Loss of values in Ghana

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE LOSS OF VALUES IN GHANA

The troubles confronting customers of Menzgold come as no surprise to many Ghanaians who have over the years witnessed similar cases resulting from Ponzi schemes. Several reasons have been attributed to the turn of events, with various people linking them to greed, systemic failure and lack of due diligence among others. Whiles attempts are being made to solve the problem so that customers can have their investments refunded, be it in full or in part, there is the need for us as a nation to take time off to reflect on the causes of this recurrent phenomenon that always leaves many Ghanaians devastated and distraught.

What could be the compelling reason for people to take such risks, with some customers investing hundreds of thousands of Ghana cedis into a scheme that promised the heavens in terms of interests. To some persons, every endeavour has a risk factor and without risk nothing could be achieved. This notwithstanding, risk must be reasonable no matter how high or low it is. From another perspective, there is a frightening trend that has gradually overtaken the Ghanaian culture, reflecting in every aspect of national and personal activities, “the love for money that has overshadowed our values.”

Today, to be recognised, respected and given honor, all that one needs is to be rich by whatever means possible. Be it genuine or fraudulent. This trend gave birth to the ‘sakawa’ phenomenon which saw many young men and women going for ‘juju’ to empower them to engage in internet to fraud. The consequences are there for all to see. It is common these days to see primary school children in uniform begging for money from adults or framing stories to convince adults for money. Some of them go to the point of shedding crocodile tears to give credence to their fake stories. Gradually, our society is losing all the values bequeath to us by our fore-bearers who upheld hard work, integrity, honesty and respect for all. These values made theft, fraud and other vices unattractive, hence a lower number of such incidents in those days.

Admittedly, the advent of sophisticated technology has impacted our society in many ways, but a society that understands high values wouldn’t allow itself to be swept away by foreign influences that were extremely unacceptable in our society. It is very unfortunate that society would just embrace any “rich person” without concerns over his/her sources of income. Even in the so-called civilized societies, there are systems in place to ensure persons with dubious sources of riches are somehow investigated.

As a nation, if our valued systems are given premium over riches, our vigilance over fraud and other negative schemes are rejected, it will certainly help reduce such alleged incidents of scams. The most respected and accepted in our midst are no more the virtuous ones who are sacrificing for the nation to progress; they are rather those who have amassed riches and are flaunting them all over irrespective of how they acquired their riches. To be the friend of those in leadership, one needs to be rich; such persons don’t even need to call politicians but rather they are invited all the time to see the big men or the so-called big men go to them. In our churches, those who get front seats and mentioned, are the rich and this is at the expense of those working tirelessly to promote the work of God.

The emphasis on riches in the preaching of the Gospel give the notion that Christianity is all about being rich. “Prosperity Gospel is the order of the day. “Sow a seed and you will be rich,” they preach this all the time. All over the country, the placement of premium on money is visible. Reports abound of Companies winning awards for excellent performances at a time when the Companies are virtually not performing; leaving many wondering how the winners are selected. As for the Beauty Contests and other musical competitions, the least said, the better. The underlying factor is that, Ghana as a nation is gradually and frighteningly moving away from the values that gave it a true identity in the League of Shinning Nations. The values that distinguished Ghanaians from other nationals at all levels are disappearing from our midst as we look on unconcerned.

What is left for us now is to pick the pieces and try to salvage the next generation from getting infected with this canker of fraud, corruption and “schemes.” We need to reintroduce syllabi that will build in our children the sense of patriotism, love for one’s neighbor, self and country, hard work and honesty among others. If we fail in this assignment, we risk waking up one day to a society where armed robbery, contract killing, fraud and other vices are acceptable and become normal. We can’t leave this to chance, hence the need to equip Civic Education Institutions and our Schools to start a programme of returning the country to the core values that made us distinct and respected all over the world.

By Ruth Adjorlolo, a Journalist.