$25m allocation to SADA is a political gimmick; group declares
The Northern Youth for Peace and Development [NYUPED] has threatened to hit the streets and push the government to release the GHS 200 million it promised for the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) instead of the paltry $ 25 million approved by the President.
The group stated in a press release that irrespective of a directive by the President for the release of $ 25 million to SADA, it would soon embark on a peaceful demonstrations because the directive was just a mere political gimmick far short of what the President promised in his 2008 campaign.
The statement, signed by Executive Director of NYUPED, Prince Hardi Adams noted that President Mills promised to release an initial GHS 200million for the implementation of the SADA and subsequently release GHS 100 million a year into it, so the latest monetary allocation was nowhere near what the president promised.
It noted that the people of the three northern regions were not happy with the way the government was handling SADA and that was why they refused to welcome the civil society consultative forums.
“There is no doubt that the so-called $25 million directive and the forums are not what the people are yearning for – all that the people are asking for is the immediate release of the GHS 200 million and subsequent GHS 100 million a year for the SADA implementation,” they said.
The statement said the northern youth were ready to prove to the world that the people of the north were now awake and they would not continue to bow to the deceptive ways of politicians.
“NYUPED believe that it is unfortunate that politicians still do not recognize their responsibilities to the people, but rather continue to lie and deceive the vulnerable,” they said.
The statement said NYUPED would soon announce the date for their first peaceful demonstration in the Northern Region, followed by the Upper East and Upper West Regions.