OSU: Place of attraction living and dead
Human nature is characterised by certain desires that we cannot do without.
Such desires are inherent and so natural to us.
Advertisement
The key and the most important ones that drive our endeavours and efforts are the desire for power, prestige and pleasure.
Anything that promises these three things attract human beings like magnets and most of our time is spent in such pursuits.
Where else in Ghana or the capital city in particular can these three pursuits be up for grasp? Nowhere else than Osu, one of the suburbs of Accra, the capital city of the country.
Epicentre of power
Osu can boast places where institutions and monuments that symbolise state power are located. Until the seat of government was relocated to the Flagstaff House in recent times, the Osu Castle, otherwise known as the Christiansburg Castle, had been the seat of government for centuries, since the colonial times.
All those who have struggled for political power either through the ballot box or the barrel of the gun have had that destination in mind, no matter which part of the country they hailed from. They always knew they were coming to occupy a seat of power somewhere at Osu.
Not only those aspiring for the high office of the Presidency, but the varied candidates from all corners of the country struggling to become official representatives of their people know that at the end of it all, they will end up at Osu, where they will assemble regularly to remind the people they represent and all Ghanaians that they are now the powerful men in town.
You are not mistaken if you think that it is the House of Parliament I am talking about.
Cash, entertainment hub
Osu can also be said to be a favourite place for most local and international investors who want to do business in the country and make good profits
The long kilometre stretch Oxford Street can boast local businesses ranging from banks, insurance companies, law firms, food and drink joints of various kinds.
Where else, for businesses to make profit than the Oxford Street at Osu?
It is not only the businessmen that can cash in on the opportunities that Osu offers.
Ordinary people can also make millions within minutes at the various Casinos that have pitched camp in almost every corner of the prime suburb.
Quick cash means instant gratification.
And where else can you get proper places to spend cash than Osu? All the reputable restaurants, hotels, drinking bars, spa and beauty parlours have their presence there.
If you are the physical type, the Accra Stadium is always ready to entertain you with premier league soccer fiestas and the lesser known sports.
Deceased dream
Osu is, indeed, an attractive place for both power lovers and pleasure seekers, because of the many key state institutions it hosts, attractive business addresses it offers, both local and international firms and pleasure outlets located across different parts of the suburb.
But as the living crave for all that the town offers, the dead are not left out in the scramble.
They have their place of prestige in the biggest cemetery in the city.
The attraction of the Osu Cemetery to many is evidenced in the number of tombs of great men and women that keep competing for space there.
Many people of great repute prefer to be buried at the Osu Cemetery, instead of their hometown because of the prestige attached to it.
Military personnel rest in peace in their graves at Osu and their well manicured lawns and well kept spaces at the cemetery also add great attraction to the entire cemetery complex.
Never forget that Presidents have also decided to build a place of their final rest at Osu. Former President John Evans Atta Mills took the lead in that regard.
Osu has, indeed, carved a reputation for itself as a place that the dead love to rest looking at the prestige that goes with having one’s burial place there.
Next time you visit Osu or look at the place on the map, just think about all the abundance that it has to offer you and the entire nation.
Probably, its history will also be great and interesting as well. People of Osu, are we welcome?
Wrtier’s E-mail: [email protected]/Mob.0241 995510
