Before we attempt to have this conversation, let us find out the meaning of “Monumental.”
“Monumental” means great in importance. However, the perception of what is considered great in importance can vary from person to person.
Various media hosts have asked NPP personalities about the monumental projects the NPP has accomplished in the Ashanti region. Many of these personalities struggle to answer because they have adopted a misguided understanding of what is truly monumental.
I was born and raised in Fanti New Town in Kumasi. We lived in a family compound house with over 20 people, which had only one toilet (a pit latrine). In the mornings, most of us had to walk for 5 minutes to reach the public toilet before getting ready for school, and the adults for work. When I was 11 years old, my mother and one sibling moved to a three-bedroom house at TUC. This new house had two toilets (WC). At that stage of my life, what was monumental to me was not the new house itself, but the fact that I no longer had to walk 5 minutes to use a public toilet.
I share this personal story because everyone experiences a monumental stage in their life. As we become more civilized and our living conditions improve, we often forget what is important to others.
I recently came across an article in the media attributed to former President John Mahama, suggesting that building toilets for deprived areas is not an achievement and not worthy of being considered in a performance tracker.
Let me provide you with some statistics from when H.E. John Mahama was president in 2016. According to UNICEF, the Upper East Region had an open defecation rate of 89%, and the Northern Region had a rate of 72%. In the NDC manifesto for 2016, they promised to end open defecation by 2021. How was former President Mahama planning to eradicate open defecation if not by constructing more toilets? In fact, in November 2015, former President Mahama informed the Ga Wulomei that his government had secured USD$100 million to build toilets in Accra.
Today, we have a government that understands the concept of monumentality and is committed to providing basic necessities to its people. Yet, the man who should be praising this government goes to the North East Region to claim that building toilets is not an achievement. It is certain that there are 11-year-olds, like me, who are forever grateful to the NPP for having a KVIP (public toilet) nearby, which is a significant improvement over worrying about snake bites when attending to nature’s call.
To those of you who lead an upper-class lifestyle, what may be considered monumental is an airport or a flyover. However, it is crucial to remember that there are households in Ghana that lack access to proper sanitation facilities.
Let’s appreciate the little things in life.
