In this 21st Century there are still some senior citizens in Ghana who would rather destroy the good efforts some individuals put in developing the nation than to see them lift the flag of Ghana high. They are the same people that would put the youth down and render them useless while their time has even expired.
They see nothing good coming out of the youth when they haven’t even given them the chance to spread their wings and shine. We have so many talents being wasted away because there are no supports, no motivation and certainly too many negative vibes coming from the very people that we look up to; some so-called nation builders.
Table tennis has been one of the many sporting activities that has helped put Ghana on the map. Youngsters like Samuel Akayade, Emmanuel Asante, Desmond Osei, Fredrick Twumasi, Diana Opoku, Judith Acheampong, Solomon Danso, Theophilus Amoh and Jude Osei are few of the Table tennis champions we see today representing the nation who are from the New Juaben Table Tennis Club in Koforidua.
Getting them there came with a heavy price. So much efforts have been put in by some old players of the club; Nana Yaw Boateng, Anita Asante, Isaac Opoku, Hagar Amoh, Blackstone Gh, Isaac Ofosu, Kwesi Owusu, Mark Adjei, Prince Yaw Boateng, Dora Sarpong, Obuley Stone, Kingsley Sarpong, Alex Acheampong, Mark Brew, Michael Appea (Coach holy) and our very own Pope Skinny who had their training in Koforidua with very limited resources back then decided to give back to the society by renovating an abandoned space once used by Melcom Koforidua located around the Koforidua market and this was agreed by the DCE as a good initiative to be turned into a community center.
Not only that, they also purchased all necessary materials, tools and equipment needed for the center to run smoothly and took a lot of the youth roaming on the streets of Koforidua in and offered them scholarships and paid qualified coaches to train them. And this is the result we see today when you mention table tennis in Koforidua and Ghana. This is a step in the right direction right?
Hon. Mark Assibey-Yeboah, MP New Juaben South Constituency……
But there’s an Akan adage that goes like; Deɛ oforo dua pa na yɛpia no” meaning “When someone does something good, encourage him rather than pull it down”. Some Ghanaians have what we call the ‘pull down syndrome‘ so they don’t mind tearing down something this beautiful.
In a conversation with one of the sponsors of the Club, Ms. Anita Asante who is also an ardent sports advocate residing in London few days ago, she bitterly narrated to me how some senior citizens in the New Juaben Municipality have asked them to evacuate a community center that was initially a training ground for table tennis and badminton until Melcom Koforidua took and renovated it. When Melcom got a new space on the next floor, the NJTT club met the DCE about making the space what it once was; community center and the DCE gave them the green light.
The community center is now a safe haven for many of the youth that used to roam the streets of Koforidua hence it is helping mould them to be better citizens for the nation. Aside the center been used as a table tennis ground, it also serves as Events space where weddings, birthday parties etc are held. The club only disassemble and pack their gears to create space for the events.
For some inconsiderate senior citizens to take up the space for a temporal court is a joke, said Ms Asante. Really, a court room close to a noisy market and a shopping centre? According to her there are other spaces in the community that could equally be used for such project but it seems these improvident people are keen on kicking them out from the center after they have spent so much resources in making the space what it is today.
“We went through a lot to get the kids off the streets through sports (table tennis) therefore it would be cruel to take the center away from them. It would be like taking away their joy and kicking them back to the streets. Through dedication and hard work from both coaches and players they have competed and won several tournaments. And as I speak, there is a tournament on the way and indeed if they want to make a temporal court room, there are other suitable spaces in better locations than around the market. We are therefore pleading with the Minister of Youth and sports, Eastern Regional Minister and the DCE to intervene for the New Juaben Table Tennis Club and the whole Community” she concluded.
Their main concern right now is how to get the center back for the kids they have vehemently worked to take them off the streets to give them hope for the future. If school couldn’t help them for the future, allow their talent to get them.
Credit: Notime Eric Gh
notimeshowbiz.com
