Even Rwanda made it to Tunisia. Along the way she helped kick out Ghana from the continental tournament.

Now that the tournament is coming to an end, the winners and losers will also no doubt start thinking strategy for the next time round.

But how about those of us who failed to make it at all to Tunisia? Call it a humiliating experience for Ghana; we even think it is more than that: A loss of nationalistic fervour.

This loss has permeated all our national activities. No where is it more evident than in the education sector. Standards have fallen so low that university leavers and graduates of institutions like the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the polytechnics find it extremely difficult to communicate in English - the medium of instruction in the country.

Artisans are not as careful and professional as before, etc - in fact mediocrity is the order of the day. It's been a gradual decline since independence up to today, 47 years on, when we can only live on our past glories.

The time has come for us to recapture our lost nationalist fervour. That is why ADM is particularly happy with the tone given to this year's budget statement.

Finance Minister Osafo Marfo said "The destiny of our beloved country should be the collective responsibility of all of us, with each one of us playing his or her expected role diligently. This is the essence of a truly participatory democracy".

Well said, but the government should start waving the flag vigorously!