Tro-tro line pickings
There is no better place to talk frankly with people, ordinary people, than in a queue waiting for buses or lorries (tro-tro) to travel. The conversation is humourous, informative and exciting. Of course some are mere hearsay, some are facts and some are a clever blend of the two. Still, I cannot wait to let you share some of these 'pickings'. Please read on:The story is that one member of the government was picked for PNDC membership for the fact that he had spiritual and psychic powers. The big burly man is said to be virtually a walking bullet-proof visionary, with a body described as spiritually armour-plated. His savannah folk revere him as being so powerful that he can foresee the plans of any enemy and can fortell the future with ease. Consequently, he was given a portfolio in the Defense and security establishment. Sadly though he was still at post when Corporal Gyiwa and his gang struck. Now he is walking through the corridors of power without a portfolio..
A Cabinet Secretary has adopted a state owned farm as his "personal project" ... Mr Ato Austin, the Secretary for Labour and Social Welfare has personally committed himself to oversee the day-to-day administration and operations of the FPC Oil Palm plantation at Konko near Koforidua in the Eastern Region. They say, the Secretary, apart from the fact that he has a strenuous passion for palm nut soup and fresh snails, was ostensibly acting in line with government directives that Secretaries of State should 'adopt' communal projects in rural areas to make them economically viable. This supposedly abandoned farm should have been the cup of tea of the Ministry of Agriculture, but for some one in charge of social Welfare, well . . . hmmmmm!
Do you know that these days, the popular adult food is garri soaked in water with sugar? . . . and mixed with baby food Bebelac, Cerelac, Cow & Gate, Ostermilk and SMA ... and Korle Bu is recording high incidence of child malnutrition... Hei, can you phone the UNICEF chaps...? Oh, they are planning to come here with green plastic spoons to dish out salt and sugar to kids who have infant diarrhoea... Ah well, let them come to Sankubenasi... there the one and two year olds eat tiny tiny cocoyams boiled in their peels with hot pepper for breakfast.
REVOLUTIONARY PROCESS
They say that a roaring trade in human cargo is taking place between Ghana and Burkina Faso (I'd love to hear how the French will pronounce this). The business is a thriving one by which Ghanaian girls between the ages of 14 and 19 are issued with Ghanaian identity cards and sold to brothels in Ouagadougou for CFA60,000. A senior staff of the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou has been reported to be the leader of the syndicate. . . do you think that can cement the revolutionary process between the two countries . . .?Listen... listen... Soldiers at PNDC headquarters at Gondar barracks have been issuing stern ultimatums to Ghaip Oil Refinery to continuously move fuel to the Mankoadze Group of Companies or face revolutionary action they say... they say a high ranking official of the PNDC used to be a senior manager of that company....
Now . . . now a brand new association has been formed in Ghana known by the tongue-twisting acronym of POSICA - Parents of Students in Cuba Association under the auspices of the Ghana-Cuba Friendship Association. In a letter addressed to the Youth of Ghana published by POSICA, a Mr D.A. Nyanteh who is studying in Cuba wrote: "Jesus Christ is a revolutionary since he advocated change in society, he checked corruption and fought injustices . . . why can't Ghanaians be revolutionary like Jesus Christ?"
