The average Ghanaian can be likened to the proverbial worm which has no eyes and must, therefore, grope through the dark as it moves about for sustenance and survival. Through all kinds of terrain, sometimes through water and other times fire, the poor worm trudges on.
Ours is not different as we are fleeced by all manner of quack, dubious institutions and individuals while the state with which we have signed a social contract to protect us, looks on helplessly. This unfortunate situation has arisen as a result of the lack of a clear cut national policy direction on human security.
What is human security?
Human security as a concept gained global prominence in the 1990s. It is based on the premise that in the contemporary world, armed interstate conflicts are diminishing while emerging threats such as HIV, poverty, environmental degradation, con artists and fraudsters appear to be on the ascendency. Thus, while we may not fall by the sword of our neighbours, the threats listed above and many more, equally pose a challenge to our quality of life and total security. There is, therefore, the need to comprehensively deal with these threats and hence, the concept of human security.
The former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, describes it as;
“Freedom from want, freedom from fear, and the freedom of future generations to inherit a healthy natural environment — these are the interrelated building blocks of human – and therefore national – security”.
Yet, it looks like ours is a free-for-all society where anything goes. Does it not defy explanation that over a decade after the Pyram financial fiasco which sent some of its victims to their early graves, we are still swimming in a pool of unregulated micro-financial regime? The sad aspect is the fast rate at which they crumble and with it the poor Ghanaians’ savings. As if this was not enough, we woke up recently to learn of a certain Chief Medicine and his US group of companies and the fraud they have visited on our people.
Phoney recruitment
During a visit to Techiman in the Brong Ahafo region recently, I was dumbfounded when I heard an advert on a radio station recruiting people to be sent to Libya with the promise of free accommodation and instant jobs. My confusion was born out of the fact that earlier another radio station in Kumasi on the same day had aired the desperate calls of Ghanaians on the government to come and rescue them from an obviously precarious situation in Libya. Was it the same Libya?
Still in Kumasi, I saw a huge banner inviting people to come and register so they could join the British Army. Of course, there was a registration fee as usual and judging by the long queue, it was obvious that the organisers of the scheme were in good business. The National Accreditation Board (NAB) may be aware of the number of institutions it has registered, but who monitors the many others which are operating on the blind side of NAB? Why must we wait for a poor widow to see her daughter through a four-year nursing training course only to be told that her certificate is invalid because the school has no accreditation? Couldn’t we, with a bit of ingenuity, have saved the poor widow from this?
The rural folks’ survival is heavily dependent on the soil and the water bodies so we can just imagine the impact of galamsey on their lives. Yet as I write, the Chinese, our neighbours and our own are busily degrading the environment for their selfish gains while we look on.
Even on the spiritual front we are not spared, as all sorts of charlatans fronting as men of God fleece us of even coins. Who vets these men of God to be sure that we are not inviting con men into our midst? What is even more disturbing is the sudden appearance of all manner of international spiritualists posting huge billboards claiming to have solutions to peoples’ travel plans, barrenness, instant wealth and love potions. The question is, who has authenticated the claims of these people?
In Ghana now, all one needs to become a great herbalist is to pluck some leaves, bark of trees and with a sleek tongue, walk into a TV or radio station and presto, you are there. No wonder the manufacture and sale of all manner of bitters is the number one business.
While elsewhere the media is used to discussing scientific breakthrough and modern and innovative ways of creating wealth, ours is inundated with all manner of juju men boldly conjuring money on our screens.
Perhaps, it is only in Ghana that an energy drink can boldly be advertised as the answer to students’ problems because it keeps them awake! Who says if you are awake it means you are studying?
Ghana, a scam laboratory
I am told that all new scams developed on the sub-continent are tested in a laboratory called Ghana. The reason is that systems are so lax and the rate of success of such schemes is very high here. In any case, in the event of failure, sanctions are almost always the barest minimum compared to other countries.
Did I read that a supermarket which has consistently sold expired goods to the unsuspecting public has again been caught in the act and just fined? Elsewhere, this supermarket would have been shut down for good for persistently endangering the lives of our people.
Though state institutions, including the Human Security office of the National Security apparatus, exist to ensure that we are not impoverished by the actions of these individuals and groups, it is obvious that much more needs to be done.
The worry is that on a daily basis, our people remain too exposed to all manner of extortionists, quacks and manipulators and the effects of their activities degrade the quality of life of our people. We may not be at war with any nation but that does not mean that we are at peace. Until a more proactive and robust human security system that will insulate our people from these threats is put in place, the question will remain; who cares for the Ghanaian?
The writer is Head of Public Relations and Protocol, University of Cape Coast.
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