Funsi residents hit the streets …in protest over lack of development

Reports from the Upper West Region indicate that hundreds of residents from various parts of the Funsi District, last week Monday, took to the streets in protest against neglect.

The residents trooped from the various communities to the district capital to participate in the peaceful demonstration, which brought activities in the town to a standstill.

The demonstrators, who are citing lack of development in the district, joined the leadership of the Old Students Association of Funsi (OSAF) for the agitation.

Starting from the residence of the District Chief Executive (DCE), the demonstrators, who held placards, marched through the market square, bus station, and finally, to the District Assembly,  where they were addressed by leading members of the association.

The placards had inscriptions like: 'No light, No vote', 'Why stay in Wa?', 'Wire our electricity poles', 'We need light', and 'We need our roads tarred.'

The police and other security agents deployed to maintain peace and order had no problem handling the protestors, as they comported themselves, and followed the approved routes.

Amid drumming and dancing, the protestors would occasionally stop, lie down, and begin to weep to demonstrate how painful they had endured hardships under the current administration, following the total neglect of the district.

The residents said they could no longer bear the effects of neglect of the district, hence the protest.

According to them, the government was being insensitive to the plight of the residents of Funsi. The protesters alleged that the District Assembly was not functional, because the staff were complaining of the unavailability of electricity, good roads, and potable water, which was affecting productivity.

Mr. Oswald Bayong, president of OSAF, said that a polyclinic, which was to be located in the district, had been relocated to another district for unknown reasons.

He said the people of Funsi travel quite a distance to Tumu and Wa to access healthcare, which road was in a bad state, and that it took the intervention of providence to save lives.

According to the OSAF President, the only motorable road was the Funsi-Chagu road, which links the district to other districts.

Mr. Bayong has, therefore, appealed to the government and the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area to get the roads linking Funsi-Chagu, Tumu and Wa reconstructed, to save them from total destruction.