Features
Construction crew or demolition squad? [Final Part]
The twin evil of bribery and corruption in the country appears to defy all forms of exorcism. Given that Ghana’s anti-corruption laws criminalise active and passive bribery, extortion, willful exploitation of public office, use of public office for private gain, and bribery of foreign public officials, among other offences, what is the problem? Is it about enforcement? Who enforces the laws? Are they blind?
I hope my friends in the police are reading this. Years back, during the funeral of my late father, Odehye3 Akwasi Agyeman Prempeh, (God bless his soul), one of his surviving friends who had not seen me since I morphed into a man, approached me, and slipped his right hand into mine. My heart leapt with excitement as my thought raced to the possibility that he was going to give his funeral donation“nicodemously” as some sympathisers prefer to do. How wrong I was!
Instead, he whispered in the twi language: “Ohenenana, kyia me apolisifuornkyia,” which translates loosely to, “Prince, greet me like the way the police do it.” I understood him. He wanted some money and I obliged him. Instead of me receiving, I ended up giving.
I believe our police are doing a yeoman’s job, especially under the leadership of the no-nonsense, businesslike, uncompromising new IGP, COP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare. I was thrilled when I read that the police had traced and arrested a 31-year-old driver following a social media post by a good citizen about his reckless endangerment of lives through a scary and deadly overtaking on the Accra-Kumasi road on December 30 last year.
But a few bad eggs are tainting the image of an otherwise excellent service by their proverbial style of greeting. IGP, keep up the good work! Drain the swamp! COP Rev. Dr. David Ampah-Bennin, greetings to you. You are an exemplary member of the inky fraternity and the clergy.
Dear pastor, man of God so called! You call yourself a shepherd. Agreed! But whom do you feed, the flock or yourself?Why do you feed fat off the hard labour, sweat and tears of the congregation? Why are you exploiting their ignorance and gullibility to make a fortune out of their fears?
By your cunning methods you rip people off and line your pockets while most of your church members merely scrape by. Occasionally, you conjure a trick which you claim to be “a direction from the Lord, “using the Book of Psalms to reap an uncommon harvest. Starting from the highest number in the Psalms, that is, Psalm 150 you tell the congregation that the Lord says each member should sow a seed of 150 cedis times the number of their children. That means if you have four children, you ought to pay 600 cedis in obedience to a so-called “direction.”
And you prefer the three-digit Psalms – from 100 to 150. As the number drops to two digits, you apply new methods to keep the seed up where you want it. And so, if it is Psalm 20, you may say: “We are in the twelfth month and today is the 20th day. The Lord says we should sow a seed of 240 cedis which is 20 times 12. This is a direction from the Lord.”How did you receive that “direction?” Through dreams, visions, slumbering upon your bed after a bowl of fufu, or was it God’s audible voice? God sits on His throne and says, “You rascals!”
God commands us to honour mothers and fathers, but you teach people to dishonour their parents, especially their mothers. With unproven claims of clairvoyance, you label certain mothers witches. By what foul spirit did you receive that vision? Do you have any idea about the magnitude of the chaos your lies have caused among some families? Why should you so callously tarnish somebody’s image and pierce her heart with the sword of your untamed and poisonous tongue? “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” but you do just that under the guise of speaking the oracles of God. And the last time I checked you were still hunting for more prey.
Mr. and Madam Honourable, what is happening in Parliament? Are we tearing the nation apart with unnecessary squabbles bordering on pettiness? Parliamentary rules of engagement should not be a replica of the ideas of Joseph Paul Goebbels, master propagandist of the Nazi Party who notoriously said: “We do not come as friends, nor neutrals. We come as enemies. As the wolf bursts into the flock, so we come.” That tone is the beat of war drums. Do the recent events in the nation’s parliament reflect the words of Goebbels? This is an “urgent question” on the floor.
Our nascent democracy demands the thinking of the 19th century British lawyer, judge, philosopher, law reformer, and writer, Sir James Fitzjames Stephen (1829-1894) who famously said: “Parliamentary government is simply a mild and disguised form of compulsion. We agree to try strength by counting heads instead of breaking heads, but the principle is exactly the same… The minority gives way not because it is convinced that it is wrong, but because it is convinced that it is a minority.”That is some food for thought.
The majority, on its part, must learn to accommodate opposing views that can be proven to conduce to our national development aspirations.Every political party with a genuine desire to develop the country has only one option as espoused by that charismatic president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”Spot on! That is all we need to forge ahead.
Democracy thrives on the exchange of ideas but in an amicable atmosphere. Needless to say, two wrongs do not make a right. Is it not appalling that while most Ghanaians are beset with some of the most monstrous inequalities in the world, the seat of Ghana’s democracy, Parliament, which should lead the way in correcting those wrongs, should turn into an arena of confusion and melodrama?
For those who took part in the recent brawl in Parliament, what do you think you were teaching your children?In this era of social media, your disgraceful behaviour gained much currency in no time. It is likely that some of your children spotted you in the thick of affairs.When they queried you about your conduct, what did you tell them? Defending democracy?
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader, apologised on behalf of his colleagues on both sides. As admirable as it was to eat humble pie,an impression had already been etched on the minds of Ghanaians about the kind of people we elected to represent us. The only way people will hit the delete button in their memory, and consign the incident to history,is for our parliamentarians to work together and accelerate the pace of our national development in a manner that can be felt by all and sundry.
There are plenty of policy differences to discuss that do not warrant any unnecessary distraction. By any acceptable means, let your differences be ironed out but let the process lead to development for the longsuffering people of this land of gold and oil.
And for those who are so blinded by politics that they can stoop so low as to utter unprintable words against another, why do you even go to the house of God on occasion; to seek forgiveness and repent, or to deceive God? Of course, no one can hoodwink God. I believe politicians do not hate one another but unfortunately, they allow politics to make their blood boil.
We should all take a cue from the late President J.J. Rawlings and President Akufo-Addo who were sworn political enemies, yet, made some room for accommodation. Why would these guys reconcile, at least, to some extent? It was all in the interest of nation building.
Fellow Ghanaians I leave you with two quotes from Nelson Mandela: “Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.” He said also: “It is in your hands to make a better world for all who live in it.”
Where do you stand, with the Construction Crew or the Demolition Squad? As the King James Version of the Bible would put it: “Choose ye this day!”
And remember that a stitch in time saves nine!
Contact: teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
BY TONNT PREMPEH
The driver stopped the vehicle at the gate of the large, fenced property along the Nsawam Highway, and Kakraba stepped out to meet the several workers who had gathered to wait for him.
He greeted them and went straight to the point.
“Gentlemen, I am glad to see that you have almost completed the clearing of the land. I’m happy to report that we have concluded all arrangements with Nana Serebour, and construction of the palace will start in a few days.
“I will need you to go and level the ground, and then come back to start this project. Some workers from a construction company will come and join us.
“My plan is to build twenty houses in four months. Then we will do twenty more until we reach two hundred.
“I am relying on you to help me deliver good-quality work to satisfy our clients and, as I have already indicated to you, I will reward you for your work.”
After an hour’s discussion, he closed the meeting and moved to drive away. Wofa Yaw drew closer.
“Director, can you please spare me five minutes? I would like to discuss a small issue.”
“Why, Wofa Yaw? Your wife has threatened to leave you?”
“No, Director. My wife will never leave me. This concerns a young niece of mine.”
“I hope it’s something I can help with. Please sit in the car and let me hear you.”
“Boss, my niece, Beesiwa, is a polytechnic graduate, very beautiful and with very good character.
“Unfortunately, her parents virtually forced her into a relationship with an idiot based in the US, which affected her badly. She has now recovered from that experience and, Boss, I am respectfully asking if you would find a job for her.
“I promise you that you will never regret it.”
“Well, Wofa Yaw, let me meet her and speak with her. I may be able to help, maybe not in the way you expect, but let me meet her.
“I will not be back here for another week, but I will be at the office throughout next week. You can come with her.”
On Monday morning, Wofa Yaw and Beesiwa were seated at the office by nine o’clock. Three young ladies welcomed them warmly, offered them soft drinks and assured them that Kakraba would be there shortly.
They then returned to their desks and sat behind computers with large screens displaying various building designs.
Kakraba walked in and greeted them warmly. After chatting briefly with the three ladies, he ushered Wofa Yaw and Beesiwa into his office.
“Director, this is my niece, Beesiwa. I mentioned her to you when you came to Nsawam.”
“Yes, indeed. Madam Beesiwa, you are very beautiful, just as your uncle said. Wofa Yaw is my colleague.
“We have just started a building project that will take about three to four years. He mentioned that you have a small problem, so I said I would like to meet you and see how I can help.
“So, Beesiwa, please tell me a little about yourself.”
Beesiwa described her childhood, her school experience, her brief work at the bank and the nasty episode with Sammy Abrokwa, which shattered her peaceful life. She also explained how she had been recovering from the experience.
“I am really sorry to hear this,” Kakraba said. “Now, here is what we are going to do.
“We are a small but very busy company. The three ladies out there spend most of the day on site and come back to report on their work in the morning.
“I have three main projects. The big one is an estate project in Nsawam, where your uncle is one of my main colleagues. I need a personal assistant who can take care of my activities, especially when I am not in town.
“Now, we will have to start with trust. Based on what I know about Wofa Yaw, and based on what you yourself have told me, I think we can start on a sound basis.
“So, Wofa Yaw will take you to my home. You can move into one of the four guest rooms.”
“Sir, I have taken some computer lessons, and I have even done graphics and web design,” Beesiwa said.
“Fantastic! I will give you a good phone and a laptop. I will also arrange computer lessons for you.”
“Now, Wofa Yaw, take her home. My sister, Kuukuwa, will meet you and show you around, and then you can return to Koforidua.
“When would you like to start work?”
“Sir, I would like to start today, but I would need to go and bring my things.”
“No problem. Take a taxi to my house, meet my sister, and let me know what you decide.”
Later that day, Kakraba and the three ladies met with some bank officials to conclude the sale of the three buildings at Adabraka.
They closed at five-thirty and, after rewarding the ladies for their hard work, Kakraba got home just after dark.
He was surprised to find Kuukuwa and Beesiwa sitting at the table enjoying supper.
“What’s happening here?” he asked. “Beesiwa, I thought you would return to Koforidua.”
“She changed her mind,” Kuukuwa said. “We went to the mall and bought a few things for her. Then we came back to cook. She has made some nice changes to your bedroom and cooked a couple of interesting dishes. Sit down; we will serve you.”
“Well, I certainly can’t refuse that. It’s been a busy day.
“So, what’s the plan now? Will Beesiwa go to Koforidua tomorrow, gather her things together and come down?”
“No, I will stay here for a while,” Beesiwa replied. “Kuukuwa bought me the things I need, so I may go back next week. I’m ready to start work. What would you like me to start with?”
“Well, you can come to the office tomorrow morning, meet the three girls and get a feel for what we do.
“Since you are living here, at least for now, we can discuss the plans for the next few weeks.
“Sometimes there are gaps when I travel up north. You can take care of things from now. I think the girls would like having someone like you around.”
By Ekow de Heer
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A frequent question following breast surgery is whether human tissue possesses the regenerative capacity to restore an excised organ.
From a strict physiological standpoint, a completely removed breast cannot regrow. Unlike certain organisms that can regenerate complex limbs or organs, adult human tissues—particularly specialised glandular structures—lack the cellular machinery required to rebuild an entire organ after its total surgical removal.
Instead, the body heals the surgical site through processes such as scar tissue formation and re-epithelialisation rather than complete cellular regeneration.
What a mastectomy actually removes
To understand why natural tissue regeneration does not occur, it is important to examine the surgical scope of a mastectomy.
Depending on the type of procedure and the medical reason for surgery, a mastectomy may involve the removal of:
Glandular architecture: The milk-producing lobules and ducts that form the functional core of the mammary gland.
Adipose tissue: The fatty tissue that contributes to breast volume, projection and contour.
Other breast tissue: The extent of tissue removal varies according to the type of mastectomy and the need to achieve appropriate surgical clearance.
Because specialised breast structures are physically removed, the body does not rebuild a complete mammary gland. Instead, healing occurs through tissue repair and scar formation.
Distinguishing residual tissue from “regrowth”
Patients or observers may notice changes in the chest area after surgery, sometimes leading to misconceptions about tissue regeneration.
Skin- and nipple-sparing procedures
Modern breast surgery may preserve the outer skin envelope or, in selected cases, the nipple-areola complex. Small amounts of breast tissue may remain depending on the surgical technique. Any changes in remaining tissue due to hormonal fluctuations represent residual tissue responding to the body, rather than the regrowth of a completely removed breast.
Adipose accumulation
Weight gain after surgery can increase the amount of subcutaneous fat across the chest wall. However, this is part of general body fat distribution and does not represent the regeneration of a mammary gland.
Modern reconstructive pathways
Because a completely removed breast does not naturally regenerate, modern medicine offers reconstructive options aimed at restoring physical symmetry, contour and body image.
The two main approaches are implant-based reconstruction and autologous, or tissue-based, reconstruction.
Implant-based reconstruction
Implant-based reconstruction uses synthetic medical devices, typically filled with silicone gel or saline, to rebuild the breast mound following a mastectomy.
The two-stage process: This approach may begin with the placement of a temporary tissue expander to gradually create space and stretch the surrounding tissues. A later procedure may then be performed to place a permanent implant.
Recovery profile: Implant-based reconstruction generally involves a shorter initial surgery and recovery period compared with procedures that require tissue to be harvested from another part of the body.
Long-term considerations: Breast implants are not lifetime devices and require ongoing medical monitoring. Some patients may need additional procedures over time because of complications or changes in the implant or surrounding tissue.
Autologous or tissue-based reconstruction
Autologous reconstruction uses the patient’s own living tissue to create a new breast mound. Tissue may be transferred from another part of the body, commonly the lower abdomen, using procedures such as a DIEP flap.
Natural look and feel: Because the reconstruction uses living tissue, it can provide a natural warmth, texture and softness. The tissue may also change with the patient’s body weight over time.
Long-term durability: Once healing is complete, autologous reconstruction can provide a long-lasting result without the need to replace an implant. However, some patients may still require further procedures.
Complex surgery: This option usually involves a longer operation and recovery period. In microsurgical procedures, surgeons may need to reconnect tiny blood vessels to establish blood flow to the transferred tissue.
Direct comparison
When choosing between these two reconstructive pathways, patients and their surgical teams must consider several physical, medical and lifestyle factors.
Surgical burden: Implant surgery is generally less invasive, while flap reconstruction involves surgery at both the chest and the donor site.
Foreign material versus native tissue: Implants involve the use of a medical device, while autologous reconstruction uses the patient’s own tissue.
Recovery: The recovery timelines and rehabilitation requirements differ significantly between the two procedures.
Recovery and physical rehabilitation
Recovering from breast reconstruction requires patience, careful pacing and, in some cases, structured physical rehabilitation.
Because implant-based and autologous tissue-flap procedures involve different surgical techniques, their healing timelines and physical therapy milestones can vary considerably.
Understanding these differences is important for patients considering reconstruction, as the choice involves more than restoring physical appearance. It also requires careful consideration of recovery, long-term monitoring, lifestyle and individual medical needs.
Part 2 will examine recovery timelines, physical therapy milestones and other factors patients should consider when choosing between reconstructive options.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
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