My thoughts on the visit of president Akuffo-Addo to Savannah Region

On assumption of office, President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo has made it as part of his regular routines to visit Savannah Region.

From 2018 till date, he has visited the region four record times in a row if my memory set me right. This is a plus to him and his government.

I wish to commend the president for this singular gesture since, the act of paying regular calls to the people of the region afford the president the opportunity to have first-hand knowledge of development challenges of the area and find quick fix to same.

Altogether, the president's decision to always interact with the local media anytime he visits the region sits well with my natural impulse as a local media person. Such important interactions with the Fourth Estate of the realm affords us as a people, a rare tool to hold him accountable to what he says and intends to do for the region.

In my mind's eye, these regular visits by the president should have been a blessing to the people of the region, but the reality is what gives me a cause for worry.

I have noticed quite strangely and sadly, a penchant trend by our leaders to always impress the president anytime the media trumpet blows that he is about to visit the region.

There you see many months of dysfunctional streetlights selectively been worked on overnight to serve "the minutes of the convoy passing interest" of the president. A simple indication of the fact that the many public solicitation over this same challenge over the period didn't matter very much to our leaders. Markedly irritating for me is the comfort we the voices that matter take on some of these things. Recap that in all the visits of the president to Dangote, the regional capital, months of dysfunctional streetlights have been worked on albeit selectively to cover anticipated areas the president's convoy will be passing through. Mr. President, on your next visit, try and drive through Canteen, my Electoral Area at night to get ours fixed as well.

Roads are asphalted with the speed of light (new RCC stretch of road a point of reference). You can also recollect the last time the president interacted with PAD FM, the muddy stretch of road leading to the radio station was immediately worked on overnight! Jumping Judas!

Contractors are compelled to come back on site to complete road Lanes and Turnstiles overnight, a job they had abandoned for months for God knows what reason(s). These contractors should be reminded that we need speed ramps or rumple strips on our newly asphalted roads as well. Our lives should matter!

The witchery of the matter is that the people for whose ultimate reason local leaders exist have been crying over these same challenges to no avail. No one cares to listen to our voices because, we don't really matter. It has to take that one "supernatural being" to get all our problems solved.

The non-existing holier-than-thou attitude of our leaders is galling to say the least!

Mr. President, I'm told you will be having a meeting with the MMDCEs and the minister, I guess. Kindly remind them that they were appointed to serve the very people that voted to birth your presidency and must wake-up from any thought of slumber and be responsive to the people. That is all we ask for. Overnight selective fixing of challenges doesn't please the people.

In all these, we loose sight of holding the president accountable to what he says on such regular visits and to use such platforms to demand for more development openings for the people.

The promise of ten mechanized boreholes as a temporal fix to the water challenges bedeviling the people of the region. The promise by his Junior brother, the vice president to convert the Damongo Agricultural College to an Agricultural University (what is the state of fulfilment of this promise?).

The promise of a regional house of chiefs' edifice for the people of the region. The much-touted Damongo Water Project!

You can add your own to the unending list and the many yet to come if you remember.

All we need are some moderate answers in the spirit of good governance and keeping hopes alive.

The enigma of the matter is that, we the very people being taken for granted will turn around and applaud these same leaders as if we are comfortably joining the cue of pretense.

Anyway,wetin concern me self. God dey, we dey!

Let me pause here and wish the president a very successful tour.

Crucifying the sin, not the sinner!

Shalom!

ANANPANSAH BARTHOLOMEW ABRAHAM (AB)

(0241129910/0200704844)