Security Analyst Adib Saani has cautioned the government of a possible increase in crime rates among the youth if the current economic situation in the country continues.
This follows the recent complaints of increased cases of criminal activity by residents of the Kwaebiberem Municipality in the Eastern Region, resulting from illegal miners’ destruction of their farmlands and other essential products.
Speaking to UniversNews, Adib Saane highlighted that people who cannot afford the basic necessities of life may fall into a life of crime to survive.
According to him, unemployed youth will do anything possible to survive in these trying economic times.
“Well, obviously, there’s the possibility of crime growing up as a result of the economic challenges. There’s a direct link between economics and physical security. After all, the two are very much related to each other. Security is economics, and economics is security. For a lot of people who cannot afford the basic necessities of life, life doesn’t really matter so much to them that they have nothing to do, so such people easily become vulnerable to crime. Aside from that, we have a lot of young people who are done with school, don’t have jobs, have been pushed into uncertainty, and are now in survival mode, doing whatever they can within their means to survive by hook or crook. That is when they turn to crime as a means of survival,” he said.
Further speaking, Adib Saani warned that if the economic situation is not addressed, some dissatisfied Ghanaians may carry out a series of attacks on the political class, as in the case of the majority leader in parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, who was attacked in his constituency.
“The economic situation is brewing anger and frustration amongst a lot of Ghanaians, and when care is not taken, that might morph into a problem, especially towards the political class, as we witnessed with a series of attacks against politicians, including the majority leader in parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, in his constituency. And I am saying that if we don’t address these issues, we might be in for a much rougher ride, involving the case of even someone getting killed or hurt as a result of these attacks. “We pray it doesn’t happen, but it’s something we cannot afford to waste priority on.” He stated.
He also added that the government’s mismanagement of the economy, reckless borrowing, and unnecessary expenditure, among other things are mainly to blame for the current economic crisis.
According to him, the reduction of government expenditure and the provision of jobs for the youth are some alternatives to tackle the problem.
“What is happening is largely because of mismanagement, reckless borrowing, unnecessary expenditure, capital intensive expenditure, lack of good leadership, corruption, etc., so if you’re able to seal these, reduce the size of the government, and reduce government expenditure, I think that would help mitigate the situation. Above, let us address it in a holistic and practical manner. We cannot afford to tell them to stop mining and expect them to stop. We should have alternatives. We should provide safety nets, okay, but beyond mining, what next? Do we have jobs for them? What can we do to show the local economies some love so they don’t suffer from the clampdown on illegal mining in these areas?The government needs to be practical in this approach. “We need to provide alternatives, and one of them certainly is jobs for young people. If not, there is nothing else to do but engage in this illegal mining, then you go and dislodge them from a mining site today, and tomorrow they return, as simple as that.” He added.
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Story by: Alexander Kuuku Osei-Baidoo | univers.ug.edu.gh
