A CALL TO CITIZENSHIP: GHANA REPUBLIC DAY 2018
Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe
Head of PR and Strategy [Ghana Football Association]. Sports Business Professional. Corporate Trainer. Human Capital Developer. Conference Speaker. Author. Marketing/Management Consultant. Sponsorship Sourcing Expert.
BY: Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe
[A Citizen of Ghana and Africa]
A Republic is…..
“A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives and which has an elected or nominated President rather than a monarch”
The word “Republic” has its origin in Latin, as follows:
Res – Entity, Concern
Publicus – Of the people, Public
So, combining the two parts of the Latin origins, one may coin the phrase…....”Entity of the People”
As I considered the above definition and origins of the word, “Republic”, I began wondering how many of us, as Citizens, actually get the full understanding of what it means to be Citizens of a Republic; I wonder how many of us are cognizant of the fact that the SUPREME POWER IN THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA IS HELD BY WE, THE PEOPLE, AND OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES!
Our nation is endowed with so many resources!! We are blessed with so much!! And yet, so many of us live in abject poverty……..and, many a time, that poverty leads us to make choices that do not ultimately inure to either the benefit of the nation or ourselves. The poverty of so many of our people cannot be an excuse for our conscious or unconscious abdication of our ROLES AS CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA.
As we celebrate our Republic Day today, I, first of all, take my share of the blame for where our nation is today; I acknowledge my acts of omission and commission that have contributed to where we find ourselves today; BUT, I cannot remain in despair!! No, I shall not allow my past failings to cloud the potentially bright future that lies ahead of myself and our dear nation!! And NO GHANAIAN CITIZENS SHOULD ALLOW THE FAILINGS OF HIS OR HER PAST CLOUD THE LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES THAT EXIST IN THIS OUR MOTHERLAND!!
I rededicate myself to the service of Ghana! I commit myself to doing all that I can to make Ghana the GREAT NATION THAT WE CAN, AND SHOULD BE!! True, it shall not be easy!! True, our human frailties and diversities of opinion might remain major obstacles to our onward march………
But I am sure of this one thing.........
THAT WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE DEFINITELY IS A WAY!!!!
It is my prayer that WE, THE CITIZENS OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, SHALL SUMMON OUR COLLECTIVE WILL AND FIND THAT WAY TO FULL SELF-EXPRESSION AS WE EXERCISE OUR SUPREME POWER TO GIVE OURSELVES THE LEADERSHIP AND THE NATION THAT WE ALL DESERVE!
MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS OUR HOMELAND GHANA!
MAY HE STRENGTHEN US IN THE DAYS WHEN WE FEEL WEAK!
MAY HE EMBOLDEN US TO DEFEND FOREVER THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM AND OF RIGHT!
MAY HE FILL OUR HEARTS WITH TRUE HUMILITY AND HELP US TO CHERISH FEARLESS HONESTY!!
AND MAY HE HELP US TO RESIST OPPRESSORS’ RULE WITH ALL OUR WILL AND MIGHT FOREVER MORE!!!!
A HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY TO CITIZENS OF THE GREAT REPUBLIC OF GHANA!!!!!