Dependency syndrome is when a group of people develop the attitude of not trying to solve their own problems but wait for a bigger institution, mostly the government, to help solve them. In this country, the dependency syndrome is huge and it has affected the country as a whole. In some communities, there are bad roads, water and sewage problems, lack of social amenities and so on.

Everyone knows that it is the responsibility of the government to provide these social amenities because it swore to do that. However, it is also widely known that some of the promises that politicians make are not fulfilled. As populations grow, governments are getting access to fewer and fewer resources per capita every year.

It is simply no longer feasible for communities to be dependent on central governments for human settlement facilities and services. Before elections, aspiring Members of Parliament do everything possible to prove to the people that they deserve their votes but after they are voted into office, they do little for the people. This is what has been happening in the country.

Negligence But the question is; if the government refuses to help, what are the individuals waiting for? There are a lot of rich men and women in this country. Some own businesses and are Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of big companies, yet they live in areas which lack social amenities such as good roads, running water, good schools, even street lights and so on, and they pretend not to see these problems and wait for the government to provide them.

No one wants to have a sense of responsibility. People have folded their arms, and are waiting for the government to help them. Unless the community as a whole has been involved in the planning and management of facilities and has willingly contributed to the cost of its construction, the sense of responsibility or ownership will be missing.

It will not be effectively used, maintained or sustained. It is not proper to build a human settlement facility or service and not expect it to be maintained.

Some of the communities in this country smell so badly and yet one sees children playing and running about. Market women are also seen busily selling their products and the men also do their own thing in the filth. They are used to the stench so much that they are not affected by it any longer. They are waiting for the government to come and clear the rubbish dump and also clean their gutters for them.

Too much dependency yet little contribution These people are always speaking to the media about how badly they need the government to help them, yet cholera is killing them. Why can’t they get up and do it themselves? Children are dying and parents are still sitting in filth, folding their arms and waiting for someone to clear it for them. There are a lot of bad roads in the country.

Some of the roads are so bad that drivers have to go to the mechanics at least twice a week to maintain their vehicles. Yet these people are waiting for the government to construct the roads for them. What happened to contributions toward development? What happened to communal labour?

In some parts of the country, there are big companies whose big trucks destroy the roads, yet the owners are not prepared to maintain the roads or construct better ones for their own good.

Sometimes when it rains, people are not able to come out of their own houses because there are no gutters around for the rain water to pass through and prevent flooding.

Inherit independency for a better life Ghanaians should develop the habit of solving their own problems and stop depending too much on the government. It was once thought that community self-reliance was a good thing that promoted grassroots democracy, human rights, self-development and human dignity.

Now, that thinking has changed and people simply depend on the government for almost everything. If communities cannot be more self-reliant and empowered, they simply will not develop and so poverty and apathy will eventually destroy them. Writer’s email: bgyambrah33@gmail.com