Features
Dealing with the sinking moral
Watching a video trending on social media recently about some of the negative moral values of our youths, I was amazed and asked myself what the future holds for them in this modern-day Ghana. The video in question was about a young couple, the male being a driver of one of these specialised taxis (Uber) with the wife a housewife. Looking at them critically, I could say that they would be in their late twenties. It was early in the morning and the husband gave some money to the wife to cook while he left the house for work. Soon after the husband had left the house, the woman called another man on his mobile phone (apparently her boyfriend), told him she was paying a short visit since she had missed him a lot. The boyfriend agreed to that request and the girl went over.
WIFE CAUGHT ‘RED-HANDED’
After a good time and also enjoying themselves well, the man decided to hire a taxi through his phone to convey the girlfriend who was in a hurry back home. Lo and behold, it was the husband of the girlfriend who drove to the man’s house to pick the lady. As the taxi parked behind the gate of the man, waiting for the supposed passenger, the two came out from the house and shockingly enough, that was the wife of the taxi driver. The boyfriend did not know the girl’s husband but the girl, upon seeing her husband felt ashamed and started begging him for forgiveness.
This scenario and many obscene videos trending on social media, should vividly tell us how morally corrupt our youths have become in our dear society. They have imported all kinds of dirty and negative practices from the so-called advanced countries and are practising them openly with no regard to the elderly. Is that the civilisation we are clamouring for in our dear country? God save our nation.
IMMORAL YOUTHS
The youths of today, are quite disappointing as most of them have lost their conscience and are engaged in all kinds of promiscuous and adultery practices to the detriment of their future lives. They do not want to be corrected whatsoever when they do the wrong things. The proliferation of churches in this country, some with dubious inclinations has worsened the lifestyles of the youths, many of whom hide behind them to do just the unthinkable and go scot free. The leaders of most of these so-called churches do not have control over the youth. Some of our youths attend churches, listen to various sermons for the sake of them but do the vice with serious implications.
LACK OF PARENTAL CARE
Most parents have little or no control over their children and wards in their tender age and, therefore, they do the amazing things to the astonishment of their parents. Is it not surprising that at the age of 18 years and little above, the youths mostly the young girls, who are in their teens, will be thinking of marriage when in actual sense they are not matured in terms of home management and child upbringing. It is a fact that some parents also contribute to these shortcomings by pushing their immature youth to enter into marriages without considering their ages. Some parents, even with some connivance of pastors and church elders, secretly bless the marriages of their under-age children. The moral decadence among the youth of today is, indeed, not the best thing to talk about in present day Ghana.
It is rightly stated that the future of any nation rests on the shoulders of the youths, as they will eventually become leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, anything targeted at this group of persons must be worthwhile and directed at helping to fulfil their purpose as would be leaders.
ACQUISITION OF GOOD MORAL VALUES
As the youths get prepared for leadership roles, it is pertinent to acquire good moral values and standards that will mold them into personalities ready to lead for the progress of the society since they serve as engine room of society. They serve as the drivers of any development trend activity in society and the major determinant of the extent of growth and development in a given society. It is a fact that the youths of today are usually energetic and are always willing to go the extra mile if the need arises to achieve the goals they have set themselves and what they believe in and to hold on to them.
Our youths continue to hold on to some negative values such as dishonesty, disrespect, intolerance, lack of cooperation, profit-oriented relationships, profane of life and abuse of human dignity, loss of pride in hard work and an increased interest in the pursuit of injustice and other crimes, all in a bid to acquire wealth. Today, most of our youths take pride in telling lies, engage in ungodly practices and embellishment of various criminal acts.
SERVING AS ROLE MODELS
It is a fact that our youths have deviated from the path of righteousness and society must be ready to help in instilling that discipline which is so crucial in their upbringing. The family which is the base structure of every society, must begin to right their wrongs with regard to restructuring their value systems because most of the youths learn from the elders in their families. Government and other authorities, especially those in leadership positions must see themselves as role models for the youths and begin to be responsible adults. They have to realise that the future of tomorrow depends on the foundation laid today and the youths cannot become trusted leaders if they cannot follow in trust.
HELPING THE YOUTHS FROM WAYWARDNESS
The Ministries of Youth and Sports, Children, Gender and Social Protection as well as other youth development and protection organisations, need to collaborate efforts to devise effective mechanisms and tailor-measured programmes designed to educate the youths to shape up their waywardness and prepare them as responsible adults to our society. Parents must also offer the necessary parental care to their adolescent children and not to push them into early marriages which serve no purpose but only to destroy their lives. Marriages among the youths are breaking today because of immaturity and also lack of proper counselling to the youths of today.
We need to help our youths to overcome this moral decadence that have engulfed our dear society. That kind of moral discipline that was introduced by the older generation which seemed to have eluded us now, must be sought and rekindled into our society so that the youths of today, must emulate and conform to it to safeguard their lives.
By Charles Neequaye
Attention-Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often mistaken for laziness or indiscipline. In consulting rooms across Accra and in reports from school teachers, the pattern repeats: children who are bright but forgetful, parents who feel helpless, teachers who see incompleteness.
Research is clear-Barkley (2015) and others describe ADHD as a difference in the brain’s regulation of alertness, impulse and working memory, not a lack of effort.
The family’s role begins with structure. Regular sleep, predictable meal and homework times, and a simple visual list (uniform → books → water → corridor) provide the external scaffolding of these children need. Praise what is completed—“You opened the book and wrote the first sentence”-instead of rebuking what is missing.
Schools can help by seating the child front-row and centre, giving short written plus verbal instructions, allowing brief movement breaks, using quiet nonverbal cues and, where possible, grading effort and method as well as neatness. These adjustments reduce conflict and raise submission rates without lowering standards.
Couples and caregivers should share roles: one grounds, one pivots, and both protect rest. Shame-“bad parenting, bad child”-needs replacing with fact: different wiring, needs scaffolding.
Outcomes improve not by promises of perfection but by daily routines, clear limits and warmed connection. One homework slot kept, one instruction chunked, one calm repair after blurting-these small wins shift the family climate and let the child be seen beyond the label.
Resource
• CPAC (award-winning Mental Health and Counselling Facility): 0559850604 / 0551428486
Source: REV. COUNSELLOR PRINCE OFFEI’s insights on special needs support, relationships, and mental health in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELLOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE) – 0551428486 /0559850604.
WEBSITES:
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/author
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/website
After two weeks of hectic activity up north, I drove to the Tamale airport, parked the car at the Civil Aviation car park as usual, paid the usual parking fee and boarded the plane for Accra.
Over the last two weeks, I had shuffled between three sites where work was close to completion.
One was a seed warehouse, where farmers would come and pick up good quality maize, sorghum and other planting material.
The other was a health facility for new mothers, where they were given basic training on good nutrition and small scale business.
And the third was a set of big boreholes for three farming communities.
The projects usually ran on schedule, but a good deal of time was spent building rapport with the local people, to ensure that they would be well patronised and maintained.
It was great to be working in a situation where one’s work was well appreciated. But it certainly involved a lot of work, and proactivity. And I made sure that I recorded updates online before going to bed in the evening.
When the plane took off, my mind shifted to issues in Accra, the big city. The young guys at my office had done some good work. They had secured five or six houses on a row in a good part of the city, and were close to securing the last.
When we got this property, unusually, Abena greeted them casually, and appeared to be comfortable in the guy’s company.
I was quite disappointed to hear that, because until the last few weeks, it seemed as if Abena and I were heading in a good direction. Apart from the affection I had for her, I liked her family. I decided to take it easy, and allow things to fall in whatever direction.
Normally I would take a taxi to her house from the airport, and pick her up to my place. This time I went to my sisters’ joint, where they sat by me while I enjoyed a drink and a good meal.
“So Little Brother,” Sister Beesiwa said, “what is it we are hearing about our wife-to-be?”
“When did you conclude that she was your wife-to-be? And what have you heard? I’ve only heard a couple of whispers. Ebo and Nana Kwame called to say that they have seen her in the company of—”
“Well said Little Brother,” Sister Baaba said. “By the way, Nana Kwame called an hour ago to ask if you had arrived because he could not reach you. Someone had told him that Jennifer had boasted to someone that she had connected Abena to a wealthy guy who would take care of her.”
I was beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.
“In that case,” Sister Beesiwa said, “you should be glad that Abena is out of your way. She is easily swayed. Anyone who would make a relationship decision based on a friend’s instigation lacks good sense. I hope the guy is as wealthy as they say?”
“Who gets wealthy running a supermarket chain in Ghana?” Sister Baaba said. “Our supermarkets sell mostly imported products. Look at the foreign exchange rate. And remember that Ghanaians buy second-hand shoes and clothes. Supermarkets are not good business here. Perhaps they are showing off that they are wealthy, but in reality they are not doing so well.”
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.”
She said that David Forson was only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her. And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. We would be able to sell all five houses to one big corporate customer, and we had already spoken to a property dealer who was trying to find a buyer in order to get a good commission.
That was going to be my biggest break. I had asked the boys to look for a large tract of land on the outskirts of the city where we could develop our own set of buildings, blocks of storey houses and upscale apartments. Things were going according to plan, and I was quietly excited. However, things were not going so well regarding my relationship with Abena.
My buddies Ebo and Nana Kwame had called to say that they met Abena and her friend Jennifer enjoying lunch with a guy, and Ebo believed that Jennifer was ‘promoting’ an affair between Jennifer and the guy. They were of the view that the promotion seemed to be going in the guy’s favour, because only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her.
And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“As I’ve already said, I will stop by her place, but I will mind my own business from now. Hey, let’s talk family. How are our parents? And my brothers-in-law? And my nephews and nieces? Why don’t we meet on Sunday? I’m going to drop my bags at my place, and go to see Mama and Dad.”
