NATURE CALLS

I am awed by this opportunity - for the first time ever - to add my voice to the menace facing us as we witness and partake in the gradual degradation/destruction of our environment. If any of us has been watching, Amansie Central District/Odotobri Constituency has seen an unprecedented repletion of our farmlands, forests, and river bodies in recent times. These came about as a result of years of illicit mining, centuries of poor farming practices, the ever increasing domestic waste generation as well as our complete disregard of our traditional customs and core values regarding nature. Our poor understanding of modernity has led us to throw away these natural laws and now we must battle for our continual existence on this planet.

Not only are our river deities retreating into oblivion, fish from our rivers are almost a thing of the past, food is becoming a force to reckon with, the rains don't follow the predictable pattern we used to witness some few decades ago, and our bird/mammal companions are taking leave of us. We are becoming alone, literally.

What is happening? One would ask.
Nature is calling. I would say.

And it takes us, alive and kicking, to respond to the call. When we begin to take responsibility for what happens to our environment, that is the day we commence the 'restitution of all things' prophesied in our holy books. That day beckons today; and the call goes out from this mountain - Jakobu.

Going around this town, I see how poorly we have managed the manner we generate waste. Our countless open refuse dumps are not only hazardous to human health, they cast slur on our integrity as sentient beings created in the image and likeness of God. The district assembly landfill on the Fiankoma road is an eyesore. I question the professionalism of our engineers and planning and environmental officers occupying the respective offices.
I see why the rivers/streams have given up the ghost on the life they used to support&produce. Swimming in them, as we used to do years back, is tantamount to bathing in pool of poisonous substance. They are fast drying up and hey, the fishes don't come to swim anymore - not even in Ampemanka River!

We need to be retold what we are taking for granted: OUR LIVES DEPEND ON THE ENVIRONMENT! And the quicker we reiterate that message, the better it shall be in our quest to restore Nature so we can live eternally.

I present to you 3i Green Club; an environmental awareness creation group set up to disseminate useful information on nature conservation. Among many things, 3i (pronounced Third Eye) Green Club shall commit to intensive public (mass) education in and around the district starting from Jakobu and spread through other towns and communities heavily affected by the mining escapades. We call on tradtional rulers, schoolteachers and students, opinion leaders, youth groups and corporate bodies to join the trail to reclaiming what Nature endowed us with.

The time is always right to do what is right. God shall turn this Earth into a paradise again but not without your help!