GONJALAND YOUTH ASSOCIATION ANGRY OVER FAILED PROMISES

GONJALAND YOUTH ASSOCIATION ANGRY OVER FAILED PROMISES
Leadership of the Gonjaland Youth Association’s National Secretariat says it will advice the people of Gonjaland to boycott political activities during the 2012 campaigns if construction work does not begin on the Damongo-Fufulso Sawla road. The Association warns that all Gonjas will be advised not to grant audience to any political party during the 2012 campaign season if government fails to start construction works on the Damongo-Fufulso Sawla road.
The Association listed the Tamale-Salaga-Kpandai, Domeabra-Mpaha, Kusawgu-Tuluwe, Busunu-Daboya-Mankarigu, Laribanga-Bawena and Laribanga-Mole as some of the major roads in the Gonjaland that needed government’s rapid attention. It therefore declares December 2008 as the stipulated period it expects government to start tarring particularly the Damongo-Fufulso Sawla road which was a major campaign promise in 2008. Dramani Dari, General Secretary to the Gonjaland Youth Association raised these concerns at a news conference in Tamale to express the people of Gonjaland’s displeasure about government’s insensitivity towards alleviating the plight of the Gonjaland. “The deplorable nature of our roads is our major source of worry: indeed the association is not happy about the total neglect of our roads over the years and we are therefore calling on government to as a matter of urgency put in place the necessary mechanisms towards the commencement of work on the listed roads.” “We wish to appeal to the government to as a matter of urgency tar the Fufulso-Sawla road which is so dear to us between now and December or forget it in 2012: honestly Gonjas have compromised lies and deceit from politicians over the years and are no longer prepared to countenance with any political rhetoric, dishonored and unfulfilled promises from particularly the NDC and NPP.”
The Gonjaland Youth Association also reminded the Mills-Mahama led NDC administration of its 2008 campaign promise to create a new region out of the northern region to be named “The Gonjaland region.” It noted that since the NDC assumed power in 2009, not even a single technical committee has been instituted to facilitate the process to set out the parameters toward fulfilling that promise. “What is more worrying is that since Independence Gonjas have never voted %100 for any political party but the dynamics changed during the 2008 general elections during which we voted massively for the NDC and yet we have not been given even a Deputy Ministerial appointment: if this is how the NDC government can appreciate our solidarity for them, then we wait to see its implications in 2012” the statement warned. On education, the association complained about the falling standard of education in Gonjaland and pinpointed the absence of a Teacher Training College in the area as one of the assigned reasons. In view of this worrying situation, the association implored government to consider establishing a Teacher Training College in Gonjaland to help address the problem. The Association described as generally unacceptable the security situation in Gonjaland where the six districts in that part of the northern region can only boast of 56 police personnel. Due to the security lapses, crime wave according to the Association was very high in Gonjaland with particular reference to the activities of Fulani Herdsmen. The Association thus made a passionate appeal to the Inspector General of police to increase the number of police personnel in the area to maintain law and order.