SAKAWA , A TRUE MIRROR OF OUR VALUE SYSTEM.

This article focuses on the fact that our societal values have been the predominant engine that drives our youth to engage in the pursuit of fast money acquisition. It offers some solutions to curb this menace.

In every society, the values of the majority of the people determine the entire behaviour of the people as well as their destiny if the adage “majority carries the vote” should hold true. Ghana as one society is no exception, if majority of our youth today should think of nothing, but the fastest way to make money irrespective of how it is acquired, neglecting the pursuit of wisdom, the search of knowledge and technological skills for building human resource capacity.

Genealogically, our society believes in and holds in high esteem, the rich irrespective of his age, profession, tribe, sex, religion without considering the means of acquisition of the riches. This is our society which thinks riches are nothing but money. We classify riches in terms of monetary value however not in terms of its other forms.

There is a generation that respects the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom as the source of all riches, and exactly what King Solomon in the Bible sought for when God asked him for what he actually wanted. Should God appear now and ask most Ghanaian youth what they want? I strongly believe about ninety nine percent will respond, “we want money”. And the answer is not right from our societal perspective that ,in our own homes, nobody respects the most knowledgeable ,humble and trustworthy person without a penny but respect and ready to take instructions from even a cheat ,trickster and an illiterate with money, irrespective of his source of income.

The church today where the youth should be taught to work hard to acquire skills and lead good moral life is where most of them are taught how to acquire money basing on miracles. some leaders of these churches highlight on financial prosperity alone while seeking for material gains without thinking much about both spiritual and professional skill development of its members yet every Sunday and any other church meeting they expect money from these unemployed. When these miracles of fast prosperity fails, these youth believe that God is dead and that what is left, is money and the respect that society will offer them. It is no doubt that these Sakawa boys's maxim is “money and respect”.

When we visit most of our churches today, the rich but unrighteous person is much more regarded than the poor but righteous person. In some cases, some priests have special and lengthy prayer for the rich and normal and short prayer for the poor. The poor man receives poor man's blessing and the rich man receives rich man's blessing. Even in our churches there is discrimination against the poor. What are we inculcating into our generation? To be rich, in order to be respected?

If our churches can now inculcate into the youth good moral values, then the church leaders must eschew materialism .Because they are the eye of the nation. Failure to do so, will deep root another religion which some of these youth are calling for, the religion whose god is money and respect.

Sakawa to me is a clear indication of educational system failure on the part of politicians, leaders, teachers, parents, and the entire society. We should not hide behind the truth as politicians, educationist, pastors, parents etc. to protect this menace in any way as even some university graduates who are unemployed for the past five or four years are also engaged in this act. So they say “the devil find work for the idle hand”. A young graduate I advised to search for a job ridiculously said,” but how much am I going to earn as a civil servant? And above all the jobs are not there and this is also a job.”

This should inform our politicians that they have a very hard carbon metallic nut to crack. And that they should desist from almost everyday, debating on NDA and NPP issues to rather concentrate on what and who will push the nation forward-the youth.

It is time we deliver our society from the chains of quick money and the stigma of being poor and be classified as good for nothing. Our societal values have put these young people in chains as they recognize that the only way to get respect from the society is to get rich by any means.

The youth therefore have learnt a lot from our values and has started doing what the society values. An interview with some sakawa boys at an internet cafe about a few months ago, revealed their main axiom is “money first and then respect” and this is not different from what our society holds.

Another source of inspiration is from our society. These young people might have drawn their motto from our societal respect for the rich and only the rich irrespective of the means of acquisition. In fact our society does not most often honour honest, hardworking but poor citizens .This is a society that does not respect the faithful and trustworthy university graduate without job and is poor. This is the society that despises even the teachers who train their manpower irrespective of their knowledge and qualification and classify them as poor to the extent that when a woman goes to market and ask for a rebate of price, our market woman ask ' why are you a teacher's wife? '.Where is our society heading towards?

During marriage, most of our young ladies are advised by our parents not to marry poor men. So they ignore good men with good qualification but without money and go in for rich people without regarding their source of money. What role is the home playing in fostering the development of sakawa? A boy who wanted to learn oracle but cannot afford told me over telephone he wanted to engage in Sakawa to get money to pursue that expensive course. I had to spend hours on phone educating this gentleman how bad his actions were and that he cannot be a fraudster and survive in that business. And at long last, he thanked me and said he had refrained from that action. Has the home and the society not failed? And is this not a disgrace to the entire nation? If some young ones have to steal in order to use the stolen money to educate themselves.

What the boys who engage in this act should know is that, whether the SAKAWA is done through hacking or any other means, ill-gotten monies fly as fast as they are come by. We should be content with what we have. Proverbs 15:17 say “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.”

Another causative factor is the frustration some students go through in our educational system as a result of either ill-structured educational reforms or ill-implemented educational policy our politicians bring almost every eight years. If there is no well designed training structure for school drop outs, from the BECE to university, and our system focuses on certificates instead of ability to perform, what work should school drop outs do? This question is not to support the job that Sakawa boys but a fraudulent act irrespective of its nature, is evil and should be kicked against. But our politicians have a very big role to play. They must ensure that our citizens obtain the best form of education, an education that will equip them with skills and morals; else they will find skill for themselves. Some children are technically talented yet academically weak. Does our current system of education especially at the basics have a place for such children? Of course, no! On paper, the JSS or JHS is good but everything has turned to academic. Where is the place for such type of students? Should a child find academic work difficult and unenthusiastic, should he worry himself?

Should our society continue with this, what will motivate these young men to search for work? Some young graduates I interviewed after their service at an internet cafe said they do not want to work after all how much they are going to earn at the end of the month. And how much is this going to cost us as a nation?-a generation that does not want even experience of what they have pursued even if they are paid a little?

It would interest you to know that, most of our sakawa boys are our university, polytechnic and SSS students and graduates who should rather hinge on their various talents and professions to assist in the development of Ghana. We should not completely shift much of the blame on the school pupils. Some adults are seriously engaged in this business. We should actually not put such blame on the school children alone some adults are also involved using the proceeds from these acts for imports and exports.

Society is sitting on time bomb to be exploded by these sakawa and quick money syndrome. How do we solve this menace that is driving our generation into chaotic and fretful society? It is not as easy as enacting a law to enforce internet providers to restrict these fraudsters or sakawa boys from operating?

What about if they do not attend to internet café at all and use their laptops at home operating very deep in the night? And what about if they use their mobile phones since mobile internet is going to gain root in the next few years? What we must know as a growing economy is that no matter how secured the internet is as most non professionals may think of, there is a way of breaking the security, unless you are not hooked to the net.

Our problem now is a moral issue. And this attest to the fact that morality has broken down in our country? We should not as a nation condemn the youth thinking that the adults are angels. I strongly believe that the action of most youth today is the reflection of the actions of most adults today. This is because the easiest way to learn is to learn from our society especially from our adults. This is not however to say categorically and emphatically that most Ghanaian adults are sakawa people but these youth have learn these from our values and utterances. Most people do not want their children to opt for jobs that will not give them little money and they prefer their children to stay at home instead.

So they the adage goes “Charity begins at home” and it is simple and short. Our parents should begin to teach their children to value wisdom and knowledge rather than money for money is a by-product of wisdom. Ghanaians as one society should begin to respect the poor, for when we look mean on them they turn to find the easiest way to gain respect in our homes. And when it happens, the mother or the father who looked mean on such a person may be used for sacrifice. Why don't we begin to respect everybody? For God has set time for everybody as to when each person will obtain money.

The youth on the other hand must learn how to endure hardship for nothing is achieved on a silver platter. What baffles me is that these youth have forgotten that the very treatment they are meting out to others will also be meted out to them. We should not forget that whatsoever evil we do against anybody in this world whether clandestinely or openly will never hide because truth about everything which is God cannot hide and the retribution of such an act will be given back to you at a time that you do not expect.

They should value their lives more that quick money. What therefore do you gain if you get riches and die within the shortest possible time? After death who even remembers you and your riches?

In conclusion, sakawa if gains root firmly in Ghana can distort global business and national development. Parents, teachers, church leaders, politicians and all stakeholders should find a lasting solution to this. But I think it is a moral issue that stems from our values.

The author is an educationist and an Oracle database administrator.

http://futurleaders.blogspot.com
email: d_asarequayson@yahoo.co.uk

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