Gyimah Must Apologise To Dagbon

Residents in Dagbon have called on the Council Chairman of the University of Development Studies, Mr. Daniel Gyimah to render an unqualified apology to the people of the area.

This follows Mr. Gyimah's assertion that he cancelled a ceremony by the UDS to confer on Former President Rawlings an honorary doctorate degree because of security threats especially in Tamale.

Mr. Gyimah's reason for the canceling the ceremony has not gone down well with people of the area.

Callers into various radio stations in Tamale said Mr Gyimah's assertion show that Dagbon especially Tamale is still a volatile and no-go area.

Speaking about the issue on Radio Justice Focus on the North, the Youth Programmer Officer for SEND Foundation Ghana, Amadi Ibrahim Zacharia said Mr. Gyimah declaration has thwarted the mass effort put in place to redeem the image of Dagbon as a no peace zone in the country as it is being perceived by others especially those in the Southern part of the country.

He said the implication of this is that investors who have packed out of the region as result of unfortunate conflict in the area and potential ones who are considering coming back because of some amount of peace realised in Dagbon would think twice.

This according to him is because Mr. Gyimah had ostensibly informed the investors that Dagbon and Tamale are still volatile and no investor is safe.

Other panelist on the programme cautioned the Chronicle a private newspaper in Accra to be circumspect in its reportage in order for the people not to declare it an enemy to the development of the area.

They were referring to the paper's publication under the caption “Rawlings Award Creates Tension In Tamale”. The story referred to submission by callers into radio station in Tamale.

They question why Accra and other parts of the country are not labeled as tension areas when callers into radio stations express their opinions on any matter. The panelist and callers in radio station in Tamale warned media practitioners especially in Accra to go by the tenets of their profession and not sow seeds of rancor stigmatize and polarize some parts of the country.