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Mr President, I send you warmest greetings from the Holy land of Larabanga, a host to the oldest mosque in Ghana. Your Excellency, ahead of your visit to the Savannah region on 18th-19th May, 2019, let me seize this rare opportunity to welcome you to Gonjaland and the Savannah region. Mr. President, your visit to Damongo on 19th May, 2019 will be the fourth since you became the president of our dear country.
Confessedly, four visits within two years by you to the Jakpa palace and by extension the Gonja kingdom outside an electioneering period is historic and unprecedented. This is a clear proof of your promise in 2016 to make the Jakpa Palace, the seat of Yagbon (Gonja kingdom) your home. You are indeed a politician who walks his talk.
Your incessant visits is also a crystal clear indication of your reverence of the culture of the people of Gonja and the respect and love you have for the people of Gonja and Savannah region.
Mr President, I have heard from a grapevine source that as part of your itinerary, you shall cut sod for the construction of the office of the Regional Coordinating Council(RCC) and also present to the council its official vehicles. Indeed, this is the greatest thing ever to have happened to the good people of Gonjaland and Savannah region.
The good people of Gonjaland and Savannah region are very grateful to you for the political will and commitment you demonstrated that saw into fruition the almost four decades dream of having a separate region for the people of Gonjaland. Admittedly, this is a great feat you have chalked. At a point, we had the notion that it will never be a reality especially when our very own after deceiving us to vote for him on that accord but never treated our petition with the urgency it deserved. Your love for Gonjaland is exceptional.
Your assumption to the presidency has taught us that some friendship is better than brotherhood. The Gonja Traditional Council(GTC) was right in honouring you with a chieftaincy title, ”Yenawura wura”( A leader who walks his talk).
Mr. President, I am cocksure that as usual of your visits to Damongo, you will be a guest at the Jakpa Palace which was given a facelift by your boss, J. A Kuffour since its construction in 1943 . Seated with our handsome and full of wisdom King, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa II to welcome you will be two of our great chiefs, Buipewura Mahama Abudulai Jinapor who is serving in your government as a member of the Ghana Prisons Council and Kpembewura Bambanye Ndefuso IV who you have appointed as a board member of the Ghana Energy Commission and Northern Development Authority.
Present will be the Catholic community of the Damongo Diocese to welcome you for the honour you done them by appointing their bishop, His Lordship, Peter Paul Ankyier as the Chairman of the Ghana Prisons Council. The great People of Larabanga will also be present to show their appreciation to you for the historic honour you done them by appointing their son, Alhaji Braimah Adam as a member of the Hajj board.
I also know for sure that your entourage will comprise several of our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters who are serving in very strategic positions of your government: Lawyer Samuel Abu Jinapor(deputy chief of staff), Hon. Abubakari Sadik Boniface( minister of state in the office of the vice president), Dr. Clifford Braimah( Managing Director, GWCL), Albert Kassim Diwura(deputy chief executive secretary, Ghana Export Promotion Authority), Hajia Salamatu Forgor( Ambassador to Namibia), Dr. Sulemana Adam Achanso, (board member, Bui Power Authority) and Hon. Yakubu Zakaria( Board member, Ghana Export promotion Authority).
Your Excellency, your convoy will be triumphantly ushered into the Damongo town by a jubilant and joyful parents who you have removed from them their burden( high school fees) that almost broke their back by absorbing all the fees of their wards at the senior high school level and a cheerful and smiling first and second batch of students who are beneficiaries of your free senior high school policy.
Yenawura wura, you will also be heartily welcomed by students of the first senior high school in Gonjaland, Damongo senior high school which was established by one of the founders of our tradition, Dr. K. A Busia.
This school now rob shoulders with giant schools in northern Ghana like Tamale Senior high School Ghana Senior High School, Wa Senior High, Jirapa Senior High and others in terms of infrastructure because your elder brother, J. A. Kuffour chose it among the 31 schools he upgraded into model schools.
This pioneer senior high school in Gonjaland has nurtured, groomed and trained several Gonjalanders who are contributing immensely in their various capacities (academia businesses, politics, civil service etc) to the development of Gonjaland in specific and mother Ghana in general. The likes of Hon. Adam Mutawakilu( Mp, Damongo constituency), Hon. Mahama Shaibu Obey( Mp, Daboya Mankargu), Hon. Abudu Nelson( former Mp, Daboya Mankargu), Saeed Muhazu Jibril( DCE, West Gonja), Dr. Mahama Mustapha( DCE, Central Gonja), Alhaji Limuna Muniru( former Agric minister), Dr. Clifford Braimah( Managing Director, GWCL), Albert Kassim Diwura(deputy chief executive secretary, GEPA), were all trained by this school.
Students of the Health Training School/ Nurses Training School in Damongo which was established in 2006 by J. A Kuffuor will be happy to see you for the smiles you kept on their face and their almost lost dignity of the nursing profession you restored by restoring in full their allowances.
The good people of Savannah region are really grateful to you for the following you have done in just 2 years and some months specifically to draw development to the infant region.
1) Creation of the North East Gonja district
2) Upgrading the East Gonja district to a municipality
3) The creation of the Savannah region
4) The Yapei water extension project
5) Construction of a senior high school in Larabanga
6) Construction of a district hospital at Sawla
7) Construction of a district hospital and accident and emergency centre
8) Inclusion of the construction of the Daboya bridge in phase 3 of the Sinohydro project.
9) Completion of various projects initiated by the previous government for political expediency. You paid off the contractors and the works were completed.
10) Construction of CHPS compound at many communities in the region.
11) Building of the numerous classrooms blocks in the various districts
12) Provision of the numerous mechanised boreholes and water systems
13) Building of 10 seater toilets, 4 in each district
14) Building of two ware houses in Buipe and Bole
15) Distribution of cashew seedlings to farmers freely.
16) GNPC scholarships for 7 Gonjalanders
17) recruiting many Gonjalanders into the various security services, GES and other agencies and departments of gives.
I pray that Allah continue to guide you and give you the strength and wisdom to continue doing your best for Gonjaland and mother Ghana in general. You are indeed the adopted son of Gonjaland. Mr. President, I wish you a safe journey to Gonjaland and say to you Maraaba in advance.
Author
Iddi Osman Kamara
Resident of Larabanga
Damongo Constituency
Savanna Region
