Comedy is integral to life; even the Lord our Maker has a great sense of humor. As humans, it is an excellent place to emulate the Good Lord by incorporating humor into our affairs.

Recently, I checked my YouTube and saw that Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, the newly announced running mate of the opposition NDC, humorously referenced the corruption scandal of the "akomfem" politics that occurred during the previous leader of the Umbrella Party's first term as Ghana's president.

Before sharing my humorous story, I want to underline the seriousness of the 'akomfem' issue under JDM. Political corruption is a grave matter, and it's important not to trivialize it. Politics is a weighty matter. The choices made in politics can significantly impact the lives of the masses.

I recall a hilarious tale from a dear friend. He had a buddy named Amponsah, renowned for his wit. One evening, Amponsah returned home late after a night of revelry and promptly retired to bed.

The following morning, he awoke with a pounding hangover and made a beeline for the kitchen. He seized a gargantuan teacup, poured three heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate, and filled it to the brim with steaming water. Just then, someone spotted the open tin of milk and the cup brimming with water and quizzed Amponsah, "So where do you plan to pour the milk with the cup already full?" Amponsah, still a bit groggy, retorted, "Hmmm, I've even forgotten mpo oooo…"

It's a common trait among human beings to lie. Even politicians are not exempt from this because we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. The leader of the main opposition party, who is running for office in the upcoming general elections on December 7, 2024, has previously acknowledged that politicians often use a combination of truths, half-truths, and lies during election campaigns. His track record during his one-term regime attests to this claim.

Here we are in 2024, in the midst of campaign season. Politicians are beginning to come knocking on our doors, seeking our votes. However, we must be cautious about whether what the leader of the opposition party says about politicians lying is true. We must remain vigilant during this campaign season. Let's closely examine every word, body language, action, pledge, and promise.

They may be here with ill intentions to deceive us or with good intentions to deliver us. They could be attempting to manipulate our minds to drive us to “doomland” or trying to redeem us from economic hardships the world over. However, we must remain vigilant. The parliamentary candidate of the main opposition party recently revealed on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen with Omanhene Kwabena Asante, to the chagrin of well-meaning people, that “The eyes cannot see what the brains cannot know.”

That's impressive, isn't it? Let's give the professor a round of applause. We are referring to the knowledgeable Professor of the English Language, the 'Brofo Hemaa' [which means Queen of the English Language.] After all, isn’t it a doctor of medicine and life teaching us? As villagers, we should not question her stance on the messianic policy since she has been abroad and her children may also be studying abroad. We are 'Kookoo Ase Nkrakyefo' and 'Nwuraaba' [gentlemen and ladies from the countryside].

Professor Doctor Ayensu considers those who do not comprehend her party's 24-hour economic policy unintelligent or blockheaded. However, it is more of a political tactic or gimmick than a policy. This is because they are experiencing difficulties explaining the concept they conceived and are struggling to manage the conception and implementation or delivery of the policy, should they win the 2024 elections. It appears they may be unable to deliver the promised messianic policy of a 24-hour economy.

During our second year of high school, we had a new math teacher who was a recent graduate and had come to our school for his National Service Scheme. Unfortunately, he did not have a good command of quadratic equations. As a result, it took a lot of work for us, poor kids from the countryside, to gain mastery of this topic and math in general. It's funny looking back on it now, but it was pretty frustrating at the time.

Permit me to call him the "Boss." Whenever he couldn't solve a problem, one of the "Math Sharks" in the class would step up and solve it on the board while the "Boss" would take a back seat. Once the problem was solved, the Boss, to his credit, would shout from the back of the class in Twi, "Masta no, oye Hausa patuo n'ani mpohwempohwee,nanso onhunu hwee," which roughly translates to "The Master is like the Hausa Owl with big eyes but he can't see anything." We all found it hilarious and would burst out laughing. Even though the Boss wasn't great at math, we all loved him for his humor, funny side, and humility.

Is it fair game to say our friends of the Akatamanso Party are like the “Hausa Patuo” analogy above? The party has yet to explain the policy, let alone how they plan to implement their initiative, the 24-hour economy. If you're skeptical, you can watch TV3's "Hot Issues" program hosted by Keminni Amanor with the renowned guest and Member of Parliament and Ghana's potential foreign minister, the Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The party's founder, Jerry John Rawlings, once referred to Ablakwa and others as "babies with sharp teeth.

They may label us as 'Kookoo Ase' people, but we are knowledgeable and can differentiate between left and right. We can easily spot when self-proclaimed professors and masters of the 24-hour economy are transitioning into 'Hausa Patuo' masters. I have herein provided the link for the TV3 Hot Issues interview below. Forward the playtime to the 38th minute. I leave the judgment to you, esteemed readers [https://youtu.be/4piPvR7WjUM?si=hNmAEXdoa1sFW5WI]

Fortunately, some of us who live in the countryside have been fortunate enough to travel widely and visit places from which the NDC's advocates of a 24-hour economy have borrowed their new idea. With so much being said already, and with you, my esteemed reader, possibly getting bored, I'd like to make a few concluding remarks about the 24-hour economy as a "Kookoo Ase Village Boy" living in Uncle Sam’s Land (America).

For self-disclosure, I have lived in the heart of Downtown Manhattan, close to the Liberty Tower and Ground Zero, for a couple of years. I have also lived in Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) and Western Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh and spent a year in Vancouver, Canada. Additionally, I have traveled to various major cities throughout America and Europe, including Amsterdam and The Hague in Holland, Cologne, Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Munich in Germany, and many others, with more destinations yet to be explored, the Lord above permitting.

In many global cities, a 24-hour economy exists mainly in specific areas with high foot traffic throughout the day and night, such as transportation hubs and entertainment districts. However, this only applies to some cities; even international airports in some major cities do not operate 24 hours. Additionally, several cities have inactive central business districts after midnight, with only essential workers like garbage collectors and industrial workers present.

A 24-hour economy cannot be created by merely wishing it into existence. Instead, it results from a gradual, complex development process involving various factors such as transportation, power and electricity, night economy development, population growth, and demand.

However, technological advancement, particularly the internet and digitization, is a crucial factor in creating and growing a 24-hour economy. In Ghana, critical sectors such as security, transportation, entertainment, and healthcare have embraced the 24-hour economy, providing essential services around the clock.

Therefore, those who bequeathed to Ghana the lexicon of “Dumsor” [ intermittent power or supple] and whose forebears launched coup d’etats and killed the night economy in the late 1970s and ‘80s onwards cannot be trusted to revive Ghana's night economy, let alone establish a 24-hour economy. No wonder they have failed to explain the policy and its implementation.

Written by Dominic Obour

A Ghanaian American residing in Southern California

Email: oboursavio@gmail.com