Features
The thief-catching committees…
There are different breeds including those labelled as ‘cautious thieves’. They are not the bold type and, therefore, steal when no one is looking. However, such thieves are not lucky because they do not have the qualities of the spider. When you think no one is looking, someone might be looking from an angle acute to your left ear.
Some thieves realise the fact that they do not have eight eyes and, therefore, adopt the bold strategy approach. Such a type would walk straight into your house and tell your wife that you’ve sent him to come and service the television and video-deck.
The deck and telly are all in excellent condition and your wife will express a bit of doubt about why you’ve sent a repairer but…
“You mean Mr Osei sent you?”
“Yes. He says the integrated circuit needs to be changed to improve picture quality. A taxi is waiting outside.”
The wife is bound to believe this because the man is bedecked in the working gear of a TV repairman and holds a tester in hand.
Moreover, he walks like a radio-mechanic, smiles like an electronic engineer and has a transistor-like nose. And he is talking knowledgeably about something called integrated circuit which is a scientific term not akin to the vocabulary of housewives.
“When will you bring it back?”
“Before six o’clock. Lest I forget, he says I should take GH¢6,000 from you for transportation and incidental expenses.
So the guy is smart enough to take away all your electronic equipment in addition to GH¢6,000 for beer and khebab.”
Another brand of thieves comprise those who use force. They arm themselves with rifles, semi-automatic weapons, machets, kitchen knives and grenades. They are called armed robbers or jaguda (Nigeria parlance), and they normally operate gangs.
In some cases, there are certain requirements one must meet before he can be a member of a gang. For example you’re below a certain height you’ll not be eligible for admission because when it comes to making an escape you may be found wanting.
You must have the kind of muscles that can help in street-fighting and your face must be distinguished on the negative side, meaning that you must be looking hard and satanic-looking.
After you’ve been robbed, armed robbers can also kill you if they see a possibility of you identifying them later. Dead men don’t talk too much!
The day I really got angry with thieves was in 1985 when one of them professionally stole my Mum’s corn-dough. The old lady had soaked corn and had it grinded out of which she prepared dough in a large rubber container. That night the door to the kitchen was not locked and in the morning we discovered that our dream of having banku that day would not materialise.
Well, I guess the wife of the thief was overjoyed because for two weeks corn-dough would not be a problem to her. She’d only have to “claim’ some okro and tuna and if the husband had been able to steal some crabs, then it must have been a festival.
Stealing has become a profession, albeit an infamous one. It is counter-productive to the progress of society and that is why thieves are enemies of mankind. You can be a millionaire but a thief can make you a penninaire in five seconds. For this reason, the idea of watch-dog committees became laudable sometime back and even now. It was even fashionable for communities to inaugurate their watch dog committees and swear to crush the balls of petty thieves and armed robbers.
But the question is whether some of these thief-catching committees are just existing in name or are really functioning?
I was just asking my younger brother, Edward Alomele, alias Alor, who is an Organising Secretary of a Watch- Dog Committee, what exactly they are doing to combat theft in the community. We are doing a lot,” he said
“But I’ve never seen you in action? I’ve never seen you attending meetings and organising strategies.
You’ve never attended patrols.”
Well, it is normal for everybody to defend the group he or she belongs to, and so I was not surprise that Original Alor, sorry Duplicate Alor, was trying to defend organisation.
“We are always alert and we normally do not advertise ourselves. All our members are always on the lookout for suspicious characters and you’ll be surprise that any thief who ventures would be caught,” he said
I wasn’t quite convinced, though. However, Alor is confident that the committee is alive and kicking. Perhaps, some logistics would make them a bit more revolutionary, and more aggressive (General Quainoo, please accept my apologies for now).
That also brings to mind the police, Ghanaian policemen, in spite of their numerous short-comings have been commended of late. They are breaking up criminal syndicates, but I guess that they would be more effective in dealing with robberies when they work hand-in-hand with watchdog committees.
I’ll recommend that all watchdog committees be re-inaugurated and revitalised and taught how to work better with the police. They must also be given incentives without which commitment to work will run down to zero. The committee members must also receive some sort of training to make them more disciplined and purposeful.
I guess it wasn’t only my mother’s corn-dough that has ended up in a thief-man’s cooking pot. Others too have suffered the loss of more valuable items like TV sets, car tyres, windscreen, cash, sound system and chamber-pots.
My former classmate, Kwame Korkorti, does not like thieves at all. He started hating them since 1961 when some palm-nut soup laden with goat meat his mother had prepared disappeared rather mysteriously from the coalpot. A thief quietly relieved the coalpot of its burden and made Korkorti’s stomach tumble and groan.
The article was first published of Saturday, October 16, 1993
Features
The power of change: Understanding the process and catalysts
CHANGE is an inevitable and essential aspect of life, shaping individuals, organizations, and societies. It can be transformative, leading to growth, innovation, and progress. But how is change created?
This comprehensive article explores the process and catalysts of change.
The Change Process
The change process involves several stages:
1. Awareness: Recognising the need for change.
2. Assessment: Evaluating the current state.
3. Visioning: Envisioning the desired future state.
4. Planning: Developing strategies and action plans.
5. Implementation: Executing the plan.
6. Evaluation: Monitoring progress and making adjustments.
Catalysts of Change
Several factors can catalyse change:
1. Internal Motivation: Personal or organisational desire for improvement.
2. External Pressures: Market trends, technological advancements, or regulatory requirements.
3. Leadership: Visionary leaders driving change.
4. Crisis: Forced change due to unexpected events.
5. Innovation: New ideas and technologies.
Types of Change
Change can be:
1. Incremental: Gradual, small-scale changes.
2. Transformational: Radical, large-scale changes.
3. Strategic: Planned, deliberate changes.
4. Emergent: Spontaneous, unplanned changes.
Change Management
Effective change management involves:
1. Communication: Clear messaging and stakeholder engagement.
2. Training: Developing skills and knowledge.
3. Support: Providing resources and guidance.
4. Monitoring: Tracking progress and addressing challenges.
Resistance to Change
Resistance can arise due to:
1. Fear: Uncertainty and anxiety.
2. Habit: Comfort with the status quo.
3. Lack of Understanding: Insufficient information.
4. Power Dynamics: Threats to authority or control.
Overcoming Resistance
Strategies to overcome resistance include:
1. Education: Providing information and context.
2. Involvement: Engaging stakeholders in the change process.
3. Support: Addressing concerns and fears.
4. Leadership: Demonstrating commitment and vision.
Sustaining Change
To sustain change:
1. Embed Change: Integrate new practices and behaviors.
2. Monitor Progress: Continuously evaluate and adjust.
3. Celebrate Successes: Recognize achievements.
4. Maintain Momentum: Keep the change process moving.
Conclusion
Change is a complex and multifaceted process. Understanding the change process, catalysts, and management strategies can help individuals and organizations navigate and create meaningful change.
Recommendations
1. Develop a Change Mindset: Embrace change as an opportunity.
2. Build Change Capacity: Develop skills and resources.
3. Foster a Culture of Change: Encourage innovation and experimentation.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Features
This question of love
The question of love is something that will be talked about until kingdom come.
A discussion I observed on the internet about a 19 year old who had accepted the proposal of a 67 year old man reminded me of the preaching of Pastor Mensa Otabil.
He talked about the a scenario where a 60 year old man enters into a relationship with a 22 year old lady and the lady tells him I love you, when he has a protruded belly, with all the accompanying creases and he believes what she says.
He further went on to say that a whole grown up man, allows a young lady to call him “babe” and he does not feel offended.
He further went on to preach that, this young lady, young enough to be his daughter, says “babe, I love you” and this man sheepishly laughs and does not realise, he is being taken advantage of.
What keeps ringing in my ears is his statement that “what is there to love about a protruding sagging belly?”
There is no regulated way for how a person falls in love. It reminds me of a funny statement that Pastors or marriage counsellors often use, that if you fall in love, you may hurt yourself.
Love I believe is a beautiful thing but it is not something that should be toyed with. People getting into relationships should consider the realities that are bound to happen as the years go by.
Jealousy is a very destructive influence. It can influence a person to harm his wife or her husband or to even commit murder. There has been countless reported instances where a man has poured acid on his wife or girlfriend, slashed his wife to death with a cutlass because he suspected, the wife was cheating on him.
It is something that blinds one to right reasoning and once your reasoning stops functioning, then the wrong side of us takes over and the result is nothing to write home about. In most cases, it comes out after the horrible act has been perpetrated, that there was no truth in the issue that caused the jealousy, after all. However, a life would have been maimed, disfigured or destroyed forever.
One of the causes of jealousy in marriage is the age gap difference. Whether we like it or not we shall grow old one day if God by his grace enables us to live long. When we grow old, a lot of changes occur in our bodies and things we used to do with ease, suddenly become a huge challenge and it could be very frustrating.
One of the things that drives a man crazy is when he has grown weaker in bed and sees the wife interacting with younger men in a suspicious manner that seems to suggest that there is more to it than meets the eye.
Jealousy will definitely be kindled in the heart of such a man whose wife is far younger than him like this 67 year old man wanting to marry a 19 year young lady.
In 30 years’ time, this man will be 97 and his muscles would have become weaker affecting his erection. His wife would be 49 and will have to be satisfied in bed in a manner that this man cannot execute. What do you think is going to happen?
Marriage Counsellors advocate that the ideal age gap between marriage partners should not be more than 10 years. This is one way to eliminate suspicions which results in mistrust when the man grows old and gets weaker because it is a known fact that sex is very important to men than women.
A man becomes very worried when his sexual performance level drops. This is what causes some men to act in a manner that is condemnable. My advice, walk into love, don’t fall into it. God bless.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
