URGENT! LET THE SLEEPERS WAKE! EBOLA IS JUST THERE!

“Procrastinating is a thief of time and prevention is better than cure” are famous sayings known to every tom, dick and harry in this world but the Ghanaian state. I remember my days at the university; a cracked concrete ceiling on a walkway was neglected until it killed a student. It was then that it was fixed, probably because it had gotten a sip of human blood. We cannot count the many buildings begging to be refurbished in this country.

You remember the adomi bridge, it had to be close to ruin before it gained the attention  of a governing body.  Let’s think of recent happenings, shall we? There was the recent Castro the Destroyer case. The authorities at the Jet Ski site knew they could do more to ensure the safety of people but no, they didn’t. I will not be surprised if I cannot count the number of people who have lost their lives or vanished on that resort. I guess we have to count ourselves lucky (no offence to Castro’s family) that someone who is conspicuous in this state happen to have suffered this fate, if not, would anyone think of keeping taps on the jets to monitor its visibility at sea? I was stunned when I saw them busily showcasing their advanced technology on television. All I could say was “Way to go people, it took the loss of a known fish in the sea to know that security is important”

Now there is the deadly ebola which threatens to wipe all those it comes into contact with out of the surface of the earth. We are black men alright, and even if we have low self-confidence and are always thinking some white people are out there to get us, we still have lives to live and crying wolf will not solve the problem. All we hear are wild allegations of some white people generating the ebola in the lab to wipe the black race out of the surface of the earth probably to gain more land. No one is ready to do more to ensure the safety of the people.

Thankfully, the ebola has not reached the shores of Ghana, but at this rate it will. Rumours of workers at some boarders fleeing for fear of their lives (I don’t blame them, have their lives been insured?) tell that people can come in as they please without any screening. So infected by ebola or not, the visitors will get into the country freely. Let’s not forget that this is not a sickness one can use care to dodge. Shaking hands can get you infected, and we are in Ghana where people offence if they extend their hands and you reject it.

Even if people decide to stay away from kissing, there is the sneezing part. You can never know who has ebola and will sneeze. We must also not forget there are places in Ghana that are always crowded. People share their sweats at the market places and many crowded places in their bid to hurry through their chores. These are not places one can stay away from, unless you decide to stop eating.

What I am trying to say is; when ebola affects this country, there is no way we can survive without losing many lives. I respectfully ask that we rise to challenge the procrastination and put measures in place to combat it. The airport is not the only entrance into the country. There are many boarders and paths which lead into this country. The earlier we wake up to the fearful nature of this sickness, the better for us as a nation. Ghanaians must come together with one voice to let our voices be heard. The people who are running this country, apart from Anita De … (better left, even she can run to another country) all have passports which can help them flee as some of us rush into the mouth of ebola.

Prevention using any form, no matter how cruel is better than cure. A stitch in time saves nine. Let’s remember that some doctors are losing their lives to the same thing they are protecting others from which is ebola..

Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © 2014