our Human Rights report. People everywhere should have the right to start a business or get an education without paying a bribe. We have a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't, and that is exactly what America will do.

This leads directly to our second area of partnership - supporting development that provides opportunity for more people.

With better governance, I have no doubt that Africa holds the promise of a broader base for prosperity. The continent is rich in natural resources. And from cell phone entrepreneurs to small farmers, Africans have shown the capacity and commitment to create their own opportunities. But old habits must also be broken. Dependence on commodities - or on a single export - concentrates wealth in the hands of the few, and leaves people too vulnerable to downturns.

In Ghana, for instance, oil brings great opportunities, and you have been responsible in preparing for new revenue. But as so many Ghanaians know, oil cannot simply become the new cocoa. From South Korea to Singapore, history shows that countries thrive when they invest in their people and infrastructure; when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs.

As Africans reach for this promise, America will be more responsible in extending our hand. By cutting costs that go to Western consultants and administration, we will put more resources in the hands of those who need it, while training people to do more for themselves. That is why our $3.5 billion food security initiative is focused on new methods and technologies for farmers - not simply sending American producers or goods to Africa. Aid is not an end in itself. The purpose of foreign assistance must be creating the conditions where it is no longer needed.

America can also do more to promote trade and investment. Wealthy nations must open our doors to goods and services from Africa in a meaningful way. And where there is good governance, we can broaden prosperity through public-private partnerships that invest in better roads and electricity; capacity-building that trains people to grow a business; and financial services that reach poor and rural areas. This is also in our own interest - for if people are lifted out of poverty and wealth is created in Africa, new markets will open for our own goods.

One area that holds out both undeniable peril and extraordinary promise is energy. Africa gives off less greenhouse gas than any other part of the world, but it is the most threatened by climate change. A warming planet will spread disease, shrink water resources, and deplete crops, creating conditions that produce more famine and conflict. All of us - particularly the developed world - have a responsibility to slow these trends - through mitigation, and by changing the way that we use energy. But we can also work with Africans to turn this crisis into opportunity.

Together, we can partner on behalf of our planet and prosperity, and help countries increase access to power while skipping the dirtier phase of development. Across Africa, there is bountiful wind and solar power; geothermal energy and bio-fuels. From the Rift Valley to the North African deserts; from the Western coast to South Africa's crops -Africa's boundless natural gifts can generate its own power, while exporting profitable, clean energy abroad.

These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They're about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to the market; or an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business. It's about the dignity of work. It's about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.

Just as governance is vital to opportunity, it is also critical to the third area that I will talk about - strengthening public health.

In recent years, enormous progress has been made in parts of Africa. Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn't kill them. When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made.

Yet because of incentives - often provided by donor nations - many African doctors and nurses understandably go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease. This creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention. Meanwhile, individual Africans also have to make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.

Across Africa, we see examples of people tackling these problems. In Nigeria, an Interfaith effort of Christians and Muslims has set an example of cooperation to confront malaria. Here in Ghana and across Africa, we see innovative ideas for filling gaps in care - for instance, through E-Health initiatives that allow doctors in big cities to support those in small towns.

America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy. Because in the 21st century, we are called to act by our conscience and our common interest. When a child dies of a preventable illness in Accra, that diminishes us everywhere. And when disease goes unchecked in any corner of the world, we know that it can spread across oceans and continents.

That is why my Administration has committed $63 billion to meet these challenges. Building on the strong efforts of President Bush, we will carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS. We will pursue the goal of ending deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, and eradicating polio. We will fight neglected tropical disease. And we won't confront illnesses in isolation - we will invest in public health systems that promote wellness, and focus on the health of mothers and children.

As we partner on behalf of a healthier future, we must also stop the destruction that comes not from illness, but from human beings - and so the final area that I will address is conflict.

Now let me be clear: Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at war. But for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.

These conflicts are a millstone around Africa's neck. We all have many identities - of tribe and ethnicity; of religion and nationality. But defining oneself in opposition to someone who belongs to a different tribe, or who worships a different prophet, has no place in the 21st century. Africa's diversity should be a source of strength, not a cause for division. We are all God's children. We all share common aspirations - to live in peace and security; to access education and opportunity; to love our families, our communities, and our faith. That is our common humanity.

That is why we must stand up to inhumanity in our midst. It is never justifiable to target innocents in the name of ideology. It is the death sentence of a society to force children to kill in wars. It is the ultimate mark of criminality and cowardice to condemn women to relentless and systematic rape. We must bear witness to the value of every child in Darfur and the dignity of every woman in Congo. No faith or culture should condone the outrages against them. All of us must strive for the peace and security necessary for progress.

Africans are standing up for this future. Here, too, Ghana is helping to point the way forward. Ghanaians should take pride in your contributions to peacekeeping from Congo to Liberia to Lebanon, and in your efforts to resist the scourge of the drug trade. We welcome the steps that are being taken by organizations like the African Union and ECOWAS to better resolve conflicts, keep the peace, and support those in need. And we encourage the vision of a strong, regional security architecture that can bring effective, transnational force to bear when needed.

America has a responsibility to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there is genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems - they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response. That is why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy, technical assistance, and logistical support, and will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. And let me be clear: our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa and the world.

In Moscow, I spoke of the need for an international system where the universal rights of human beings are respected, and violations of those rights are opposed. That must include a commitment to support those who resolve conflicts peacefully, to sanction and stop those who don't, and to help those who have suffered. But ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict, and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.

As I said earlier, Africa's future is up to Africans.

The people of Africa are ready to claim that future. In my country, African-Americans - including so many recent immigrants - have thrived in every sector of society. We have done so despite a difficult past, and we have drawn strength from our African heritage. With strong institutions and a strong will, I know that Africans can live their dreams in Nairobi and Lagos; in Kigali and Kinshasa; in Harare and right here in Accra.

Fifty-two years ago, the eyes of the world were on Ghana. And a young preacher named Martin Luther King traveled here, to Accra, to watch the Union Jack come down and the Ghanaian flag go up. This was before the march on Washington or the success of the civil rights movement in my country. Dr. King was asked how he felt while watching the birth of a nation. And he said: "It renews my conviction in the ultimate triumph of justice."

Now, that triumph must be won once more, and it must be won by you. And I am particularly speaking to the young people. In places like Ghana, you make up over half of the population. Here is what you must know: the world will be what you make of it.

You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can. Because in this moment, history is on the move.

But these things can only be done if you take responsibility for your future. It won't be easy. It will take time and effort. There will be suffering and setbacks. But I can promise you this: America will be with you. As a partner. As a friend. Opportunity won't come from any other place, though - it must come from the decisions that you make, the things that you do, and the hope that you hold in your hearts.

Freedom is your inheritance. Now, it is your responsibility to build upon freedom's foundation. And if you do, we will look back years from now to places like Accra and say that this was the time when the promise was realized - this was the moment when prosperity was forged; pain was overcome; and a new era of progress began. This can be the time when we witness the triumph of justice once more.

Thank you.

Minority Leader is verbose!

In the process of vetting President Mills’ nominated ministers, Minority Leader, Hon. Mensah Kyei Bonsu asked now Minister of Information, Zita Okaikoi on measures to adopt to avoid unnecessary speculation of the public on sensitive national issues. She replied that “timely” information will be given out to the public. Hon. Kyei posited whether Ms Zita Okaikoi means “timeous” or “timely”. Ms Zita thought she made a mistake with her “timely”, so she apologised to the house and thank Hon. Kyei.

However, this generated a logomachy between minority leader’s “timeous” over Zita’s “timely”. Others even question the source of Hon Kyei’s “timeous”.

The minority leader is one of the politicians I venerate simply on grounds of his wide range of vocabulary and respect for language rubrics. Yet, I must confess that he many a times demonstrated his verbosity and logorrhoea to the nth degree.

I observed that Honourable Kyei with his magniloquence always bulldoze his way through his contemporaries. But it was just unfortunate he tried substituting everyday spoken “timely” with “timeous” which is even overlooked by standard world’s most trusted authority in English, Oxford Special-Priced 7th edition dictionary for ADVANCE learners. 

Therefore, I have no grudge with Bright Segbefia’s letter carried in your April 18, 2009 edition challenging the source of Kyei’s “timeous”. Politicians ought to know that they have better work to do than play with words. Semantics over important matters cannot address our problems. So, the “brofou political leaders” should allow us some breath. The learning public should not be taken as part of “ex gratia”.

Back to analysis, the mere synonymy of words necessarily does not mean you can use them interchangeably. Consider these two sentences:  “Dinner is served outdoors on weather permitting days” and “Dinner is served outdoors on weather allowing days”. Though “permitting” and “allowing” are synonymous, the first sentence is more standard because “permitting” collocates better with “weather” and of course “timely” collocates better with “information” than “timeous”.

More so, “timeous” as suggested by Honourable Kyei was Timbuktu from the city of formality and familiarity, hence superfluous!

20 Types of People on Facebook

1) The "Lurker" - Never posts anything or comments on your post, but reads everything, and might make reference to your status if they... see you in public. ... ...

2) The "Hyena" - Doesn't ever really say anything, just LOLs and LMAOs at everything.

3) "Mr/Ms Popular" - Has 4,999 friends for NO reason.

4) The "Gamer" - Plays Words With Friends, Mafia Wars, Bakes virtual cakes and stuff, etc., ALL DAY.)

5)The "innocent" - Every post makes reference to God or Jesus or Mohammed. 

6) The “Dormant” – You will never know that they on facebook until they ask you to search for them. They can’t always remember the last time they log on their facebook; sometimes, as far back from the day they registered.

7) The "Cynic" - Hates their life, and everything in it, as evidenced by the somber tone in ALL of their status updates.

8) The "Collector" - Never posts anything either, but joins every group and becomes fans of the most random stuff.

9) The "Promoter" - Always sends event invitations to things that you ultimately delete or ignore.

10) The "Liker" - Never actually says anything, but always clicks the "like" button.

11) The "Hater" - Every post revolves around someone hating them, and they swear people are trying to ruin their life.

12) The "Anti-Proofreader" - This person would benefit greatly from Spellchecker, and sometimes you feel bad for them because you don't know if they were typing fast, or really can’t spell. 

13) The "Drama Queen/ King" - This person always posts stuff like "I can't believe this!", or "They gonna make me snap today!", “So, what should I do?” in the hopes that you will ask what happened, or what's wrong...but then they never finish telling the story.

14) "Womp Womp" - This person consistently tries to be funny...but never is.

15) The "Newscaster" - Always updates you on what they are doing and who they are doing it with, no matter how arbitrary.

16) The "Rooster" or “Cockerel” - Feels that it is their job to tell Facebook "Good Morning" every day. They crows Good Morning everyday!

17) The “Grammaticider” – These people always try hard to make sense with their write-up. They express themselves in English like their reading mechanics in Physics. You need to read their post for at least three times if you care to understand. They might as well be victims of “Anti-Proofreaders”

18) The “Chatter” – Their Facebook account is meant for chatting with friends online only. One hardly sees their status updates.

19) The “Quoters” – All their status updates is a quotation from great scholars such as Abraham Lincoln, Malcolm X, Barack Obama, Atta Mills etc.

20) The "Thief" - Steals status updates and will probably steal this one. Thief!

Choose your type!

More addition to this list soon!