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Tamale, Ghana – Chiefs and elders of Mamprusi Communities in the Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency of the North Gonja District are calling for an inclusion in the yet to be created North East Region of Ghana.
According to the chiefs, their decision to be part of the North East Region was borne out of frustration caused by underdevelopment, constant threats, intimidation and oppression from their neighbours.
“We desperately plead with the Government to be carved into the North East Region, on the basis that while the rest of the country are enjoying independence, freedom and justice as well as human and material resource development with vibrant economic activities, we still seem to remain in the era of the stone age.
“We are the worse group of people in the country when it comes to peace and security, education, health care delivery, road network, electricity supply, socio-cultural activity including sports and over all development”, Isaac Azindow, Spokesperson for the Chiefs said at a press briefing on Monday April 16, 2018 in Tamale.
“We wish to acknowledge His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo decision to create new regions including The North East Region which we have made submission to the high powered and dedicated Commission of enquiry led by His Lordship Justice Allan Brobbey during their visit to the Mamprugu Moaduri District hearing which was well attended by participants from our area.We the Mamprusi villages are very grateful to the Commission for the opportunity given us to submit our signed petition. Although, time available did not permit for detail oral presentation, we believe the commission has made time to examine in detail the plight of our villages and comprehended the justification for us being desperately desirous to be part of the North East Region”, he said.
Below is the full statement:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE CHIEFS AND ELDERS OF THE MAMPRUSI VILLAGES IN THE DABOYA MANKARIGU CONSTITUENCY ON THEIR INCLUSION IN THE PROPOSED NORTH EAST REGION.
Good morning members of the press and thank you for responding to our invitation on a rather short notice.
We called you to as the fourth estate of the realm to echo our concerns to government and the appropriate authorities in the interest of development which is a key agenda of the current government.
On behalf of the chiefs, elders and youth of Mamprusi villages in the Daboya/Mankarigu constituency, I welcome all of you to this very important press conference.
We wish to acknowledge His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo decision to create new regions including The North East Region which we have made submission to the high powered and dedicated Commission of enquiry led by His Lordship Justice Allan Brobbey during their visit to the Mamprugu Moaduri District hearing which was well attended by participants from our area. We the Mamprusi villages are very grateful to the commission for the opportunity given us to submit our signed petition. Although, time available did not permit for detail oral presentation, we believe the commission has made time to examine in detail the plight of our villages and comprehended the justification for us being desperately desirous to be part of the North East Region.
Acknowledging the key developmental challenges include Peace and security, a pre-requisite for increase productivity and development.
It is for this reason that these villages; 1. Lukula, 2. Kutula, 3. Kuchualim, 4. Sakpega, 5. Mempeasem, 6. Kuldani, 7. Sakpala, 8. Zooyiri, 9. Bugsa and 10. Sagya. wish to reiterate their resolve to be part of the proposed North East Region.
We previously presented our petition requesting that the villages listed above be carved into the Mamprugu Moaduri District during the creation of the new districts in 2012. Unfortunately, our request did not get the needed attention.
JUSTIFICATION FOR REQUEST
We desperately plead with the Government to be carved into the North East Region, on the basis that while the rest of the country are enjoying independence, freedom and justice as well as human and material resource development with vibrant economic activities, we still seem to remain in the era of the stone age. We are the worse group of people in the country when it comes to peace and security, education, health care delivery, road network, electricity supply, socio-cultural activity including sports and over all development.
PEACE AND SECURITY.
In independent Ghana we are in a state of suppression and fear of being attacked as threats of war are issued to keep the people submissive to the oppressor. This damages both mental and physical development of the people and deny them freedom of expression and association. It equally affects agricultural productivity as we feel sometimes even unsafe in the homes or farms. The people are perpetually under stress and not able to put in their best in productive ventures.
The 1930 political demarcation that carved these Mamprusi villages into Gonja is the major source of disputes in the area since the Gonjas took advantage and extended their traditional rule by installing Gonja chiefs over Mamprusi villages as if they were war captives. This has not been resolved since then and we believe that the solution has come by the creation of the new regions that will solve the problem once and for all from the same political perspective.
There have been conflicts, threats of war and insecurity that engulfed the area and our people for several years now. The recent incidents of burning two Tampulma villages ((Disah and Salugu) on the 13th and 14th of January 2018 by a group of Gonja warriors) only attest and add to the past experience of the Mamprusi villages with the burning of Kutula (Nyuagbeni) in 2011. We wonder if any action has been taken on the perpetrators by the security agencies and government. The stressful and gloomy atmosphere of hopelessness will be removed when we are added to the North East Region.
EDUCATION
Most Ghanaian schools are functional with adequate number of teachers and teaching/learning resources. However, we are saddled with schools closed or few teachers who are not effectively performing. You can imagine a Primary School like Zooyiri with two teachers and Lukula Primary School which existed since 1960 only had a Junior High School (JHS) in 2016. We suffer from a deliberate attempt to keep the people illiterate in order to maintain Gonja ruler-ship over their lives and our area will be found to have the highest illiteracy rate in the whole country if a study is carried out. If you want your child to be educated to the highest level, you simply have to get the child to the big towns outside the district or he or she ends up as a school dropout. Nobody cares if the schools are functional and whether the teachers are in school teaching or not.
A Primary school at Mimpeasem has been abandoned for over ten years and although it was part of the school feeding programme during the time of its operation, no single meal was ever provided to the children despite numerous complains.
HEALTH
In the area of health, pregnant women and children die for lack of care during pregnancy, delivery and child welfare services. Clinics are not functional and one Health Centre in Mankarigu which is closer is under staffed and under resourced when it comes to Medical supplies. Most medical cases have to go either to Kubori Health Centre, Fumbisi Health Centre, Walewale Hospital, Dalun or Tamale for care when sick. There is no ambulance in that vast area for transport of emergencies to the nearest hospital. Sometimes you wonder why nobody cares about your physical, mental and social wellbeing. A Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, which was built in 2008 at Mempeasem has not been commissioned nor operated even in one day and has been left standing up till date. The Health Director for Mamprugu Moaduri District has been called to Bolgatanga Regional Health Directorate to answer queries on maternal deaths and complications only for it to be realised that those cases came from our area in North Gonja District.
ROADS
The road network situation in our area is so poor even in the dry season and worse off in the rainy season. The only road linking the area is the Yagaba-Fumbisi road. The raining season is a horrible time for travelling, as the road network is deplorable with no construction work going on in the area. Even if there is ambulance for emergencies the deplorable roads will still cause delays and contribute to deaths of pregnant women and children.
ELECTRICITY
Considering the extension of electricity to the rural areas, there is no electricity in any of our villages. And since there is no light in the area, how can school children who return home be able to do their homework in the night coupled with the no teacher syndrome and ineffective teaching and learning at school.
CONCLUSION
These and many other reasons compel us to opt to become part of the North East Region as it appears we are hanging bats and will be completely lost or even further terrorized if we are made to stay in the Savannah Region. As peace loving people, we know from experience that the North East Region will be peaceful with vibrant in socio-economic transformation and development.
We wish to once again thank the government for the vision of creating the new regions to bring development to the door steps of the people and humbly request that Government recognizing our plight will bring joy and rejoicing to our people by honouring our request. Our sincere desire and expectation to be made part of the North East Region is unquenchable and we plead for your kind consideration and action.
Thank You
CONTACT PERSONS FOR THE PETITIONERS:
ISAAC AZINDOW (0207191407 OR 0261859178) OR
ABDUL-RAHAMAN TAYIB (0208391191 OR 0244719526)
By Savannahnewsonline.com
