A group calling itself, Northern Agenda for Change has jabbed President John Dramani Mahama for failing to bridge the yawning development gap between Northern and Southern Ghana as promised during the 2012 elections.
The group pinpointed the defunct Savannah Accelerated Development Authority under President Mahama’s watch to buttress its point.
Addressing the media in Tamale, NAFOC’s communication and media officer, posited that Gonjas are the most disappointed tribe in the Northern Region.
He admonished northerners to reject President Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on December 7.
According to Dramani Dari, President Mahama has demonstrated his insensitivity towards His kinsmen (Gonjas) who delivered all seven seats in Gonjaland to the NDC at the 2012 polls.
Below is the full statement by the group:
PRESS CONFERENCE ON WHY GHANAIANS MUST REJECT PRESIDENT MAHAMA ON 7TH DECEMBER POLLS FOR FAILING HIS OWN PEOPLE IN THE NORTH
Fellow NPP and NAFOC members, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, kindly accept our appreciation for responding to our invitation at relatively short notice. We belief that the alacrity with which you responded to our call indicates the prominence you attach to the issues yet to be discussed and your commitment to be part of the change all Ghanaians are yearning for.
Ladies and gentlemen, you may be wondering why Northern Agenda for Change (NAFOC) have converged here at this moment. The crux of the matter is that for the past few days, our brother President Mahama and the leadership of NDC has been peddling some untruthful statements about what they have done in the Gonjaland and northern Ghana as a whole. We think it is very necessary for us to set the records straight on those issues they have peddled about for the past days which are of importance to the development of our poor masses, especially, in northern Ghana; where H. E. President Mahama hails from. The following are the concerned issues:
* The President failed to facilitate in provision of radio and television reception to his own people during his tenure as the Minister of Communication?
* Why did the President fail to honour the 40th Anniversary of Gonjaland Youth Association (GLAYA) held at Kpembe this year? Which he is a member but has been attending other people’s weddings, out-doorings, enskinments, other ethnic groups associations meetings, festivals, etc. Is it because, he failed to construct the Tamale-Makango road as he promised at Buipe?
* As a member of the GLAYA, the President did not also see the need to assist the association to put-up its National Secretariat after several proposals have been presented to him. But saw the need to buy a house and a V8 for Madam Akua Donkor.
* Even though, Gonjaland is surrounded with water bodies, yet the President has not been able to provide a single portable drinking water projects to major town sin Gonjaland such as Damongo, Yapei, Bole, Bamboi, Kpembe, Tuluwe, etc.
* As a true son of Gonjaland, he has also failed to show interest in resolving the numerous chieftaincy disputes across Gonjaland such as the 8 communities with 2 chiefs each like Mandari, Damongo, Tinga, Sonyo, Kiblima, Kulor, Kafaba and Makango which we think strongly that, these came about through his interference as Vice President and President of the Republic of Ghana.
* Why is it that, somebody who claims he is one of us, has eventually turned SADA into a looting and sharing organization which was supposed to have turned the fortunes of northern?
* Why has he and his family turned the northern savanna ecological zone within the last 8 years, into a desert through the logging of rose woods by his wife and brothers?
* Why has he consistently refused to speak the northern languages any time he is addressing the people of northern extraction? But does so anytime he is found at the southern part of Ghana? How can such a man claim he is one of us but feels embarrassed to be associated with us?
* Why is it that, the President ignored all the efforts made by the NPP administration to split the northern region into two (2) to accelerate development?
* We all know that, the teaching and nursing training allowances were of great support to students, especially in northern Ghana, as a northern President, who we thought appreciates and understand our concerns and suffering has not only taken away the allowances but also increased the fees from GHC800 to GHC2,500 (which is about twice the fees paid by Universities students now) and by extension denying northern students access to nursing and teacher colleges education.
* He and his chronics in the NDC claim that, they constructed the Tamale Teaching Hospital and Sawla-Fufulso road. We wish to put on record that, the funding meant for these constructions were secured by H.E. President Kufour at a point he was leaving office.
Comparatively on the surface in the northern region, we wish to state that the NPP administration more development than NDC. NPP provided 4 Nursing Training Colleges (namely Yendi, Damongo, Kpembe and Nalerigu) whereas they established only 2 at Bole and Gushegu. The NPP also created 7 new districts with health centers and CHIP Compounds (namely Karaga, Cherepone, Wulense, Kpandai, Bunkpurugu, Sawla and Buipe where as the NDC created only 5 at Tatale, Daboya, Kumbungu, Mion and Yagaba even with the little resources.
The questions we want to ask the people of the north are that, where are the 20 new colleges and one time NHIS premium President Mahama promised us? Under his watch as the only northern President in the Fourth Republic, Feeding and Capitation grants, Health Insurance, Free Maternal Care, School Feeding, youth employment have all collapsed. Again under his watch, abject poverty has increased astronomically in northern Ghana; especially among women. That is why most northern women carrying babies are found at lorry parks and on the streets engaged in “Kayaye” in Tamale.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, this is the man who claims he cares for northerners and that he is one of us and therefore, we should renew his mandate as President. Our elders say that, when a Mallam says he will dash you a cap, you first look at what he is wearing. President Mahama has woefully failed his own people and cannot be trusted with another four years. And if by accident we do, we will be placing our destiny into jeopardy and the consequences will be unbearable. On this note, we wish to humbly appeal to all meaningful northerners and Ghanaians in general to disregard and threat his appeal for renewal as a pinch of salt, and vote massively for the man who is not corrupt, selfish, divisive, tribalistic, vindictive but humbled, visionary, competent and caring to liberate the sufferings of Ghanaians come Wednesday, 7th December.
Finally, we wish to all his conduct points to the fact that his records are abysmal and does not deserves another four years. Thank you for coming! God bless NPP (the Northern Peoples Party), God bless Ghana.
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