Terminate The Aglow Contract

This country cannot look after its children. We can neither feed them, nor clothe, educate or entertain them. This past week, several schools in the Northern Regions could not reopen because Government was in arrears with their feeding fees and other services and the Conference of Heads of Senior Schools just had no option than to support the closures.

Luckily, we found ghc50,4 million to pay the arrears before the week was out, but we forget that term started and we must find money for the new term and the rest of the year.

What is going on with the cash flow? The President only last week praised himself for surviving and told us 2014 would be far better, we should be patient and hopeful. Then feeding fees is in short supply?

I have made many a case now that Government should really think outside the box and creatively palm off the burden of education and health payroll plus related allowances, to the private sector and regulate schools, stay away from managing a ghc6.1billion wage bill in these two sectors. Why not step away from this cost and rather, tax profitable schools, collect withholding taxes and VAT from allied services? Someone will have to do it somewhere along the line, because this way it doesn�t make sense and is costing us too much. If we have bitten the bullet and allowed auto tariff adjustments for utilities and retail pump prices, think more private sector inclusion and get smart with money.

I don�t know what the block is, except it is not a social democratic suggestion. Well, when Ayariga and the PNC come to power in 2040, they might take me up. He will be a wiser 66 year-old then, and won�t cough into Nana Addo�s face. Ah, might Nana still be running then?

Maybe it is time we found an International Social Welfare Group to take all our school-going children to an island someplace; Hawaii would be good. Train and teach them, feed them properly and return them as finished products, with groomed qualities we can tap. Think about how many Baracks we would have available. We could name them all Kofi Barack, Kwame Barack, Ama Barack, Dufie Barack etc. Neat.

Once you have Barack in your middle name, we know what qualities to expect, and JJ�s grandchildren MUST be included.

Dumso. It is not over, so don�t start getting complacent, those of you who are not in dumso territory; don�t gloat, because I am still on the unpredictable cycle, and especially on Sundays, when there should be no cuts.

But, �God, if Ghana Water Company introduces prepaid meters we will all go to our early graves. They cannot even send out bills for payment on time. Ghana Water, how about working harder to speed up your bill issuance so customers pay you within 30 days instead of the 120 days when you manage to get a bill out? There is no way you can manage a prepaid system, and if the ECG example is a yardstick, for your information, they fail miserably to satisfy their customers. Can you imagine going to a Ghana Water payment office to resolve problems with your prepaid meter?

Aglow International Ministries held their monthly prayer and fasting service on national parks and stadiums this 18th January. To re-dedicate Ghana unto God, first of all to thank God for Ghana�s peaceful transition into 2014 since it was neither by our might nor power but by His Spirit. �The Lord has been mindful of Ghana so He will bless us�, Psalm 115:12″.

Another year, another start of dedications. Ignoring the Gregorian calendar by which we mark periods in humanity, we �walked over�, �crossed over�, �marched across�, �stepped over�, �transitioned over�, and however else we could coin a phrase to extract hard won pesewas from the poor, ala Ghanaian Christian monkeyshines, forgetting that time runs whether you stop your watch or step out of the world.

I always disagreed with taxing religion, but I am beginning to review that thought, based only on the way we practice Christianity in this country.

I hear too that the Messiah Complex is on the rise in Africa. In recent months, Central and Southern Africa have seen an increase in the number of people publicly claiming to be Jesus Christ. Just within the past few weeks, there have been at least four people from Central Africa and Southern Africa claiming to be the Messiah.

Australia has a Cult Awareness and Information Centre, which we do not have, and the Anglican and Catholic churches should be concerned that we are deceiving vulnerable people searching for a meaning in life; that there is a simple �sweep the ground� solution to our development problems.

So on the same basis that we white-wash-truncated the bleed from the GYEEDA contracts with JOSPONG and AGAMS, I am asking President Mahama, if he is touch with Prof. Mills, or whoever signed the contract with Aglow Ministries to eradicate sin from the country, sweep the devil under the soil and hold the monthly ritual of praying for the continued blessing of Ghana, to be terminated forthwith

The praying, singing and cleansing has not relieved this country of any corruption and hatred. Wither value for the service they provide? Why do we continue to allow them to occupy the Black Star Square and other Jubilee Parks every month for no economic or soulful value? They collect �tax tithes� from the poor and none of it moves into the Consolidated Fund, and the Lord knows Finance Minister Seth Terkper can do with some cash, now that JDM is under pressure to shuffle him out, so the NDC foot soldiers can carry on the chop chop.

When they are finished praying, shouldn�t there be an uplifting of my soul and a newly refreshed mindset that checks any evil or discordant tendencies I might be harboring, or is my soul too long gone to be saved?

I will ask Deputy Communication Minister Kwakye Ofosu to instruct a value for money audit so we can determine if it is worth all the airtime, raising expectations every month. Maybe we should set some targets, like the number of children defilements to reduce once Aglow prays fervently let loose the Lord�s divinity on this specific sin. Maybe that is the only way we will be assured that the intercessory prayers are really doing something for Ghana.

Sadly, Komla Dumor left this world on Saturday 18th January. He was too young to die at 41, left a wife and three children behind. I will remember Komla for all the attempts he made to get behind some of the shadiest contracts in the country. And for that alone we will continue to fight the anti-corruption fight and hopefully win one for him. Rest in peace my friend.

And so not to end on such a sad note and my tag line lose its touch, I met Afya as I was coming out of TV3 the other day. She is such a small person, neatly tucked away in the space the Lord gave her and big fan that I am, I caught her latest release �forgetting me�, made me even more impressed with the quality of our stars, especially the women. Just as Kakie thrilled me at Decemba to Rememba on 24th last year, listen to Efya from this link.

Ghana, Aha a ye de papa. Alius valde week advenio. Another great week to come!

Source: Sydney Casely-Hayford