Grant Taking Ghana For Granted

It is a prestigious position to earn as the coach of the senior national football team of Ghana especially from the backdrop of our three consecutive world cup outfits and pedigree on the African continent. A job that many Ghanaian coaches are dying to to have and serve their nation of birth. It is rather sad that these days, our football handlers find no interest in giving the black stars coaching job to locals and hence, handing it to Avram Grant in late 2014.

With a short time of preparing the team, Avram Grant guided Ghana to the final of the African cup of nations last year only to lose to Ivory Coach on penalties. Grant became a darling of many Ghanaian soccer fans because of the way his hand-print was displayed on the pitch by the players of the black stars. Subsequently, Ghana placing second in the tournament meant every member of the team earned himself a brand new karaoke car.

A very months after the FIFA world cup as well as the African cup qualifiers began and again coach Avram Grant with his superstitious blue shirt, guided Ghana with exceptional results till the end of last year. However, Ghana football Association gave Grant the month of December 2015 to go on leave in his home country and return to Ghana in January 2016. Interestingly, after three months, the coach had still not return to Ghana to monitor activities here. It had to take the GFA to officially write to him to give him an ultimatum to return or risk being punished for his long absence from Ghana.

Prior to his short leave to Israel by the permission of the GFA, Avram Grant was criticizing the poor organization and delay of the Ghana league as the reason why the local players are not getting call-ups into the black stars. I believe as at that time, it was alright to understand what he meant but now that the league has started and moving into week four, we can no longer agree to that claim. Many Ghanaians believe three months stay in Europe was more than enough time to have monitored Ghana players abroad and should have returned to Ghana at least a week to the start of the Ghanaian league. It is quite a disgrace to even think that the national team coach of the Ghana is not interested in what is happening in the country that has employed him.

Avram Grant is undoubtedly one of the highest paid national team coaches in the world with a monthly salary of $50,000 a month and yet he barely stays in Ghana for a month. One can confidently say that apart from Africa and Ghana in particular, this kind of situation can never happen in any European country. For instance, I don't think the Spain national team coach can stay in another country for three months without monitoring the Spanish league and still maintain his job. Oh No! He would have lost his job long time. This is the country we find ourselves in that foreigners are far more respected than locals.
It wouldn't be much of a wonder if a local coach was in the same position of Grant and acting same way, he would have been sacked.

Ghana has a crucial AFCON qualifier against Mozambique in two weeks time and yet there has not been any monitoring of local players by the head coach of the Black Stars. In few days, Grant will announce his squad for the two legged encounter, and it is so predictable that 99% if not 100% will be Ghanaian players plying their trade abroad. The attitude of the coach towards the Ghanaian league is simply an insult to the GFA and the premier league board if they don't know already. There are so many talents there who can easily fit into the black stars but the question is; who is ready to monitor and recommend them for a call up? Of course I know journalists will do their best to identify and recommend the best talents here but if the coach turn deaf ears, it will all be in vain.

In conclusion, I'm pleading to coach Avram Grant that now that he has arrived in Ghana, he should be be very vigilant to monitor the best of talent who can legitimately fit into the black stars set up. Again Grant  should do well to stay for at least the next three months to get a feel of the local league and boost the moral of players his with his presence at games in the league.





WRITER: Edward Kyei Frimpong
                Eddybless100@yahoo.com
               

Power Of Words

One of the underestimated powerful forces of life are words. Many people across the world have never come to the point of realization that our words have exclusive influence on whatever happens of us.
In the first place, when you take it from the spiritual perspective, everything that ever exist has its origin from the mouths that emanated from God.

 The Holy scriptures make us understand that we were created in the image and likeness of God. IF that is so,  and God has the ability to create light from his words in Genesis 1:3, then it should be understandable that we humans have the capacity to do same because we hail from from. We have the DNA of God in us and so it should be natural for us to replicate his traits.

This write up is not meant to sound like a preacher addressing his congregation but then you must understand that true wisdom begins from the spiritual perspective. In addition, it must be said that words are spiritual and have the ability to make and unmake you. The point is not really about whether you agree with this or not.

 The point is, whether or not you agree, your words are the supreme architect of your present living as well as your future. You are what you are today because of what you kept confessing about yourself in the years, months, weeks, and days past. Therefore, there is the need to understand that every word you utter is like a farmer who sows a mango seed into the ground and eventually reaps a mango fruit. If that is so, then it should not be a surprise to you to find yourself in the current situation you find yourself in because probably that's what you've been confessing about your life overtime whether consciously or unconsciously.

The problem with many people their inability to comprehend the simply truth that their lives could have taken a positive turn around if they were very particular about the kind of confessions they made about their lives.
Did you know that whether or not you are going to have a good day greatly depends on the kind of stuffs you confess about yourself before setting off to work, school or anywhere?

 Oh yes! My english lecturer at the tertiary level used to always advice as with his personal life experiences after every lecture. I remeber him saying there came a time that he had a burden of not having money to pay his debt, children's school fees, rent and even "chop money."
He continued that one day, with all these burdens upon him, he woke up ealry in the morning, looked straght in the mirror, and said to himself; "if God gave me life to live today, then he will also supply all my needs and so I need not to worry." After making those confessions behind the mirror, joy suddenly filled his heart and he set off for work.

 While on his way to work, a man he has lost contact with for years met him and said he has been looking for him for so long and really excited to have met him. A conversation ensued between them moments later and eventually this man became the answer of the prayers of my lecturer because he paid off every debt and gave him a huge capital to start business.

 You see, this could and did happen because my lecturer forgot about his burden and spoke positive things over his situation and good fortune embraced him. What is it that you are facing in life that you think there's no way out? Today, be inspired to take a cue from my lecturer and start making positive confessions and those words will oneday very soon bring you to your place of happiness.

 Apart from the spiritual aspect, scientists have discovered that words have influence on our day to day situations. Astudy has revealed that when you place 10 kids under strict parents and place another 10 kids under loving parents who speak and treat the kids politely, after sometime, when you inspect the two set of kids, you will realize that those under loving parents grow healthier and better than those under strict parents.

You see! This is why it is very essential to understand that with your words, you are the pilot of your life. Make up your mind today to be very careful about your choice of words and engineer your life towards the right place with positive confessions.

This is just a short but very important nugget of advice and it is my belief that when you put to practice everything indicated above, your life will be channelled to the right direction.




WRITER: Edward Kyei Frimpong
                Eddybless200@yahoo.com

UNRAVELING WHAT GHANA IS CELEBRATING AFTER 59 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

 Today, Ghana is celebrating 59 years of independence and let's kindly join the masses to say a happy independence day to mother Ghana. During this period of celebrations, one may be moved to ask the pertinent question; what is Ghana really celebrating?
Are we celebrating 59 years of poor supply of electricity? Are we celebrating our over-dependence of foreign aid for the running of our economy? Are we celebrating 59 years of poor road networks? Are we celebrating 59 years of corruption in our public institutions? Are we celebrating 59 years of mass unemployment? Are we celebrating 59 years of poverty among majority of the citizenry?
 Are we celebrating 59 years of manipulation of justice as Anas Aremeyaw Anas can testify? Are we celebrating 59 years of studying under trees? Are we celebrating 59 years of improper use of tax payers monies? Are we celebrating 59 years of poor maintenance culture in all sectors? Are we celebrating 59 years of causing cold division among citizens in the name of politics?

The questions can go on and on without really finding a remedy for it because this is the kind of country we find ourselves in. Several years have come and gone since Ghana's first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah blessed the nation with the Akosombo Dam but once again the question remains; what is the current state of the Dam? Has there been any proper development of the Akosombo Dam to sort of curtail the power menace we have been experiencing in the last four years? One would quickly jump into conclusion that as at the construction of the Dam, the population of Ghana was proportional to the supply the Dam could provide and hence, the increase in population is the cause of insufficient power supply. Sometimes you look at folks who make such appalling statements and you can't but to weep for mother Ghana.

How can you attribute the poor supply of energy to our population while you know very well that there will definitely be a need for it and so you should plan for it ahead of time! It is just fascinating to think that several change of governance since the era of Nkrumah didn't arouse a visionary idea to make this power crisis something of the past.

At this point, someone may be musing "what am I talking about? Isn't our power crisis over?" Oh No! A capital No! Our power crisis is never over because you cannot be paying outrageous hard-earned tax payers monies to a foreign company to install their equipment here to provide electricity for you. Ghana as a nation has gone a long way to be experiencing this shameful situation. It is even more sad that political parties will be using the energy crisis which has been nicknamed 'dumsor" as their grand campaign message this election year.
There is no need mentioning other sources of power which have been neglected by our leaders for reasons best known to them. The point is; depending on foreign companies to solve your energy crisis will not the problem entirely in the long run because these companies seek to make profit in any adventure they partake in. In addition, their profit making means our losses because we will be channeling our resources to ensuring they stabilize our energy crisis.

Every year during the 6th day of March, we gather at various jubilee parks to ignorantly celebrate our flaws, failures and mediocrity. One may wonder how long will Ghanaians be celebrating this feet cloaked by Nkrumah on 6th March 1957 without critically thinking about what they could do to unearth a positively lasting change in the country. The big six led by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah risked their lives to make mother Ghana a better place to live in but these days, we are not seeing those traits in our leaders in the 21st century.

One doesn't need to climb mountain Afadjato to broadcast to all Ghanaians that what majority of leaders seek for is first of all their wealth and comfortability, their families and friends before they think about the ordinary Ghanaian who voted them into power on election day.
Without a shadow of doubt, one of the causes of unemployment in Ghana now and even over the years is the "who you know syndrome." Oh Yes! A country full of leaders who don't give employment to people based on their qualification or experience but on whether or not they know them or related by blood. It is one of the things that is making many join some intellectuals who call themselves "Association Of Unemployed Graduates." My goodness! It is only a nation who lack vision who will entertain such association in their domicile.

How can one pay outrageously expensive school fees in the university and graduate after four years only to walk about in the streets without anything to do with his or her qualifications. The point is not about Ghana being a poor a country because we are really not that poor if we were able to give thirty members of a single nation team $100,000 as appearance fees in the 2014 world cup.
The point is, who is ready to put our monies into the right perspective which will cause the mass citizenry to have a fair and equal share of the national cake? After 59 years of supposed independence, we have only seen a few personalities who have the liberality and independence of the nation at heart like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the likes. With unity and oneness of heart, Ghana can really get to that level of total dependence because truth be said, we are really not an independent nation.

How can you say you are independent when after 59 years you still import table, chalk, pen, chair, rice, toothpaste, wood, cement and the list is endless. Ghana is blessed with natural resources like cocoa, timber, gold, oil and the likes, yet we cannot take advantage of them to grow our economy.
The youth of today must really sit up to plan for tomorrow because what you do today frames your picture of tomorrow. The future belongs to those who plan for it; so forgo the promises of politicians that never materializes to anything fruitful and think of contributing your quota to make Ghana a better place.

All sectors of the economy must use these 59th independence celebrations to reflect on how best they can perform to bring about the development we are all dreaming of in this beautiful nation.
We are in an election year and Ghana has track record of organizing peaceful and successful elections and so all stakeholders and citizens are kindly admonished to avoid the bitter taste of violence and rather smell the sweet fragrance of peace.

This is just the first part of unraveling what Ghana is really celebrating. Until the second part comes your way, keep living in an atmosphere
of peace, love and tranquility.
God bless our homeland Ghana! Happy 59th Independence Anniversary Ghana

Writer: Edward Kyei Frimpong
           Eddybless100@yahoo.com