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I am sure you might be asking yourself the reason why someone will caption an article like this.
• Is he a Prophet of doom?
• Is he a devil?
• Is he mad?
Or probably you will say ‘May God punish your mouth’ or ‘May God Forbid’

I do not blame anybody for such actions because everything in our country has now been either SPIRITUALIZED or POLITICIZED that we tend to forget REALITY and sometimes the application of simple COMMON SENSE.

As a citizen of Adentan for many years, I keenly observed all the activities of my fellow Adentan citizens and the hard work that led to the quick response of government.

Street lights have been fixed, traffic lights fixed, Police (MTTD) Officers on the road ensuring safety of citizens etc. I guess my people are fulfilled, happy and are patting their backs for a good work done. I have even read several posts where other areas like Kwabenya, LEKMA, Lapaz, Tema etc are planning to press the button for government to solve their problems.

Do you blame them? The answer is a ‘BIG NO’

For so many years, the only language successive governments (whether NPP or NDC) understand is demonstration and destruction. If there is no spill of blood, there is no response. Is even better when their own blood is spilled or the blood of their relatives pour on the ground.

In that situation, ambulances emerge from the ground, helicopters drop from heaven and solutions arrive with the speed of light. Even Usain Bolt cannot match the speed. So all the citizens have to do is to ask Peter to go on leave and replace him with Judas. If Peter is on duty, he will not press the button to put fire on the heads of our leaders but Judas will. All he needs is just a small coin to betray someone.

Footbridges Only Solve 30% of the Problem

The main question is ‘All the interventions government has put together, even if the footbridges were built today, have they solved the problem? This is where we have failed as citizens.

I drive on the road everyday keenly observing the behavior of our citizens even with all the government interventions and realized that if we do not change our behavior, there will be more deaths. The police have strategically placed themselves at the places where the uncompleted foot bridges are located; one at West African Senior High School and the other at SDA junction and in between that, they have even placed some traffic managers to help people cross the road.

They have also put some barricades in some areas to prevent citizens from crossing the road.

On daily basis, I still see people taking the risk to cross the road at unapproved routes on the same stretch. Sometimes, it is thirty seconds walk away from where the police is standing and the people feel lazy to cross from there.

What even shocked me was when I nearly knocked someone down two days ago when he crossed me. I am sure all of you would have come to the media to ask Police to look for that stupid, foolish if not demonic driver who knocked and killed someone and run away.

Probably if I knocked him and stayed, you will burn my car or even lynch me to death. That is how uncouth our society has become.

But do you know what happened?

The gentleman was standing with several others with two policemen directing traffic. The Police had signaled for the cars to move and all of us were driving and following the instruction from the Police. This gentleman actually felt the Police is delaying him as the cars had moved for several minutes without Police stopping and for that matter he could not wait. There and then, even in the presence of Police and others waiting to cross, he became Captain Planet and crossed the road whiles cars were coming. If I had knocked him down, there would have been another demonstration, insults, talks etc and we ignore the routes of the problem. He was only lucky that I was actually observing things and not really seriously driving. He would have changed my status from a good man to a murderer.

We Need More Self Reflection Demonstration

I therefore call all Adentan citizens including everyone who was present when tyres were burnt, noise was made, road was blocked including all the media men and women who were there to join this demonstration.

What are we demonstrating about?

We are condemning stupidity, foolishness, indiscipline, citizen irresponsibility etc. Every time a citizen decides to break such laws, let us demonstrate, let us arrest them, let us condemn like we condemn government. Let us make as much noise as we make when governments go wrong.

The route of deaths on the Adentan road is not fully due to absence of foot bridges, speed driving, indiscipline drivers or government’s incompetence. Those are the branches of the tree. The main cause or route is our BAD ATTITUDE AND INDISCIPLINE. If we do not change, even if hundred foot bridges are built, people will still die on that road.

Governments mount fence to prevent people from crossing roads and they tear them apart in the night and create a passage to cross the road. Have you seen the underpass at circle? They put piercing stones to prevent people from passing there. The last time I passed there, some people had put heavy clothes and dresses on the stones to prevent the stones from hurting them and sit on it.

The last time I checked, the free dustbins distributed by ZOOMLION to households to keep waste were either stolen or used to fetch water. The people will then wait for rain and throw all their waste into the gutter. When it gets choked and they get flooded, they turn around to do demonstration. Tweeaaa.

We are sick as citizens and most of the problems and pains we are feeling are self-inflicted. If we do not change our attitude, no government can change us.

So why are you surprised that the change of government has not changed your life? Let NDC come next time and bring NPP the following time. You will remain the same if you don’t change your stinking attitude.

So my Adentan friends, remember when you point your finger at someone, the rest point at you. You pointed a huge finger at governments (both NPP and NDC). Remember, if you do not change your attitude, the rest of your fingers are pointing at your DEATHS.

I have said my own. Today, I decided to be a citizen and not a spectator.