12 SIMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA COMMANDMENTS  

_{BY ISRAELMORE AYIVOR- INSPIRATIONAL WRITER AND SPEAKER}

#1

AVOID ATTACKING PEOPLE

OFFENSIVELY. MOST PEOPLE

YOU ATTACK DO NOT EVEN

COME AROUND TO READ YOUR POST.

#2

AVOID USING FAKE NAMES

 IF YOU WANT TO GO BEYOUND

JUST MAKING FUN. USE REAL

 OR BRAND NAMES

#3

CONNECT WITH ONLY MINDED

PEOPLE. MANY PEOPLE ARE

OUT THERE JUST  TO WASTE

THEIR DATA AND YOUR TIME.

#4

STOP TAGGING PEOPLE

 UNECESSARILY IN POST

(PHOTOS) THAT DO NOT

CONCERN THEM IN ANY WAY.

#5

HIDE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

 AND FAMILY’SECRETS’ FROM

THE PUBLIC. WE DON’T NEED

 TO HEAR OR READ THEM.

#6

READ THROUGH AND CORRECT

 MISTAKES IN YOUR POSTS

BEFORE YOU SHARE THEM.

READ AGAIN AFTER SHARING

#7

UNTAG YOURSELF FROM POSTS

 YOU’VE INAPPROPRAITELY

 BEEN TAGGED IN. YOU

NEED NOT RENDER AN

APOLOGY TO DO IT.

#8

BOOST YOUR VISIBILITY WITH

CURRENT NEWS AND EVENTS.

DON’T IMPATIENTLY SHARE

FAKE NEWS AND RUMOURS. VERIFY

#9

AVOID SHARING INDECENT PHOTOS

 OF YOU OR ANOTHER PERSON.

DON’T SPREAD LEAKED NUDE

PHOTOS (VIDEOS) OF PEOPLE.

#10

TELL THE TRUTH IN YOUR BIOGRAPHY.

 FAKE IDENTITIES OFTEN MAKE PEOPLE

TO MISS MANY FINE OPPORTUNITIES.

#11

YOU DON’T DESERVE LIKES

 AND COMMENTS IF YOU ALSO

DON’T LIKE AND COMMENT ON OTHER

PEOPLE’S POSTS. IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT YOU.

#12

YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT

 IS LIKE YOUR HOUSE.

 DON’T LET IN PEOPLE WHO WILL

 ONLY COME CAUSE DAMAGES

Street Begging

Tackle issue of street begging
 The number of beggars on the streets of Accra keeps increasing daily.
Many people are involved in this activity for various reasons, but the most heart-breaking part involves mothers  and their children sitting at street corners in sweltering conditions hoping passers-by will have pity on them and drop some money in their cups.
Another disturbing part of  the practice is the number of able-bodied beggars in the streets. Among this group are the professional beggars who believe that they will earn more money from begging than they would have done in a regular job. They have made begging an art with well-made stories, some written on placards, which make it difficult  for God-fearing people to resist making a donation.
 Some of these able-bodied persons can be seen leading the visually impaired,  pushing the physically challenged  in wheelchairs or even using children to beg. There are few in this group also who are forced  to beg for survival, mainly because there are no jobs.
Since  the  majority of people involved in begging are people with disability and women with children, there is the need  for the country to adopt a social welfare system to improve the lot of  these people and keep them off the streets.

Ghana's flag

Let’s raise the flag of Ghana high
The general election is almost here and politicians are all over the place with their messages to convince the electorate that they are better than their opponent  and should be given the mandate to rule the country.
Sometimes, these messages are elevating and devoid of insults.Other times it seems the only way to convince the electorate to vote in ones favour is to use offensive language.
Many well meaning Ghanaians  have used many platforms to openly condemn this kind of campaigning which tend to create unnecessary tension in the country.
As a result of the peaceful manner in which elections have been conducted in Ghana, it has become a beacon of light for other African countries.The conduct of contestants in this election will ,therefore,determine the future of the country either positively or negatively.
In order to hold the flag of Ghana high, peace messages have been circulated through the media to educate people to be civil in their campaign so as to maintain the enviable peace that the country currently enjoys.
 Politics should be devoid of profanity and insults. Showing your love and appreciation for a political party should not mean attacking the personality of your opponent. What is important is the competence of contestants to able to deliver when given the mandate to rule
Democracy indeed does not prevent one from speaking his/her mind but we need to understand that it also does not give us the right to slander those who do not share our political views. Let’s raise the flag of Ghana high by ensuring peace in the days ahead.
Gloria Nyarko, Accra.

Give praise where due

Give praise  where  due
At long last, road users can heave a sigh of relief following the completion and inauguration of the  Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange by his Excellency John Dramani Mahama. This interchange is said to be one of the biggest and nicest in West Africa.
In my opinion, the government has invested massively in infrastructure development which will hopefully improve the economy. I must say the interchange will help reduce the terrific traffic jam which used to build up on roads linking up that stretch of the city. This will in turn help boost productivity and increase the living standards of people.
Other facilities such as a police station, mini clinic for emergency cases, fire service post and an ultra-modern lorry pack which have been added as part of the architectural design will make life much easier for people who ply their activities there on a daily basis.
It ,therefore, comes as no surprise that some people have nicknamed the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange as a ‘mini Dubai’ as a result of the  beautiful  transformation that the project  has brought. In fact, Nkrumah Circle is indeed a  charming place to be at night!
 As  patriotic citizens, we need to balance the scale and criticise where it is due, while also offer praise where it is deserved.
Kudos !Mr President for your overwhelming infrastructural works to ease the burden of Ghanaians!
However, the Pokuase-ACP road should be given a critical look for immediate action. The excessive traffic jam and the terrible nature of these roads cause accident on the road.
Thieves and robbers have taken advantage of the deplorable nature of the roads in the area to attack and rob motorists and pedestrians at night.
I am ,therefore, appealing to the government to have a critical look at this situation and come to the aid of commuters and residence of these areas.


By Gloria Nyarko, Accra

refurbish lower courts

 Refurbish lower courts
 Courts play a very important role in the delivery of justice in any democratic dispensation. In line with this, it serves as a last resort for people to receive justice or seek redress when their rights are infringed upon. A court building and its environs   should thus be decent and comfortable for the judges, lawyers, prosecutors and clerks who work there, as well as the public whenever they go there to seek justice.
However, the state of some of our lower courts are in really bad taste.
For instance, the Adjabeng and Kaneshie magistrate courts in Accra are in a deplorable state. These courts have not been refurbished for some time now. Walls are dirty, windows and doors are broken and lighting systems are poor. Chairs are outmoded, cupboards do not have locks, etc.
The courts do not also have places of convenience.
A court is a court, be it a minor or major one.  Major courts such as the Supreme Court, the Appeal Court, etc. have been given much attention as far as its infrastructure is concerned.  Government should refurbish these lower courts to create the needed atmosphere for all involved in the administration of justice in the country.
Gloria Nyarko, Accra

Political manifestos

Are Ghanaians really interested in political manifestoes?
During each election year, political parties are supposed to make their manifestoes available to the public for scrutiny.  That is to enable the electorate or the voting public to scrutinise the manifestoes which gives them a perspective on what   the candidates have to offer by way of achievable policies.
 It is through these manifestoes that people get to know the vision and mission of the political party to enable them to make informed decisions on how to vote. 
During political campaigns, contestants also use manifestoes to disseminate information on what they have to offer the nation and their electoral areas. The public also uses that same platform to assess the capabilities of those offering themselves for positions and decide on whom to vote for.
It’s barely three months to the December 7 polls and still manifestoes of the various political parties are not yet out.  Although the absence of manifestoes by the major political parties is making headlines the question is ‘Are Ghanaians really interested in political manifestoes’.
It is clear that most Ghanaians already have their preferred candidate in mind to vote for during December 7. The very few people who are demanding for these manifestoes are the few elite who are ready to criticise the various political parties over their vane or failed promises depending on which side they are also aligned with. 
Come to think of it, how many of the people in the rural areas (or even the average Ghanaian out there) are interested in  political manifestoes. All they need is to be given money or items as gifts to persuade them to vote for a particular political party. More so, some groups and individuals are so attached to some political parties to the extent that manifestoes or no  manifestoes they will vote for the political party they belong to.
 For instance, rarely would you go to the Volta Region and find most of the people cheering the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Similarily, in the Ashanti Region, support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is very limited and from all indications this is not about to change.
This has been the case for a number of years and in my view staunch supporters of political parties do not care whether their parties are providing development to their neighbourhood. Their support is based on their emotions or entrenched ideologies and therefore, will not be swayed by what the other party has to offer.
They already have their political parties and whom to vote for in mind. The presentation of party manifestoes is not likely to turn the fortunes of a party around. Maybe as the country’s democratic credentials improve, the electorate will also learn to shift their support based on what a candidate have to offer and not because of their affiliation to a particular party.

A stab in my heart

It was a wet Saturday morning, the previous night I did not even say a prayer before bed but He who searches and knows the heart of every man knew just what my need was. I had to walk miles to get water so I can wash in the morning, clean the house, cook for the family and serve my young ones: Yes I am the senior and God knew why I came first so I was always cheerful to serve. For me it was a normal routine though my chest and back ached occasionally but I knew it was my duty as a child, out of love I tell mummy “don’t worry I will do it, you should rest”.
However this Saturday I need not fetch water, God opened the heavens, cheerfully I fetched the rain water to feel containers in our room and then the unfortunate happened. I slipped but before I landed I was sure to protect the bucket I was using and hurt my ankle in the process, the pain was unbearable but what hurts most was the pain of being unable to save the bucket. I limped and slowly reported myself, first the attention was drawn to my wounded ankle but quickly without any sign of concern, I was showered with all manner of insults for breaking the bucket. Then I was reminded the burden I was, how they are struggling to provide for me, my school fees and all manner of soul poisoning insults. My disappointment at the moment was the fact that the injury on my ankle received no attention but I was even shocked nobody ever asked let alone looked at the wound till it healed, but I understood. The long and short of it all; I was a burden.
One question kept ringing in my mind growing up that is “where did I go wrong”, why am I treated like a nuisance, why am I called useless. In school my colleagues are always eager to go home, for me every single closing bell was a nightmare, I could not just imagine going back home; back to the slaps, insults and manner of assaults.
I became vey timid and was even called a fool, I always saw colleagues better off than I was, I could go the extra mile to love my neighbor more than myself. There was no such thing like why did you do this or that, I was always a sheep led to the slaughter without questioning. My grandmother always said the elderly is always right and I will be referred to Proverbs 13:24 and Ephesians 6:1-2 but I always took the pain to read even further then I discovered how just God in r the same chapter says in verse 4, Parents do not provoke your children to anger but rather bring them up in the fear of the Lord, so why do my parents always do selective reading of the bible I wondered.
If only our Parents will take the pain to read their own verse in Ephesians 6, they will understand that to bring up children in the nurture and admonishing of the lord comes with unconditional love and constructive discipline. The good book says in proverb 22:6, train up a child the way they should go that when they grow they will not depart from it.
My parents always complained how those days of their lives as children were awful, they never liked it but little did they know they have become just the replica of the parents they hated. A little bit of psychology has thought me that children learn mostly by modeling their parents consciously or unconsciously and whatever a person becomes in future can be traced back to his or her upbringing. Psychologist say scarcely do people grow up not having traces of how they were brought up,  even that, there is still the sub-conscious man that depicts attributes of childhood upbringing once a while.
Children under no circumstance should be made to feel like a burden else they are tempted to question God about their very existence. A home without unconditional love and proper upbringing is a breeding ground for destruction. A lot of individuals today are suffering from all manner of traumas.  What is even suicidal is the fact that most of these people vent their anger and frustration on innocent children I am sure if their view concerning their birth was asked the answer will be “NO”. A  lot of children today are on the road to destruction always seeking counsel from the wrong people because the homes they come from is not conducive for a proper parent-child relationship. All manner of social vices are on the increase because we have little to no homes. Alcoholism and suicide is on the rise, others have resorted to early marriage as the escape route: so they run in and run out. There is no such thing like time with family; children are dying slowly inside out of frustration.                                 

According to Katherine Kipp and David R. Shaffer in the book Development psychology, almost all behaviors can be traced to an individual’s upbringing, except for some that the individual picks from the society as a result of socializing. The possibility that a child will learn from peers and confide in them other than parents is very high when there is no home. According to Katherine and David the most appropriate way to bring up a child is the authoritative style having examined the authoritarian, permissive and neglectful and realized there have loop holes. The authoritative style is both high on demand and warmth. Parent discipline and correct children when they are wrong, involve them in making decisions that concern their well being, encourage them as well as reward them when they do what is right. Let us not forget children are blessings not burdens and for that matter upbringing should be seen more of a privilege by God to nurture his creation. Almost anyone is in the position to reproduce but few poses the gift to nurture.
Almost all, if not all of the social vices today can be traced to upbringing, there is no such thing as “each other’s keeper” something definitely is wrong somewhere. When a tree starts to wither suddenly, there is a need to check its roots. Let us check our roots, I pray we soon have a generation of parent who will see upbringing as a call and do things right, until then the stab in my heart remains fresh.

Nursing training fees too high

Nursing training fees too high
presently  the   enthusiasm  with which  students   enter   nursing training colleges is no longer there.   This can be attributed  to the high fees charges, most parents and guardians  are finding it  difficult to enrol their wards into these colleges.
This year, my  sister had the opportunity to study in one of the nursing training colleges and the tuition fees she was asked to pay is  beyond the family’s  purse. . Even though the school had no accommodation for the students, the officials did not use that opportunity to reduce the fees for the students.
The most exasperating part is that, after this huge sum of fees was paid, they were asked to purchase text books which were almost of the same rate of the tuition fees. Parents and guardians are staggering in pain because the burden is too much for them to bear.  Also, student who are not privileged to afford are unable to study due to the stresses they encounter from college officials.
I would like to plead with the government, the ministry of health and the various principals of various nursing training colleges to take a second look at this issue in order to help put things right for the betterment of our future health personnels.

Gloria Nyarko, Accra.

Bad roads

  Take care of these roads
Thousands of people are hurt and killed each year on Ghana’s roads and highways due to their poor nature.
  A case in point is the poor road network within the industrial area of Accra.
 Most of the road links within  the industrial area enclave are in deplorable conditions, making it difficult and frustrating for motorists who use them frequently.
My question is: Will it be wrong for these big industries in the area to come together and develop the roads leading to their various industries instead of always waiting on the government  to do so?  If  these industries should come together and construct the roads as their social responsibility, it would surely give their businesses a boost because they would easily be accessible to their customers. It might be capital-intensive but if they put their heart to it, it can be done. If we continue to wait on the government to fix those roads, it might take ages.

Gloria Nyarko , Accra

hip-Hop or Hip -porn

Gloria Nyarko
Hip-hop or hip-porn ?
 History has it that African  Americans, especially those in the province of New York City and South Bronx, created  hip-hop  in the 1970s   to voice out  their frustrations  as minorities and how they intended  to break through. Hip-Hop typically is characterised by rap rhythms mostly difficult to dance with.
When it comes   to music, lyrics are  of essence to me, so with hip-hop, I listen to the likes of Kendrick and J. Cole. In Ghana, Reggie Rockstone is a name that always rings a bell. My one-time favourite has been R2BEES’ “Trap nakye bayla”.
  Now, there is a  tremendous change in hip-hop, most especially music videos. It is difficult to tell hip-hop from pornography, since almost all videos that come with hip-hop songs  have girls virtually nude.  One question that lingers on my mind is whether today’s hip-hop is incomplete without nudity?   Listeners  find themselves in a  dilemma of classifying such songs as hip-hop or pornography. There is  a cliché that if you want something to sell, put a woman by it; and although I agree that women are good marketers, I totally disagree with nudity.
Any good hip-hop video should be able to sell without nude girls doing all manner of things; otherwise it ceases to be hip-hop but pornography. For a typical hip-pop music lover, nudity does not play a role in their choice. “If I want to watch porn, I know where and how to get it, I love my hip-hop undiluted”, a friend told me. Since this encounter with my friend, I always wondered if he will in any case become extremely selective as I am when it comes to this genre of music. If yes, how many of us out there hold this notion and what does it mean for the hip-hop industry and the artists who flood their videos with pornography?
Certainly, I am aware  of the argument that these artists may have the intention of satisfying a targeted audience; not a problem. My worry, however, is the youth, especially those who are not yet at the age to discern  good from  bad. For these children,  the media  has become their  major  learning tool.  It is ,therefore, disheartening to watch them consume such pornography under the guise of hip-hop.
 The words used by  some rappers   will  be  a topic  for  discussion  for another day because as it stands now, certain swear words  have become normal to them.
The issue of pornography in hip-hop and all other genres of music is a big deal and industry players should wake up to this call and clean things up. Let us visit the roots of hip-hop and draw the lines where appropriate. Hip-hop should be purely hip-hop and pornography should also be treated as such. Let us not merge the two as it does not only create a conflict of interest  but a total loss of interest.

court story

Man, 23, attempts stealing motorbike
 By Gloria Nyarko
A 26-year-old carpenter, Ajahi Akana, who attempted to steal a motorbike at the Accra  Ridge Hospital has  appeared  before an Accra Magistrate Court
Ajahi pleaded guilty  to the charge of attempted stealing and was granted bail in the sum of Ghc 2,600 and a surety.
 Presenting the facts of the case, Inspector John Gohoho told the court, presided over by Mr James Kojo Botah,
that on September 18, 2016, at about 1p.m. Awal Salifu, a driver, visited his father who was on admission at the Ridge Hospital.
On Salifu’s  arrival at the hospital, he parked his motorbike, worth Ghc 2,600, at the parking lot  and went to  the male ward. 
 Inspector Gohoho said Akana  took advantage of Salifu’s absence and tried moving the motorbike away.  But luck eluded Akana when security personnel  of the hospital apprehended him and handed him over to the police.
The prosecutor said Ajani  admitted the offence in his  caution statement,  and said he had wanted  to use it for ‘okada’  business  in order to  earn some money for himself.
 He said  he was trying  to join  the ignition  wires  to  move  it  when the security men  apprehended him.
He, therefore, pleaded with the court to release him  as he had learned  his lessons and promised not to indulge in such an act again.

hostel facilities

Are hostels open to all persons?

MANY people may have different meanings and definitions for a hostel. According to Casey Slide, a hostel is a low budget accommodation shared among travellers. When a guest books a stay in a hostel, he or she typically books a bed for the night, not a room. The guest’s bed may be in a room with four other travellers or in a room with up to 20 others. Bathrooms are dorm styles; large with several shower stalls and a row of sinks. Hostels usually have only one or two washrooms on each floor. Hostels tend to lend to more interaction, cost much less than a hotel, but do not provide the privacy or personal service found at the hotel.
This definition by Casey Slide tends to be different from the Ghanaian perspective of a hostel. In Ghana, hostels are built  mostly to accommodate students from far and wide. Due to the inability of some colleges to provide enough hostels to accommodate their student, some private investors have taken it upon themselves to build private hostels to support students who do not get accommodations on their various campuses.
My question is, are these private hostels truly supporting students (especially the female hostels)? I stayed in a private hostel throughout my days in college. I observed that there were some ladies in the hostel who were neither students nor travellers. These young ladies were not workers as well. But rather, they stay in the hostel during the day, go out only at night and come back the next morning or at dawn. Nobody knows what exactly they do. These people have occupied the hostel to the extent that students are encountering difficulties in getting accommodation for themselves.
Also the behaviour of these young ladies affects students resident in the hostels, especially, if a student unfortunately finds herself  sharing  the same room with one. They do not care whether their room mates are studying or not; they disturb  excessively; singing or making phone calls which  are  quite disturbing to others .   If  you appeal to them to  tone down, their  response is ‘this is a hostel not a private home” so they would do what pleases them.
 One can safely call this category of hostel dwellers as prostitutes who find it cheaper to live in hostels from where they can ply their night duties.
 Given this development, I suggest that all hostel managers or hostel owners  critically check the background of those  they accept into their various facilities. Accepting the few bad nuts into the hostels can also destroy the reputation of the hostels and tarnish the image of innocent residents and others who genuinely need accommodation to study or earn a decent living.
GLORIA NYARKO