NOT QUITE long ago, the act of duping people in the Ghanaian society got a new name for it, ‘Sakawa’, without people knowing where the name came from; suspected criminals hid behind their computers and stole hard cash from innocent victims.
No matter what name one will give to the act of deceit, trick, and stealing, the illegal act to gain favours in several ways has been with man since the creation of the world.
The simple explanation is that the act of stealing, deceiving or tricking someone to get favours is sophisticated in our time, and suspects keep changing their tactics every minute their styles are exposed.
As their tricks are exposed, and victims avoid falling for the illegal acts, suspected criminals will change their style from stealing people via the internet to using the phone to tell lies to their victims in foreign countries to win favours.
With much seriousness, suspects fall to the lies, and finally get duped. Suspected criminals orchestrate and formulate more lies, roping in higher personalities in Ghana such as ministers, politician’s, philanthropists, celebrities, chiefs, security commanders, district chief executives, pastors, and sometimes even the president.
A section of the Ghanaian public are blaming this on poor living conditions in the country, which has forced most of the energetic and industrious but not working youth to employ such tactics to find daily bread, though not acceptable.
When it comes to ‘Sakawa’, there are more scenarios or stories relating to some people in Ghana making deceitful statements and telephone calls to dupe their relatives in foreign destinations such as the United States of America [USA] and Canada in the name of the president.
A suspect, giving his first name as [Divine], duped his uncle to the tune of three thousand dollars in America, as he lied of his life threatening condition, and a need for money to pay his medical bills.
Hearing a siren noise from an ambulance, Divine told his uncle that he was involved in a fatal accident and was being transported to the hospital under life threatening condition, and would need the money, only to learn later that he was duped.
A mother of two, who also gave her first name as [Princess], condoned and connived with a private school proprietor to sack her children from school for non-payment of school fees to the tune of seven thousand cedis.
Intentionally, the trick was to deceive her husband who lives in Canada to send down the money for her to use on different investments, but they were exposed when the husband sent private investigators to the school.
How can President Akufo-Addo elect a queen mother, who gave her first name as [Mamaga Victoria], for a town only for her induction ceremony to clad in special ‘Kente’ cloth, therefore, a husband in Canada has to send two thousand dollars for the purchase?
This lie was exposed when the husband made an unannounced visit to Ghana to support his wife on the occasion, only to find out that he had fallen victim to one of the ‘sakawa’ tricks.
[William], a young boy in Accra, employed one of the tricks on his uncle in America, and made away with several thousands of dollars. He made his uncle believe he was into a profitable business, and sent thousands of dollars to support him. Not knowing the store belonged to someone else.
The uncle called to find out how the business was going, only for him to be told, “O uncle upon receiving the money I changed my mind to invest in another business which is more lucrative than mere trading.”
After several months, only to verify once more about the business, he was told, “Uncle after the kiosk stationed at a very vantage point, President Akufo-Addo said that Accra is dirty so all kiosks should be removed to make the national capital neat, therefore, that business has collapsed.”
Now some are saying, “Abrabo no mu aye den paa woha oo” to wit, the economic hardship being experienced here is unbearable, and going to the point where no matter what one will feel pity for them and send down money.
But it is time to educate the young ones that there is no shortcut to creating wealth or amassing wealth overnight, and that it takes the fear of God, humility, patience, quality education and hard work to become rich.
Making “azaa, 419, Sakawa,” deceitful statements to make money is not worth it, as there is no blessing for doing that. Those who are also orchestrating and formulating lies, tricks, and pranks in the name of the president to dupe people outside should also stop, since they are bringing the name of the first gentleman into disrepute.
FROM Stephen A. Quaye