What might have triggered this question? What is the motivating factor behind finding answers to this question? Is this question worthwhile? While being peculiar about Gonjaland? I believe and know these will be the questions bothering one who immediately read the above caption. Indeed, the question is worth pondering on and finding reasonable answers to especially if you are a son of the soil and or have been following the political activities in Gonjaland and the motivating factor of their voting pattern from 2008 to date.
The people of Gonjaland have been committed to the course of the NDC than the NPP in the fourth republic. The parliamentary and presidential results of the two political parties are proving evidence of this assertion. Out of the eight (8) successive presidential and parliamentary elections held in the fourth republic, the NPP won one parliamentary seat in the 2000 elections, two seats in 2004, one seat in 2016, and three seats in the 2020 elections. The NDC on the other hand swept all the parliamentary seats in the 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012 elections. For the presidential results, the NDC has always taken the comfortable lead in all elections in the fourth republic in all the constituencies. Even in the instances, the NPP won the parliamentary seats of some constituencies, the NDC still won the presidential elections in those constituencies. The long and short of all the above narrative is that the people of Gonjaland have voted enough for the NDC than the NPP.
It is expedient to mention that both the NDC and NPP have appointed sons and daughters of Gonjaland to occupy some strategic positions in government when they had the opportunity to form a government. This includes positions that are national in their work and those that are peculiar to a district. I will not prolong the argument by extending it to the days of president Jerry John Rawlings and President John Agyekum Kuffuor but rather limit it to the days of Professor Mills/ John Mahama, John Mahama/ Amissah Arthur, and Nana Addo/ Bawumia governments. Fast forward, the latest NDC government that left power in 2017 headed by Professor Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama and John Dramani Mahama and Amissah Arthur had several Gonjalanders occupy some juicy positions. The same thing can be said about the Nana Addo and Bawumia administration. For the sake of clarity and better comprehension, let us consider one by one the various personalities and the positions they occupy(ied) and the various opportunities that come with those positions.
For the NDC, the following people were appointed :
1) Alhaji Mohammed Limuna Muniru.
a) Administrator and Health policy adviser, office of the minister of health
a) Minister of State in charge of Human resources department and scholarships at the presidency
c) Upper East regional minister
d) Northern regional minister
e) Minister of agriculture.
How many of the youth in Gonjaland did he get scholarships for to study either in Ghana or abroad? How did he use his position as Northern region minister to the advantage of Gonjaland? How many of the youth in Gonjaland did he get employed in the various agencies and departments in the agriculture ministry? I mean Cocobod, Extension officers, Veterinary doctors, etc? How many sons and daughters of Gonjaland was he able to lobby for to be appointed as board members in the various boards under the ministries he led as a minister?
2) Alhaji Baba Kamara
a) Ambassador to Nigeria
b) National security coordinator.
How did he use his closeness to the president to address the major challenges in Gonjaland? How many of the youth in Gonjaland did he use his influence to get employed in the various security agencies- Ghana police service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, BNI, National Security, etc?
3)John Jinapor
a) Spokesperson to the vice president
b) Deputy Energy minister.
c) Acting Energy minister.
How many of the youth in Gonjaland did he aid to get employed in the lucrative agencies under the Energy ministries? By this, I mean VRA, GRIDCO, PURC, GNPC. How many GNPC scholarships did he secure for the youth in Gonjaland? How many students in Gonjaland did he sponsor on his own? How many people from Gonjaland was he able to secure government scholarships for?
4) Alhaji Chief Osman Minima
a) Deputy national coordinator
How has he helped the youth of Gonjaland get employed in the various security forces?
5) Seidu Kotomah
a) Controller and Accountant General.
How many sons and daughters of Gonjaland has he aided to be employed in his outfit? What about the audit service etc?
7) Madam Joyce Bawa Mogtari
a) Deputy minister of transport.
Do we have a prove of anybody from Gonjaland that she was able to use her office to help?
6) Alhaji Aminu
a) Northern Regional MASLOC Director.
How many people got loans through his influence? What about the tricycles procured by MASLOC?
7) Professor Zakaria Nuhu Ahmed
a) CEO, Ghana Ambulance Service.
How many youths of Gonjaland has he pushed into his outfit?
8) The various NDC DCEs and members of parliament of all districts and constituencies in Gonjaland.
How useful were they to the people of Gonjaland?
For the NPP, the following people were/ are appointed.
1) Samuel Abudulai Jinapor
a) Deputy Chief of Staff
b) Current minister of Lands and Natural resources.
How has he used his closeness to the prophet to solve the challenges of Gonjaland? How many Gonjalanders is he able to secure job opportunities for? How many Gonjalanders has he used his influence to get appointed into the various agencies and boards under his ministry? How many people in Gonjaland has he sponsored their education? How helpful is he to the chiefs of Gonjaland?
2) Dr. Clifford Braimah
a) Managing Director, Ghana Water Company Limited since 2017 to date.
Who and who got employed through his influence? How many of the youth in Gonjaland have he secured scholarships for?
3) Braimah Salifu,
a) Savannah regional minister.
How many youths got jobs through his efforts?
4) Alhaji Asei
a) current deputy minister of Health
Too early to pass judgment on his performance and influence on Gonjaland.
6) Mr. Samuel Tika
a) Deputy Savannah regional minister
b) Current deputy CEO, Minerals Commission.
7) Nyadia Sulemana
a) Deputy CEO, Ghana Forestry Commission.
Too early to judge his performance.
8) Saeed Muaz Jibril
a) Municipal Chief Executive, West Gonja Municipal Assembly
b) current Savannah regional minister.
Has he been able to secure jobs for the youth? What about government scholarship?
All DCEs of the NPP government within this period are under consideration.
How helpful are they to Gonjaland?
Though it is early days yet to judge some of the appointees especially those that just got appointed recently, it is apt to pass judgment on those who got the opportunity to serve for a long time. Without mincing words, the appointees of the NPP in Gonjaland are helpful to the Gonjaland than the NDC appointees. The reason for this assertion is not far-fetched. This is evidenced in the numerous youth of Gonjaland who got employed in the various agencies and departments of their outfits and the various developmental projects the NPP appointees helped to push to the region when the NPP took the mantle of governance in Ghana in 2017. The Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Limited, Dr. Clifford Braimah has been instrumental in pushing through many dwellers of Gonjaland to be employed in his outfit. He also secured a GNPC scholarship for over 30 youth of Gonjaland and has personally footed the school fees of many youths. Truth be told, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor has influenced the recruitment of many youths of Gonjaland into the various government departments and agencies. Hitherto, jobs that were viewed as the preserve of the aristocrats are available to the people of Gonjaland. The young politician has also paid over the school fees of over 300 tertiary students in Gonjaland. The same good things can be said about the NPP DCEs.
For the NDC appointees, they seem to be taking the youth of Gonjaland for granted. It seems they are enjoying the loyalty the people have for them. After all, no matter what the people of Gonjaland will continue to vote for the NDC. Except for Professor Zakaria Nuhu, the CEO of the Ghana Ambulance Service who has been exceptional in aiding sons and daughters of Gonjaland to be employed in his outfit, the other appointees of the NDC from the Savannah region never demonstrated an iota of commitment to the welfare of Gonjaland especially the youth. They simply rested comfortably on the fact that Gonjaland is the home region of the flag bearer of the NDC and hence whether rain or shine, the people of Gonjaland will vote along the tribal line.
Is it not time the people of Gonjaland reward hard work?
Author
Iddi Adam Osman
0249230125
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