ARTICLE: GUNS MADE OF PAPER; Aluta continua

The Streets of Accra 

Roaming on the streets of Accra amidst unseen faces due to the “nose mask agenda” which hit every world because of the pernicious novel coronavirus with a double-edged feeling about how the enunciated “new normal” will be an impediment to the great future of generations yet to come. In the thick of a malevolent COVID -19, a pandemic that has brought the world to a near standstill and got countries including if not all but most of the world’s great countries to lockdown either fully or partially to be able to contain the spread of the virus. Some portions of Ghana, a developing West African country along the Gulf of Guinea that had recorded cases of the virus had to be locked down partially. Schools in all parts of Ghana had to be closed and a ban placed on social gatherings as this virus spreads rapidly through contact with an infected person.

A conversation with my good friend Samuel Atta Poku drew my attention to how students and youth leaders of today get along well with the “appearance fee” part of leadership more than the pragmatic part. You dare not condemn their “appearance fees”; they will enlist other cohorts to fissure you into pieces with their snaggletooth. Indeed, the captains of the ship rest on their laurels while the ship runs into a gale.

“I have always wondered why it was imperative that we have great leaders and why we cannot just live without these leaders since we are almost always discontented”. This was the first line the last time I sat to compose exactly 6 months ago notifying that “The Future of the National Union of Ghana Students(NUGS) is Here”. The future we all hoped for; that after many years of disunion, the National Union of Ghana students will be unified with a single President. A feat the Union achieved with the help of valiant, gallant, and dauntless leaders of a segregated Union. I was entirely unaware that after months of recess, I would be brought back to this two-legged table to talk of this “future”.

NUGS Logo

The lockdown in Ghana took a toll on both students and the working population of the country. Many civil society organizations had to help the government to augment the supply of relief items to deprived persons in areas under lockdown. The National Union of Ghana students launched the “NUGS Food Bank”, an initiative that helped to alleviate the encumbrance on students during the time 3-week partial lockdown in some parts of Ghana. This reached out to most students in areas under lockdown. The “guns made of paper” students handed over to them was put to good use in this appeal.

NUGS Food Bank

The strike of COVID -19 and its repercussion on Education in Ghana cannot be underestimated. NUGS, the mother Union of all students in Ghana is tasked with safeguarding and chaperoning the interests of all students in Ghana under the principles of the social contract.

Barely three (3) weeks ago, executives of the National Union of Ghana Students met the first gentleman of the land, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo. This was in such time that every Tom, Dick, and Harry enrolled in a school in Ghana were as confused as a Kumasi boy’s first day at Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Students, highly expectant of news from the Jubilee House, were bewildered when our leaders considered the best information we needed from that meeting was how such a global icon the President of Ghana is. Nobody opposes complimenting the President but after that meeting, the news that would have been of utmost importance to stakeholders of the union (students) would have been about governments' plans for the education sector in Ghana. Hitherto, the only discussions on this issue are about how a global icon the President is, the amount of money they were given for transportation; something I affectionately call “appearance fees” and various levels of high-quality pictures flooding our social media spaces. Don’t scream “Heerrh”, that is for the ‘boys culture’.

Mr. Isaac Jay Hyde - NUGS PRESIDENT

Is the new union just a new world toothless bulldog that barks at nothing but shadows? Is the most anticipated new world NUGS gradually being rendered a white elephant? Craig Bruce said “you usually have to wait for what which is worth waiting for”, students have waited a long time amidst various theories being spat about the educational system and a lot of contradicting speeches from some high authorities in the educational sector. It is in the nick of time that the Isaac Jay Hyde-led NUGS administration breaks silence on this matter before students jump into conclusion as that has been the favorite form of keep fit exercise for most students. We hope and expect to be briefed on issues such as the resumption of academic activities, preventive measures for students, fees paid, assessment schemes for students, and what happens to the quality of education students paid for.

There have been several voices and proposals relating to the course of action for the educational sector from various groups and persons in the country. Maybe we are yet to receive a comprehensive proposal from the National Union of Ghana Students. Craig Bruce said it earlier but there is no time like the present so executives of the union should shake a leg and give us heads about their viewpoint of this issue. They cannot wield our guns made of paper and not express an opinion that will be in the best interest of students. We hope to hear from them soon.

Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect – Margaret Mitchell 

     
Nous devons nous lever tous les jours en espérant que «le soleil se lèvera et nous le ferons à nouveau»

 My name is Raheem Awaafo, a fellow Ghanaian, and I believe the masses matter. My brother Samuel Atta Poku, we have to make “conscious efforts” to make sure that our lives and the life of society is made better. Remember to adhere to all social distancing protocols, wash hands regularly, sanitize hands, wear your masks and together we will defeat the pandemic.

Source: Raheem Awaafo