Jawula Talks Tough

Alhaji Mohammed Nuru-Deen Jawula

THE LEPOWURA of the Kpembe Traditional Council in the Northern Region, Alhaji Mohammed Nuru-Deen Jawula is not the least enthused about the degeneration of the country's politics into insults.

What seems to upset him the most is the fact that the practice is more evident among the youth who represent the future of Ghana.

'In fact the politics of insults taking place in Ghana today would not be tolerated in the past,' he told an enthusiastic crowd at the Oguaa Hall of University of Cape Coast (UCC) in the Central region where he graduated in 1972.

This was during the launch of the hall's 50 th anniversary celebration when he chaired the occasion.

 'You are on your way in so you should do whatever you can to tone down what people are saying in the system because there is no value in it,' he told his fellow 'monkeys' and 'monkresses,' as residents of Oguaa Hall are affectionately called.

This he said was because 'the dangers of events that happened in Rwanda; what happened in La Cote' d'Ivoire started as insults and things got out of control.'

The Lepowura, one of the few people being considered as a likely running mate for New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he was worried about the situation because when things degenerate into chaos the politicians will go undercover and yet they are the ones who mislead the youth to take the wrong path.

Alhaji Jawula as he is affectionately called recalled with nostalgia one of such incidents during which some students from the Atlantic and Casley Hayford halls at the UCC led by one Kan Tamakloe and Christian Aggrey; two radical student leaders, taunted then Prime Minister, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia.

Whilst appreciating the fact that Dr Busia was a passionate democrat, the Lepowura indicated that there were occasions he had to scold certain individuals and group of persons who were taking undue advantage of the democratic dispensation to engage in insulting behaviour.

The prime minister was quoted to have told the students, 'I don't accept street-corner hooliganism.'

'He was so angry… and from that moment we got to know that democracy was very difficult because earlier on he had been Chairman of the Commission for Civic Education. He was preaching tolerance and the rest but it was terrible,' he added.

Lepowura said he was therefore not the least surprised that the politics of insults had become so widespread in the country.

He had a word of advice for politicians especially the youth who had mastered the art of insulting others saying 'let's do what we can to tone it down because it is not very useful.'

Apart from that he emphasised, 'this country does not belong to us anymore; it belongs you (youth) and you can do whatever you can to secure it for yourselves…we have done out part.'

Past residents of Oguaa Hall including Professors Ossei-Anto and Awusabo Asare shared their experiences at the school and the hall.

Lepowura inspected a guard of honour by the Oguaa Hall cadet corps led by Cadet Major Osei Ofori with a good rendition of music from the Mfantsipim Regimental Band.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu