Chiefs and people of Mamprusi dominated communities in the North Gonja District of the Northern Region, have declared their unflinching support for the proposed North East Region creation.
They want to be included in the yet-to-be created North East Region rather than the proposed Savannah Region.
At a media briefing in Tamale, they explained that 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.”
Their Spokesperson, Isaac Azindow, declared their stance, saying, “We wish to acknowledge His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision to create new regions including the North East Region, which we have made a 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 detailed 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.”
“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.”
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.
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.
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By: Abdul Karim Natogmah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
