Features
Sikaman Cops and mob justice
When your driving license expires and a policeman “cranks” you, there are two options. You can decide to scratch the policeman’s back and he will in turn scratch your back. It is a brotherly agreement, and you can go on driving until you are caught by another policeman.
The back-scratching solution to traffic offences is known in official gasettes as corruption. The act itself is known as bribery.
The second option is that you’ll be processed for court, for you to go and tell the judge why you think you are above the law. Normally, the judges don’t mind who you are or think you are. They’ll bunch you up with taxi drivers who are color-blind and cannot distinguished between red-light and green-light.
Others in your company will be articulated truck drivers who are specialists in parking in the middle of the road to cause accidents. At least, you’ll find one lady driver among the 30 offenders in court, and she’ll be shivering uncontrollably. She can’t bear the sight of the judge. A serial traffic offender will be in the group. In his back-pocket is cash to pay the fine.
In some courts, traffic offenders are so many that the judge can be tempted to give them the same fine so as not to burden the court.
NUISANCE
If you are in court for a traffic offence, it is best if you plead guilty, pay a fine and go back to continue breaking the law. Recalcitrance is a way of life on the roads, and some people regard the court fines as a mere nuisance and not something that can reform them.
Now, going back to back-scratching, the Sikaman policemen is probably one of the most miserable you can find in the world. A whole policeman with a wife and four kids has a salary that can only motivate him to take bribe.
Some policemen can’t even afford a cup of coffee before they go to direct traffic to control the early morning rush. At about 9:30 a.m. he must find direction to the nearest kokonte bar to face the wall, otherwise he’ll collapse in the middle of the road. If he doesn’t drink soup, it will not be well with him. Sometimes, people give cash to policemen not because they want to bribe them, but because they feel pity for them. I used to have a Chief Inspector friend who is now retired. He once showed me his pay slip and I had to admit that such a man can only survive by magic or through corruption.
It is the belief that every policeman who is well-paid will not take bribe. If he does, then he is doing so not because he is in need, but because he is either a greedy cop or a criminal from birth.
IMAGE
So corruption within the police service must be looked at vis-a-vis remuneration for all ranks. At least, if a sergeant gets GH¢3.5m a month, he won’t take GH¢2,000 from a driver to denigrate the image of the service.
As a result of the low level of remuneration, many funny things happen and this affects police-public relations. For example, there is the infamous “complainant turns accused” syndrome. It all has to do with the highest bidder becoming the complainant, no matter the nature of the case.
A friend had a case with some Spanish nationals who threatened to kill him when a business deal went awry. He reported to the police and they locked up the Spanish guys.
The next morning I went to the police station and I was shocked. The Spanish guys had been released and in their place was my friend, cooling off.
When people start losing confidence in the police and the law, then whenever they seek justice, they will take the law into their own hands. That is why mob justice is normally prevalent where the police are either incapable or are too corrupt to deal with crime.
So when a criminal is caught, he is either lynched or beaten senseless. Police stations are invaded or burnt down, policemen are attacked and harmed and there is a general public outcry against police methods, brutality, unfairness and even procedures of granting bail.
It is good that policemen are being transferred so that they do not become too familiar with people in their areas of operation.
Generally, however, the police have conducted themselves well, pushing criminals right to the wall and scoring good points on the roads, easing traffic. The robotic police man readily comes to mind.
He used breakdancing to direct traffic and almost turned his job into a crowd-pulling venture in the capital. Motorists even slowed down or stopped to catch a glimpse of the action.
However, in the field of detection, I think there is more. I remember when I was a kid in the north, we were all so fond of my father’s driver, but we didn’t know he was a smuggler turned fugitive.
DETECTIVE
One vacation, he drove us to our hometown and said he wanted to see a relation in Ho. That was the last time we saw him. We did not know that a young detective had been searching for him ever since he escaped arrest three years back.
My father later learnt that the man was drinking beer with a girlfriend in a bar when the detective pounced on him like a cheetah. He was too surprised and wondered how for three years, a detective could be on his trail.
I was about 11 years at the time, and although I felt sorry for the driver, I also doffed my hat to the detective-corporal. He knew his job. I hope we have more of such guys today in the service.
This article was first published
on Saturday, July 16, 2005
Today, I focus on the Apostolic Church International in Finland, as I continue with my description of institutions and personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The Apostolic Church International, Finland (or, Apostolic International Association Ry) was established in October 9, 2023. The Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments within the short time that it has been established in Finland, which must be highlighted.
History of the Church in Ghana
The Apostolic Church Ghana originated from the 1904–1905 Welsh revival, officially established in Ghana (then called Gold Coast) in 1935 following connections between a local prayer group in Asamankese (a town in southern Ghana), led by Peter Newman Anim, and the Apostolic Church, UK. There were historical splits in 1939 and 1953, but the Apostolic Church attained autonomy in 1985.
Today, the Church is headquartered in Accra. Last year (2025), it dedicated its new 10-storey headquarters, “The Apostolic Church Tower,” in Frafraha, Adenta West in Accra.
Activities of the Apostolic Church in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland conducts church service on Sundays. The service starts at 11a.m. in the morning and closes by 1 p.m. in the afternoon. There are no other activities during other days for now.
The Minister in charge of the church in Finland is also the Area Head of Italy Area. He is Pastor Daniel Kofi Addison who is the new Italy Area Head, and has just been transferred from UK South Area to Italy Area during the just-ended Council Meeting in March this year. Italy Area comprises Italy, which has 13 Assemblies, Germany, one Assembly, and Finland, one Assembly.
Elder Ebenezer Amoaning-Coffie is the Presiding Elder in charge of the Assembly in Finland. A Presiding Elder is responsible for day to day activities of the church (Assembly) and reports to the District Pastor, or in the absence of the District Pastor, reports to the Area Head.
Achievements
The Apostolic Church International, Finland was officially registered under the Finnish Law, guaranteeing freedom of worship and providing legal foundation for future growth. The church service is conducted in both English and Twi.
The church opens its doors to all people of every nation, especially Ghanaians who are in Finland and other African nationals. Now, the membership comprises Ghanaians, Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans.
The Church and the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland
The Apostolic Church in Finland plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the Apostolic Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
Elder Amoaning-Coffie said that the main and primary aim of the church is to bring people closer to God. “We aim to win souls for Christ. We aim to preach the gospel to the world. By propagating the gospel to the people, we are hopeful that they will turn away from any ungodly ways and be good individuals in the community and in society in general”, he stated.
He said that everything is going well so far. A key challenge, however, is how to get more members especially the youth. As a new Assembly, we are in need of instrumentalists, for example. We pray to God Almighty to help us do His work, the Elder disclosed.
Integration
By its activities, the Apostolic Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society. This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process in Finland.
As I mentioned some time ago, the role of migrant associations and groups such as the Apostolic Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
The landscape of the Ghanaian palate is shifting, and not necessarily for the better. In our bustling urban centres, from the streets of Accra to the suburbs of Kumasi, a quiet culinary revolution is taking place; one where the mortar and pestle are being replaced by the pizza oven and the deep fryer. This transition from traditional staple foods like fufu, banku, akple, kenkey, tuo zaafi, and ampesi toward “continental” dishes is more than just a change in appetite; it is a reflection of a deeper social struggle with identity and prestige.
The illusion of modernity
For many, “stepping out” for a meal has become synonymous with consuming foreign cuisine. There is an unspoken social hierarchy where a bowl of Abunuabunu is relegated to the village category, while burgers, pizzas are branded as prestigious choices. We have reached a stage where we equate foreign with modern and local with primitive.
This perception is a dangerous illusion. Our traditional dishes are marvels of culinary engineering complex, nutrient-dense, and deeply rooted in our history. When we choose a processed foreign import over a meal made from local tubers or fermented maize, we are not just changing our lunch; we are eroding the indigenous knowledge attached to our local ingredients and foods.
We need to turn the consumption of indigenous grains and tubers like millet, sorghum, and plantain into a statement of self-worth and national pride.
The cultural and health erosion
Every time a local dish disappears from a restaurant menu to make room for foreign fast food, we lose a piece of our cultural fabric. Traditional Ghanaian cooking is an art that requires patience and skill. By choosing the convenience of foreign fast food, we are raising a generation that may know the taste of a pepperoni pizza but cannot identify the rich, earthy profile of Prekese or the subtle tang of well-fermented dough dishes like corn porridge, banku, etew, abolo, agidi or kamfa, and kenkey.
Furthermore, we are at the crossroads of a nutrition transition. Replacing high-fiber, indigenous crops with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foreign fast foods is driving a rise in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and liver disease. We are trading our longevity for 15-minutes convenience or unhealthy diet.
A call for culinary patriotism
It is time for us to appreciate, preserve, and promote our indigenous foods and culinary traditions. We need to be proud of our local dishes, ingredients and cooking methods, rather than relying heavily on foreign or imported foods. We must stop viewing our local delicacies as low-class and start treating our culinary heritage as the high-end gastronomy it truly is.
True sophistication does not come from imitating Western fast food; it comes from innovation and adding values to our own resources. We see glimpses of this potential in the rise of branded Sobolo and the creative use of gluten-free plantain flour in modern baking of flour-based dishes such as bread, cakes, biscuits and others. This is the path forward. We must elevate our local dishes, making them as accessible, affordable, presentable and trendy as any foreign alternative.
To the hospitality industry: Innovate or stagnate
Our hotels and high-end restaurants must lead the charge. They must stop relegating local dishes to the “traditional corner” of the buffet, and apply the same culinary finesse given to imported dishes to our Fante Fante, apapransa, aborbi tadi, fetritoto, akple, abolo, yakayeke, fufu, ampesi, kokonte, wasawasa, tubani, apapransa, mpotompoto, kelewele, aliha, brukutu, pito, and other local dishes. The industry must enhance customer experiences making eating local dishes the ultimate luxury experience for both tourists and residents alike. We must elevate the presentation of our foods by using modern plating techniques to show that a bowl of light soup can be as visually stunning as a French consommé. We need to reclaim our Ghanaian plate before it is too late.
To the policy makers: Let us encourage buying of local ingredients to promote the local food industry and economy. There should be educational programmes and talks about the nutritional and cultural benefits of local foods so that people understand their value.
We need to encourage serving traditional dishes at school programmes, parties, and celebrations instead of only fast foods,
To the Youth: Let us value and appreciate our traditional dishes instead of always choosing foreign foods. There must be balance in our choice of local and foreign dishes. Confidence in our culture encourages others to respect it too. Our local dishes can also be promoted by sharing pictures, recipes, and videos on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp to make them attractive and trendy.
Young citizens must learn from their parents and elders how to prepare local meals to keep the knowledge and cultural relevance alive. Local dishes can be modernised to appeal to younger generations and tourists.
Conclusion
We cannot afford to trade our heritage for foreign cuisines which are gaining grounds across the country at an alarming rate. We must disabuse our minds of the perception that anything foreign or imported is better than those locally made. Our health, economy, and identity are tied to the soil. It is time to stop apologising for our local flavours and start celebrating them. It is possible to embrace modernity without losing ourselves and our cultural identity. Let us make the Ghanaian kitchen the heart of our modern identity once again.
By: Marilyn Gadogbe
