Editorial
Illegal power connection
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It is important for every Ghanaian to note that generation of income by government comes from the taxes we pay as well as other money paid into government chest such as payment for the consumption of electricity.
Unfortunately, many citizens try to cut corners by refusing to make payments for electricity they consume in their various homes. Some people do not pay for power at all whereas others make partial payment for the quantity consumed.
This is usually done through illegal power connections. Sometimes electrical cables are connected in such a way that they do not read into the meters installed, meaning that the bulk of the power consumed is not accounted and paid for.
It is unfortunate to note that sometimes these illegal connections are even carried out with the help of some unscrupulous officers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Yet ECG, unknowingly to some senior officers, dispatches teams to go into various places to find out about these illegal connections. It is good to carry out this exercise unannounced and also from time to time.
ECG top officials and management will have to look within the organisation and clear the mess often caused by some of the staff. Even in situations where ECG officials are not involved in such deals, those sent out to read meters and record them in various houses often turn blind eye to such illegal activity. They do this by accepting bribes and pretending that all is well with the customers when in fact this is not so.
What they fail to realise is that it is from the collection of electricity tariffs and other services supplied to their customers that constitute incomes to their organisation and make it possible for their staff to be paid.
If it were operating very efficiently, the company should have been able to generate more income and pay its workers at the end of every month, and also fulfill other commitments, without much difficulty. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Many other public institutions also operate inefficiently and their managers tend to think of filling their own pockets first before carrying out their operations in line with their mandates. Such unfortunate developments should not be allowed to continue if the state is to derive maximum revenue and cater for all its citizens in the most appropriate manner.
To this end, all managers must sit up and plug leakages in the system, so that adequate resources can be generated by these institutions to fund their respective operations without any difficulty.
Certainly the nation will be able to perform better financially, if this is done and improve upon the welfare of everyone when it comes to road construction, quality healthcare, adequate compensation to workers, supply of equipment to all workers, as well as make the required inputs for developmental purposes.
The government is spear-heading a digitalisation programme and this must be made relevant to the operations of the public institutions, so that we will be able to move higher and enjoy better and quality lives.
THE natural skin of a child is delicate and needs protection. However, a very disturbing trend is emerging in our homes, where mothers and other caregivers are using harsh soaps, skin-lightening creams and even oral medications to tone down the skin of their babies.
“A baby is not a beauty project,” as public health nurse Mr Jonathan Kwame Quarshie of the Ho Teaching Hospital so urgently cautioned.
According to Mr Quarshie, it is medical abuse to subject a developing child to harmful substances in order to meet an arbitrary aesthetic ideal.
The truth is that children are not miniature versions of grown-ups. Their skin is much thinner and more susceptible to chemical absorption. So, when a caregiver applies lightening creams to a toddler or makes them take over-the-counter medications that promise to bleach them “from within”, they are exposing a vulnerable system to chemicals.
These products may contain hazardous ingredients such as mercury, a heavy metal that can penetrate the skin and affect the kidneys and central nervous system, potentially causing neurological damage and other serious health complications.
Again, the products may contain corticosteroids and hydroquinone, substances that can damage the skin’s natural defences, resulting in persistent bruising, skin thinning and other health complications, particularly when used inappropriately.
When a child is exposed to these serious health hazards for the sake of a lighter shade, an innocent human life is being treated like a laboratory experiment. It exchanges the health of a child’s internal organs for a transient, shallow and extremely harmful standard of beauty.
The consequence is that child bleaching can leave physical scars, but the psychological damage is equally severe. The underlying message is obvious when a parent bleaches a child, especially young girls who are most affected by this social pressure.
Before the next generation is old enough to comprehend it, we are infecting them with a virus of self-loathing. A child will struggle to develop a healthy self-image if raised to believe that their natural complexion is a problem that should be chemically eliminated. They are being taught to perceive an enemy when they gaze in the mirror.
Mr Quarshie’s cry is that “Every shade deserves protection,” and this means that every child is entitled to safe care. The Spectator agrees that this message must be forcefully echoed by society.
We should be mindful of the fact that a tube of illicit bleaching cream or an over-the-counter pill cannot provide true treatment. What children need is a healthy diet, age-appropriate hygiene and unwavering love.
We propose that a qualified medical practitioner should be consulted if a child has a legitimate dermatological problem rather than resorting to risky cosmetic procedures.
It is the responsibility of parents, extended families and communities to create an atmosphere in which children are valued for their inherent beauty, health and vitality.
We do not need to make our children lighter. They must be safeguarded, loved and given the opportunity to develop in the lovely skin they were born with.
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Dear Editor,
I am writing to state my opinion on the recent directive by the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to make land available within their respective areas for the construction of waste transfer stations across the country.
The MMDCEs are expected to carry out the directive within 30 days as the government aims to improve solid waste management.
From where I stand, I feel it is a very good move, but my only concern is whether all the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies can meet this directive.
Clearly, some assemblies are small in size, with every available space already occupied by existing facilities.
The siting of these facilities must also not be too close to human settlements.
This is important because, if care is not taken, a decision to solve a major problem could result in another issue, such as a disease outbreak, due to the proximity of the facility to residential areas.
In implementing this directive, we must not revisit the era when people woke up to find huge rubbish containers behind their walls and buildings.
I also wish to add that, in solving the waste problem, the government could take a second look at the operations of private waste collectors using improvised vehicles (Aboboyaa).
Their operations have two sides. They help communities by collecting heaps of rubbish left behind due to the failure of registered waste collection companies to provide adequate services.
However, these operators also contribute to littering in communities as rubbish falls from their overloaded vehicles onto the ground.
Perhaps the government could consider providing them with better vehicles to enable them to do their work more effectively and complement the efforts of established waste collection companies.
Mercy Agyemang, Labone
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