Features
Our Political leaders need to tread cautiously in their utterances
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Holding a political position in government is noble, sensitive and very important and, therefore, you have to be courteous, sympathetic, respectful and comport yourself in whatever ways you find yourself so that in the long run, you can earn a lot of respect from the very people who made you who you are. You do not have to display arrogance and talk anyhow to the electorate even in times of provocation.
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS FROM POLITICIANS
It is becoming increasingly clear that some of the politicians we gave them our mandate to rule us, are now turning their back on us through their loose utterances, forgetting that without the people, they cannot govern this country. Government of the day does not work in isolation, it is the people whose back you rode to power and, therefore, there is the fervent need to show respect to them accordingly.
The famous US President Abraham Lincoln said in November 19, 1863 that,“Democracy is a rule of the people for the people and by the people”. That simply means democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people. The citizens of the country elect the President to rule the country and the elected President works for the welfare of the people. Nothing should allow the party in power to lord it over the people in a democratic regime.
SEEKING THE MANDATE OF THE PEOPLE TO RULE
It is quite unfortunate that in this beautiful country called Ghana in which the people have accepted democratic governance as the practice, when our politicians are seeking for political power to form a government, they try to adopt and use every available means to convince the people to vote for them, after getting that mandate which they needed most, they completely lose sight of the very people who gave them that power and, therefore, try to lord it over them.
Their behaviours, become completely different from that time they were seeking the people’s assistance, behaving selfishly, serving their own interests, that of their families, friends and cronies and talking loosely and anyhow to the electorate, particularly the youth on whose tickets they rode to power.
Just recently, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, in the Ashanti Region who doubles as the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, our law making institution, was reported to have urged Ghanaian youth to venture into entrepreneurship and stop chasing non-existent white-collar jobs.
According to him university graduates in the country must initiate the process of generating wealth before others support them. His comments came at the launch of the 29th GRASAG Week celebration at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.
UNFAVOURABLE STATEMENTS FROM JOE WISE
Hear the astute lawmaker, “Every graduate is going round with a certificate searching for the job whereas the training was able to enable them to create the job. I think it was time we bridged the linkages between the knowledge we have acquired and the wealth in our land. Parliament will continue to provide the facilitation but first thing is that graduates must apply the knowledge they have acquired”.
According to him, even though white-collar jobs are good, the opportunities out there are limited, because only a handful of people with specific qualifications are needed at any point in time.
He dispelled the notion that only people from poor homes acquired technical training skills, adding that the youth must be allowed to venture into professions they had talent to operate effectively rather than force them into areas of education, which might not be suitable for them, and end up jeopardising their future.
REACTIONS FROM THE YOUTH
These unfavourable statements from the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament have infuriated Ghanaian students and graduates from our universities and other tertiary institutions, attracting a lot of bashings with unprintable statements from them describing his comments as most unfortunate, irrelevant, unnecessary and in bad taste, especially coming from no other person than a leading member of government and a lawmaker. Some have questioned how they can create a business account without the basic capital, saying a lot of people even struggled financially to go through university education.
Others are interested in knowing how many jobs he had created as a leader and even with a certificate? A questioner has also put to him to tell Ghanaians how many parliamentarians created their own jobs before entering parliament and whether they have been able to help the few graduates who have been able to set up their own jobs to cut down the unemployment rate in the country?
AGITATED YOUTH
The simple truth is that times are, indeed, very hard and there is total frustration among Ghanaians, especially the youth most of whom are graduates with good qualifications, yet finding it very difficult to secure jobs to fend for themselves. They are so agitated that they don’t want to hear unpleasant statements from our politicians and members of government that will make them more infuriated.
This means that our parliamentarians and members of government need to weigh whatever statements they want to churn out to the public in order not to create disaffection and anxiety among the people, particularly the teeming unemployed youth.
GOV’T SHOULD PROVIDE START-UP CAPITAL FOR BUSINESS
Indeed, creating their own jobs will need an initial capital to start with and as fresh students who have not worked before, how can they raise that funds to set up their own businesses, let alone to absorb others.
They are not magicians to raise funds on their own without any means and, therefore, will need a start-up capital from government to embark on the project Joe Wise is talking about.
Nobody should look down on our graduates because they are people who have been well groomed by our public and private universities with high academic performances.That is why our graduates are highly accepted anywhere beyond the borders of Ghana.
Due to lack of jobs, quite a number of the nation’s graduates, trained with hard earned foreign exchange have travelled to other foreign countries and are in gainful employments to the detriment of our country.
Many are still leaving by day because they do not find hope in our dear country where only few people in responsible positions are enjoying. The current education system of our country, will continue to produce a large number of graduates every year, without the corresponding jobs to absorb them.
THE LOOSE STATEMENTS MUST CEASE FORTHWITH
It was time we put an end to those loose and reckless talks from our leaders and rather to find ways of creating the necessary jobs to absorb the teeming number of graduates who are churned out from our universities every year.
Our law makers should lead the way in enacting pragmatic and effective laws that will find lasting solutions to this monster called graduate unemployment in our country, rather than making all kinds of negative statements to the annoyance of the youth who are so much agitated or incensed.
By Charles Neequaye
Writer’s email: ataani2000@yahoo.com
“A woman who abandons her baby in a dustbin at Kasoa Lorry Station is not always a wicked woman. Sometimes, she is a wounded woman whose mind has broken, whose family has rejected her, and whose society has left her with only one terrible option: disappear or be disgraced.”
That is the hard truth Ghana must hear.
In the last 10 days alone, our nation has been confronted with the same painful headline, twice.
Case 1 – Kasoa Main Lorry Station, Central Region: A newborn baby girl was found abandoned inside a dustbin at the public toilet of the Kasoa Main Station. A woman who went to use the facility discovered the infant and raised an alarm. Commercial drivers and bystanders quickly retrieved the baby and rushed her to the Kasoa Polyclinic for emergency medical care.
Case 2 – Asante Bekwai, Ashanti Region: On Thursday morning, August 20, 2026, a two-week-old neonate was reportedly abandoned by an unknown nursing mother at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region. Residents who came across the child raised the alarm. The baby was admitted to the Bekwai Government Hospital as police commenced investigations.
Let me be clear from the start: Newborn abandonment is wrong. It is dangerous. It is criminal. And it can kill. This article does not excuse it. But if we only arrest and shame, we will never stop it. We must treat the root, not just punish the fruit.
What exactly is newborn abandonment? – The two definitions
The Legal Definition: Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Section 96, and the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), abandonment of a child under 12 years is a criminal offence. It is classified as exposure and abandonment, punishable as a misdemeanor or felony. The law sees the mother as a perpetrator.
The Psychological definition: In clinical textbooks, newborn abandonment is defined as the intentional, permanent relinquishment of all parental rights, care, and responsibilities over an infant within the first 28 days of life without making formal, legal arrangements for care.
To understand this crisis properly, we must not confuse it with child abandonment. Newborn abandonment happens within 0-28 days of life, often driven by acute panic, denial of pregnancy, or postpartum psychosis where the attachment bond never formed. Child abandonment, on the other hand, involves toddlers to teenagers where a bond existed but collapsed over time due to chronic poverty, family breakdown, or parental burnout. One is an acute crisis of the first month; the other is a chronic breakdown over years. Both are harmful, but they need different interventions.
Psychologically, newborn abandonment is the ultimate rupture of the primary attachment bond. Think of a 19-year-old university student who secretly gives birth alone in her hostel room, wraps the crying baby in a polythene bag, and drops it at a refuse dump at midnight. That is not just a crime scene; it is a scene of extreme panic and psychological dissociation.
Why would a mother carry a baby for 9 months and then abandon it?
This is the question every Ghanaian asks. If you wanted to abandon it, why not abort? The answer is deeply psychological:
1. The psychodynamics of denial of pregnancy: This is a profound defense mechanism, not a lie. The mother’s subconscious mind completely rejects the reality of the pregnancy. She does not gain weight normally, feels no kicks, does not seek antenatal care, and genuinely convinces herself she is not pregnant until sudden, shocking labour pains take her by surprise in a toilet or bedroom.
2. Fantasy of a dissolving problem: This is called cognitive avoidance. She believes “my boyfriend will come back,” “my mother will forgive me,” or “something miraculous will happen before birth.” So she waits, paralyzed, until the baby is here.
3. Barriers to safe abortion: Deep religious guilt, moral anxiety, fear of dying from a back-alley abortion, lack of money for a safe procedure, and family laws force her to carry to term even when she feels incapable.
4. The shock of reality and acute panic: Upon delivery, the physical presence and crying of the newborn shatters all denial. Confronted with immediate exposure, shame, and reality, her brain enters a trauma response — “fight, flight, or freeze.” For many, it becomes “flight” — physically escape the threat of exposure to survive socially. That is why babies are left in places where others will find them -lorry stations, churches, hospitals.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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Features
Environmental stewardship is an act of worship: The Islamic response to climate change, environmental degradation (Part 4)
The environmental consequences of illegal mining have reached alarming levels in Ghana. Several major rivers, including the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Birim and Tano, have experienced significant pollution from illegal mining activities, increasing the cost and complexity of water treatment while threatening the availability of potable water for millions of citizens (Water Resources Commission, 2024; Ghana Water Limited, 2024). These developments underscore the urgent need for stronger environmental governance and collective action.
Islam equally emphasises accountability in governance. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that every leader is responsible for those under his or her authority (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7138; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1829). This principle extends to public officials entrusted with environmental regulation, traditional authorities responsible for communal lands, mining companies, local assemblies, and community leaders. Environmental protection cannot succeed
where accountability is absent.
At the same time, addressing galamsey requires more than law enforcement. Sustainable solutions must tackle the underlying socio-economic realities that drive individuals into illegal mining. Many young people are motivated by unemployment, poverty, and limited economic opportunities. Islamic principles of social justice therefore call for the creation of alternative livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, vocational training, responsible small-scale mining under strict environmental standards, entrepreneurship, and skills development. Environmental protection and economic empowerment should not be viewed as competing priorities but as complementary goals that promote human dignity and national development.
Faith communities also have an indispensable role to play. Mosques, churches, schools, traditional councils, and civil society organisations possess significant influence in shaping public attitudes and behaviours. Imams, in particular, should consistently remind congregations that wealth acquired through actions that destroy communities and Allah’s creation cannot be regarded as a blessing. Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Water conservation, waste management and sustainable development: Practical expressions of Islamic stewardship
Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Islam is not merely a religion that condemns environmental destruction; it also provides practical guidance for preserving and sustaining the natural world. Through its teachings on moderation, cleanliness, conservation, and responsible consumption, Islam cultivates an environmental ethic that remains remarkably relevant to contemporary challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, waste management, and climate change. These teachings encourage Muslims to become
responsible custodians of Allah’s creation in both private and public life.
Water conservation: A sacred responsibility
Water occupies a unique position in Islam as the source of life and an essential element of worship. Allah says, “And We made from water every living thing. Then will they not believe?” (Qur’an 21:30, Sahih International). This verse reminds believers that water is not merely an economic resource but a divine blessing upon which all living creatures depend. The importance of water is further reflected in Islamic acts of worship. Muslims perform ablution (wudu) before the five daily prayers and ritual bathing (ghusl) under prescribed circumstances.
Yet, despite its central role in purification, Islam strongly discourages wastefulness. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once advised one of his companions not to waste water while performing ablution, even when using water from a flowing river (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 425). This timeless guidance establishes the principle that abundance does not justify extravagance.
Conservation remains a religious obligation regardless of the apparent availability of natural resources.
This Prophetic teaching carries profound implications for contemporary Ghana. Illegal mining has severely polluted many rivers, increasing the cost of water treatment and limiting access to safe drinking water for numerous communities. Climate change has also intensified seasonal variability in rainfall, placing additional pressure on freshwater resources (IPCC, 2023). Against this
backdrop, conserving water is no longer simply an environmental preference—it is a moral imperative grounded in Islamic teaching.
Water conservation should therefore become a shared responsibility among households, educational institutions, industries, and places of worship. Simple practices such as repairing leaking pipes, harvesting rainwater, protecting riverbanks, avoiding contamination of water bodies, and promoting efficient irrigation contribute to safeguarding one of Allah’s greatest blessings. Every effort to preserve water is an investment in public health, food security, and the
wellbeing of future generations.
Unfortunately, indiscriminate disposal of refuse remains a significant challenge in many communities. Plastic waste clogs drainage systems, contributes to flooding during the rainy season, pollutes rivers and beaches, and threatens marine ecosystems. Open burning of waste further degrades air quality and poses serious health risks, particularly for children and the elderly (UNEP,2024).
The author is Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governnace Expert.
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