THEY SEEK POWER FOR THE LUXURY IT CAN BRING THEM, AND NOTHING ELSE

The first time I saw a fleet of high-end four-wheel drives driving side by side in convoy at high speed, was on the George Walker Bush Highway in Accra (known as the N1). It was sometime before 2013, I believe. The sight of the several dozen jet black Land Cruisers with their headlights on side by side (two abreast) driving at moderate speed was simply awesome. It was a sight to behold.
Many people, including myself watched the sight with baited breath; it was truly breathtaking. And people could be heard murmuring; there goes John Mahama, we will see after December.
Sure, they were impressed by the flash and panache; but also deep down, they wondered how a country that did not have a single factory dedicated to manufacturing bolts and nuts, could afford such luxury for its leadership.
At that time, I was one of the vociferous coterie of critics who were constantly taking umbrage at the sheer display of largesse by the Mahama Administration. We were angry, and rightfully so, that the funds of the nation were being wantonly misused. The opposition promised us better use for our money, and we believed that they were right to preach this message.
The next opportunity for me to see such a large fleet of Land Cruisers was at the funeral of my good friend, the late Kyeremateng Agyarko at Dzorwulu. The affable gentleman had died suddenly, and it had become necessary to sadly attend his funeral.
That was during the reign of Nana Akuf-Addo.
When I arrived, I had to park streets away from the venue, because it was crowded with hundreds (not dozens) of four-wheel vehicles, mostly the Land Cruisers.
I do not know the statistics, but I have no doubt at all that Ghana is a primary market for the Toyota company when it comes to Land Cruisers.
It sells hotly hear, and the primary customer is the government of Ghana. Back then, as happened in pre-2024, the likes of Sammy Gyamfi, Sam George and others in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a major meal out of the fact that the Akufo-Addo Administration was spending too much money on luxurious items, including the beloved Land Cruiser Brand.
It was a sentiment I could agree with then, and agree with now.
You should note, however, how the dialogue had changed. Under Mahama, myself and others expressed criticism over the opulence. When the tide changed, and the shoes were on the other foot, Sam George and the likes decided that they would also criticize.
Over the period, however, we did not see any qualitative change in the love and affinity of the leadership in this country for the items of luxury.
Now the tide has shifted again; the shoe is on the other foot. John Mahama and his crew are back in office, and suddenly, the videos of large convoys and fleets of high-end Land Cruisers have begun to appear on social media.
And it is where they will remain, until the shoe gets on the foot of the critics. Who will then conveniently jump into the comfortable vehicles and begin to enjoy the largesse until the time is up, when they will step out and become critics again.
In the meantime, of course, Ghanaians, poor, impecunious, long-suffering Ghanaians, would be called upon to foot the bill for the luxury.
These days, therefore, I have decided, when a video is sent to me depicting John Mahama’s largesse, to demand an undertaking that when the tables shift, the people doing the criticism today will not do exactly the same thing they are criticizing.
It is doubtful that they can give us any such undertaking.
(PERISCOPE DEPTH of Monday, July 7th, 2025. PERISCOPE DEPTH is published every Monday in the Daily Searchlight).