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An encounter with the VELD ‘colonel’
I was always very uncomfortable when I was driving without a driver’s license. Once a policeman stopped me and asked for my license. I gave him my Insurance booklet.
“I say your license.”
I searched frantically for a non-existent license and told the cop the damn license wasn’t showing up in my briefcase. Next time I’d get it for him. He opened the insurance booklet and studied it.
“Are you the writer?”
“Yes sir,” I saluted.
“Carry on.”
The Inspector would have gotten me gaoled if he hadn’t recognised me as the Sikaman Palava man. But I realised that the cop-master wouldn’t spare me a second time so I decided to go for a license.
The Vehicle Examination and Licensing Division (VELD) in Accra is a perpetual beehive of activity. You’d see trainee drivers meekly trailing their instructors, enroute to a tiny office downstairs to meet the man who looks and works like a very efficient Colonel. Mr Joseph Amamoo is the name.
You’d also be privileged to meet ‘connection men’ right at the gate. They’d stop you and politely enquire whether you want a licence. They could get you one in exactly 15 minutes whether you believe it or not.
“Or are you coming to do ownership? That one would take 10 minutes.”
“No I am only coming to see the director here.”
I drove in and was ushered in to see the Acting Director of VELD, the living legend in the person of Mr. J.M.Y. Amegashie. He is the VELD Field Marshall,
“What can I do for you?”
“I want a license.”
“Know the road signs?”
“Yes.”
“Go downstairs and see Mr Amamoo and go for the various tests.”
“Oh, I can drive,” I reminded the director.
“So go and prove it.”
Mr Amamoo was busy taking a trainee-driver through the road signs. The guy was shivering and I wondered whether he was suffering from malaria.
Apparently, he didn’t know half the signs…
“Go back and study the signs well and come back next week,” he was told. It was my turn. The guy left extremely disappointed.
“There are four things you have to do when you want to overtake a vehicle. State them!” Mr Amamoo ordered me. I also went through the drill of identifying all the road signs, and now…
“Did you bring a car?”
“Yes sir.”
Let’s go for the test.”
It was now my turn to shiver. I die finish. I should be careful I do not mistake the accelerator brake.
“You are going to drive through some parts of the capital.”
“Yes sir.” I got in and while reversing I hung my elbow stylishly on the car door.
“Get your arm off the door,” Mr Amamoo growled at me. “You must know that you are at a driving test. You are not in your sitting room.”
“No problem sir,” I said and took off the arm. I drove and got to a junction and stopped although could have gone ahead.
“It is alright for you to stop, but because of the volume of traffic these days, It is always advisable to watch before you get near a junction so that you can enter without stopping if it is clear. You don’t necessarily have to stop at every junction, so watch approach.”
We went round and round through intersections, double lanes, U-turns, whatever. Then we got to a steep slope, I was instructed to stop and then ordered to climb the slope without coming back in the least. I prided myself to being a master driver and executed the task almost effortlessly.
I then forgot and put my arm again on the “You don’t like taking instructions-eh. Take off your arm,” he barked this time.
“Sorry-o.”
When we returned, I was made to go through a process of signing my name here and there, filling one form after another. A whole lot of elaborate procedure that made me impressed with the thoroughness the system applies to the issuance of licences.
CONNECTION MEN
“Mr Amamoo, why do you allow these connection men at the gate,” I asked.
“They are the people who issue fake drivers’ licences to people,” he said. “When a driver is in possession of a driving license without going through the process you have undergone, you can be sure that the license is fake. If you go through the process, you’d have every necessary record at VELD so that in case your license is lost, we’d only have to refer to the records and issue you with a new one. The connection men hang around here and you can’t drive them away because you can’t identify them.”
“But we hear people come here to VELD officials and are given licences without taking the tests,” I said.
“Then those licences are not genuine. Look, whenever the police mount operations to check licences, they seize 15 to 20 fake licences every single day. Those licences were not issued by VELD but by the connection men. If you come to VELD for a licence, you’d certainly go through the process. If a VELD official gives you a licence without a test, it is wrong and against the law.”
Mr Amamoo showed me many fake licences, more than a thousand of them. The ‘connection men’ really must be in big business. I would have done some personal investigation on these connection men, I said to myself.
When I was issued with my licence, I saluted Mr Amamoo, got into my car and drove away, my arm on the car door.
This article was first published on October 31, 1998
THE Orthodox Church is leading a moral revolution. At least the Methodist Church will no longer permit entry to church members or visitors dressed as if they were heading for a beach party. Those dressed in hot-pants and skimpy tops will be ushered out or physically prevented from entering.
It has taken a lot of courage for the Methodist Church to come to this decision, even at the risk of losing members who believe in sartorial liberalism and ecclesiastical democracy.
Some churches have still not mustered that courage, because they still nurse misconceptions about the church. Some say the church must be built with increased membership, which is unbiblical. Narrow is the path of righteousness.
The house of God is not a market-place or a discotheque. It must be kept holy. Anyone who wants salvation should be humble enough to dress decently before coming to the altar of the Lord. Jesus had to cane people who desecrated the synagogue.
CONTROVERSIAL
The other change people want in the church is about TITHING. It is a very controversial matter, made more controversial by some pastors insisting that all church members must pay tithe.
In other words, tithing has been made compulsory. Even some tithes are allegedly calculated and deducted at source. When Jesus hears some of these things he’d lament.
In some churches, you must pay tithe, otherwise when you die, the church will have no hand in your burial. Is that the unscriptural mandate the church has arrogated to itself?
Tithing began with the Levites, the priesthood. Because priests were not permitted to work, God stipulated that Israelites should see to their welfare through the sub-mission of 10 per cent of their crop and animal yield. This was to be put in the storehouse of the Lord. Anyone who did this was expected to be blessed in terms of increased farm or animal yield.
The priesthood itself has gone through many changes. Today, it is only the Catholic Church that properly undertakes to cater to the needs of the Catholic Church cannot be challenged
In other churches, what pastors are given is so puny that they virtually have to fend for themselves. So pastors have drifted into other vocations, and pastoring has become a part-time job.
When Jesus came, He neither condemned nor promoted tithing, probably because He did not want to be an impediment in the way of the Law and neither did He want to condone a practice that was outliving its usefulness. So He spoke very little about tithing, not saying whether it was good or bad.
What He however stressed was GIVING. “Give and it shall be given unto you…” Luke 6:38. He emphasised kindness to the poor, because both the rich and poor have the spirit of God in them.
What I am sometimes curious about is why the modern church has abandoned all the Old Testament edicts and laws, but sticks so rigorously to only tithing.
In the Old Testament, believers in God were sacrificing sheep, cows, doves and burning grain as a way of atoning for their sins or as offering to God. They were barred from eating certain animals and birds because they were labelled unclean.
When Jesus came, all these stopped because there was a new dispensation. It no longer mattered what your sins were or what you ate. If you became penitent and believed in the Lord Jesus as your personal saviour, you were indeed saved
OBLIGATORY
Jesus or the church did not come to prosper anybody. He said give and it would be given unto you. And giving must not only be to the church, but to fellow human beings who need our support. With the advent of Jesus, tithing had become an issue of little relevance, because instead of tithing (giving to the church a tenth), Jesus declared no limits. You give according to your freewill “because God loves a cheerful giver.”
Today, those who tithe give it grudgingly because it is not of their own freewill. It is like a tax. This should not be!
And because it has become more compulsory than obligatory, believers are paying tithes on gifts, on loans they take and whatever monies they get. Even those who do not work borrow money to pay tithe, when your tithe is supposed to be from your income earned out of productive work.
Those who don’t work are not supposed to pay tithe. You can give money to the church but not in the form of tithe, because tithe is paid only from productive work. Once you pay tithe, you are supposed to be working.
Now, should tithing be abolished? I would say no, because I feel that the priest-line must still be maintained so that we cease having part-time pastors who have divided attention. So the church must look after their pastors so that they can lead the flock safely to heaven. However, those who give towards this cause should not be called tithers. They should be called GIVERS TO THE CHURCH.
It doesn’t have to be 10 per cent. It could be 20 or 30 per cent so long as you give of it cheerfully. It could be five per cent or a widow’s mite.
I personally do not believe that unless you tithe, you will not prosper. What of if I give more than a tenth? It is not a tithe, but would God not appreciate it?
I believe, there must be no limit to giving. The tithing was God’s limit to Israel at the time so as not to overburden them. That should not be the standard-of today. Jesus didn’t say “tithe.” He said “give”
Giving to the church will open doors of blessings. And giving to the poor will open even greater doors.
This article was first published on Saturday September 30, 2006
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My name is Bernard Forson. I was fortunate to have been blessed with three elder sisters, who contributed to give me a smooth tertiary education.
My dad taught Economics in senior high schools all his working life, mostly in the Central Region, and my mother worked as a matron or catering officer, either in the same school with Dad, or in senior high schools and polytechnics close by. My parents gave their four children a good upbringing and education.
Interestingly, all my three sisters studied catering at the polytechnic, and after a few years working in government establishments, established the Sankofa Restaurant and Catering, where they provided first class local dishes for patrons and delivered regular orders. They were strategically on the Circle-Achimota road, and many customers stopped for breakfast, lunch and supper all day.
I was a ‘retirement baby’, born ‘by accident’ when my parents were close to retirement, so my sisters took over all issues relating to my education. I sailed smoothly through university, earning a first class degree in development economics.
I did my National Service with the Electricity Company of Ghana, and was offered a job in the Projects Department, My sisters advised me to acquire a postgraduate qualification, so with the ECG experience in mind, I did an 18 month Masters Degree in Project Management at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, during which time I often went to help my colleagues at the Projects Department.
I was re-engaged at the ECG, but six months into the new job my fatherly Head of Department, Mr. Osekre, encouraged me to apply for the job of Northern Sector Project Manager at what was advertised as a ‘development agency’.
It turned out to be the European Union, which gave me the responsibility of coordinating the development jobs being done by various contractors in the northern regions. I was offered a comfortable flat in Tamale, and given a new pick-up truck.
I established good rapport with the contractors, and sent monthly reports which informed them about the progress of work. I established an online portal which enabled them to easily monitor what was happening in all their projects.
This was greatly appreciated, and the Commissioner wrote to thank me, and informed me that due to my work, the regular visits by expatriate staff to the north had become unnecessary. And better still, the offices in Brussels and other countries heard about me. I was sent to several African countries to help them establish similar online facilities, and was soon promoted to Consultant.
I often came to Accra by air to spend a few days with family and friends, but I preferred to drive, because it gave me the opportunity to bring a substantial amount of foodstuffs for use in the restaurant. Of course, I was very well paid, Upon the advice of my elder sisters and my mentor Mr. Osekre, I took two major decisions. I decided to find a stable lady partner to marry and start a family. I also decided to invest in housing projects. Mr. Osekre took me to some areas in Accra with several uncompleted buildings, and suggested that I buy a couple of these houses, finish them and sell.
Under his guidance, I did extensive investigations to find the actual owners of the properties and completed negotiations with them.With all the resources I could muster, I put them into perfect condition, and buyers rushed to take them even when I was putting final touches to them. Having made a substantial profit, I registered a company, opened an office and employed two graduates to scout for properties, conduct searches on property documents, and arrange meetings with the owners of the properties. This became a very successful business to which I could retire anytime I wanted.
On the relationship side, I reconnected with Abena Gyasi, who was two years behind me at the university, and was working in a recruitment agency. We had gone out a few times, and I had visited her family and enjoyed their company.
Apart from the fact that her parents were well known to mine, we got on well together, and although I did not propose directly, all indications pointed to our heading towards marriage. She was tall and quite elegant with a commanding presence, and I felt proud about the glances that were cast in her direction when we went out. We enjoyed each other’s company, and spent long hours on the phone when I was out of town.
Everything went well until I went to her house one morning, and she introduced her friend Jennifer, who was her mate in senior high school. She was a big girl, quite fashionable and outgoing. They talked excitedly about new fashion trends, and called other mates to chat.
I was quite glad that she had found someone to spend time with when I was not around. She smiled and even joked with me, but I felt a bit uneasy that she was not too excited about me. I thought this was normal, as she perhaps wanted Abena all to herself.
A few weeks later, Abena started asking questions about my job, even though I had told her a lot about my work in the north. On Mr. Osekre’s advice, I had only told my family about the investment business.
It was better to wait till it was on firm ground, he advised, and that would take at least a couple of years. Of course, I would tell her everything when we decided to get married. She started asking some funny questions like ‘did you say you were doing agricultural extension work or development projects?’
Initially I gave her answers with some details, but when she persisted along the same lines, I said out of exasperation, ‘Abena, why do you keep asking the same questions even though I have answered you? Listen, there is nothing wrong with agricultural extension work, but that is not my line of work. But if that is what you wish to believe, then please go ahead, if it makes you happy.
I just don’t understand this’. Not long after, some friends said they had seen her with Jennifer eating lunch with some young guys. I complained, and said that I would prefer it if she went out with only me at that stage in our relationship. And if she needed to go out with others, I had to know.
To my great surprise, she brushed it off, saying ‘but Bernard, what is wrong with going out for lunch with friends? As for this one, I think you are doing too much?’ That was the beginning of the end.
By Ekow de Heer
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