<<Print>>

Dear Henry Quartey,
This morning, I wrote a long post celebrating you. When I was almost done reading through and preparing to post it, my Facebook page automatically refreshed and I lost it.
I hardly am able to write anything when I go through this traumatic experience. And when I try, I am unable to follow the previous format. So, what I’m writing now has lost the flavour and the beauty of what my gladdened heart intended to convey to you.
But I still cannot resist the urge to celebrate you and let you know that some of us greatly admire your resilience in making Accra work again.
I felt very emotional when I passed the Abossey Okai Mosque area and cast a wide glance towards Agbogbloshie. I could not reconcile what I was seeing with what I felt wasn’t possible a few months ago. You have restored sanity to one of the craziest and dirtiest places on earth.
What you’re doing comes at a great cost to your political career, your sanity and your life. You will be fought physically and spiritually. But I want you to know that you have the support of many decent people and sane minds in our society.
You give us hope that if Ghana ever gets a president like you, we can deal with our filth, corruption, indiscipline and our basic problems without the lame excuse that “the mindset of the people is our problem.” Our main bane is leadership failure.
I will encourage you to deal with the excesses that come from the men you deploy to restore sanity. The corporal punishments and some of their behaviours are a dent on your noble objectives.
I also encourage you to work with the MMDCEs when the president eventually wakes up from his sleep and names them. I know you’re bulky, but you will wear out of you are to be everywhere and do everything alone. Assign responsibilities and enforce them.
If anyone has ever traveled to the civilized world, they will surely be ashamed of Ghana’s capital, where you cannot find a kilometre square of sanity anywhere without open drains, container shops, hawkers or unauthorised traders everywhere.
Keep it up, Mr. Quartey.
God bless you.
Your admirer,
Manasseh Azure Awuni