From My Lazy Chair

News of a death   Travels faster   no matter the distance,   But Heroes' death   travels at the speed of light.   The news was shocking!   The taste unpleasant!   There was sudden scream,   Then a crack in the sky,   Then total silence.   The wind brings home   The unpalatable news   From Nairobi, where it happened:   a bone was broken;   a rib was ripped apart;   a life was lost!   Torgbiwo....Mamawo....   I have come home   But not with a pleasant news   Not a tale from the hunters,   Who tell the tales of their adventures;   yet something similar:   broken scars and frozen smiles!   But first give me seat,   Then water   and let me break the silence   that will break your ears   and your hearts.   The feeble hearted must exit,   the children must join...

I am not a lawyer and so I would not pretend to be one. But today I’m tempted to delve into this grey area. Before I do that, let me make some observations. First of all, I have been a victim of armed robbery and burglary on more than one occasion. And I find it very difficult to come to terms with those human rights lawyers who have been seen or heard attempting to defend suspected armed robbers who are killed by police in shoot outs.   Over the years, we have heard media reports in which the police have come under severe criticisms over their handling of ‘suspected’ armed robbers. Some of those ‘suspected’ armed robbers in some cases have engaged the police in shoot outs in an attempt to clamp them down. When this happens, sometimes some police officers as well as some of the armed robbers equally lose their lives in the process. Let me recount an armed robbery incidence which happened in one of the West African countries. In the said armed robbery, a luxurious bus was in...

How I wish I never say this word... The odds and obstacles of this world Need not be guided against. To love is devilish; as it means temptation, And to talk about feelings is to be misled by acquaintances, To love is to fall to whims and caprices Of the devil himself, And to follow one’s heart means yielding to Wicked advice from friends, Though I grieve to fight this battle,   I know fate is at work. Like a snail, I will carry my destiny along. Adieu! My love, and if ever we meet again In some fresh cheek, The power of fancy, Then shall you know the wounds invisible That love’s keen arrows make. Goodbye, and until the dark clouds are removed, We will meet to relate The history of our childhood fantasies with regret.

How I wish I never say this word... The odds and obstacles of this world Need not be guided against. To love is devilish; as it means temptation, And to talk about feelings is to be misled by acquaintances, To love is to fall to whims and caprices Of the devil himself, And to follow one’s heart means yielding to Wicked advice from friends, Though I grieve to fight this battle,   I know fate is at work. Like a snail, I will carry my destiny along. Adieu! My love, and if ever we meet again In some fresh cheek, The power of fancy, Then shall you know the wounds invisible That love’s keen arrows make. Goodbye, and until the dark clouds are removed, We will meet to relate The history of our childhood fantasies with regret.

Traditionally, network of roads and streets facilitate economic activities: that is carting of goods and commuting of people and services from one place to the other. On the contrary the major roads in Accra are serving other purposes. There is a serious war on the roads of Accra. Increasingly, there have been all manner of acts of indiscipline on the major roads in Accra, much to the discomfort of every road user. One such act of indiscipline is the way and manner in which the streets have been converted into shopping malls; boutiques; including anything and everything you can think of. Traders have taken over the pedestrian walks, including the main roads to the extent that the three –lane roads have only one lane left in the middle, let alone what have become of double and single lane roads, which other road users compete for. Thus, to use the available limited space, a road user must be mathematically inclined or otherwise find himself in trouble. A pedestrian, who sometime...