What Will You Gain If You Finally Succeed In Igniting A Conflict, Mr. Emmanuel Gulari?

Konkonbas and Mamprusis have lived in peace and harmony for only God knows how long. There is that mutual respect and understanding between these two tribes which has shaped the relationship between them. Konkonbas are peace-loving, hardworking and intelligent people, traits that even their worse critics will admit to. In Mamprugu for instance, the Nayiri who is the overlord of the kingdom has openly spoken many times of his admiration of Konkonbas, their industry and truthfulness. There are some Mamprusi settlements like Yunyoo where it is impossible to find individuals without Konkonba blood in them because of the inter-ethnic marriages between the Mamprusis and the Konkonbas dwelling in the area.

This explain why many Mamprusis will even refer to people of Yunyoo and other Mamprusi settlements in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo district as Konkonbas. In reality, it is the peaceful coexistence and inter-tribal marriages that has ‘broken the Berlin Wall’ between these two tribes and narrowed their balkanization. A lot of Mamprusis speak the Konkonba dialect and the vice-versa is also true. A Konkonba funeral is never complete without delegations from Mamprusis and the reverse is equally a truism.

Recently, there have been attempts to defile this enviable bond existing between Konkonbas and Mamprusis for personal interest trumpeted in the name of the collective, group or tribal interest. At the forefront championing this sacrilege is Mr. Emmanuel Gulari, who until today was the president of the Konkonba Students Union (Konsu). Mr. Gulari in the course of his tenure as president fanned tribal sentiments and fed untruths to unsuspecting Konkonbas about being neglected and cheated by their ‘nephews’-the Mamprusis. That I have the piece of mind to still type this is owed largely to the sagely admonitions of Konkonba chiefs against his quest for blood to be spilled for the capital of the Yunyoo-Nasuan district to be sited in Namongo, the hometown of his benefactors.

This ‘gentleman’ has used unprintable words on the Vice-President and the Minister of Local Government for failing to “manipulate” (courtesy Mr. Emmanuel Gulari’s interview granted to Diamond FM in Tamale) ‘documents’ to make Namongo the district capital of the newly created Yunyoo-Nasuan district assembly. There are more than enough audio recordings of him calling the Second Gentleman of the Republic and the honorable minister of Local Government and Rural Development names, and disrespecting the offices they occupy; their crime being that they are Mamprusis and coincidentally, Yunyoo, which is currently a sub-district of the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo assembly has been carved out of the old district to become the Yunyoo-Nasuan district assembly, with Yunyoo as capital. Mr. Gulari, who I believe is enlightened, or at least understands the criteria for the creation of districts knows very well that tribal considerations do not count as a factor but played on it and issued threats of violence and unspeakable mayhem if he wasn’t listened to, and Namongo made the capital of the new district. In fact, there were insidious moves to carry out these threats.

Majority of Konkonbas were however not on his side and therefore kicked against violence. During that period, there were gunshots, burning of houses belonging to Mamprusis and interception of a cache of arms allegedly bound for Namongo, the likes of which triggers memories of the notorious Pablo Escobar and all the atrocities he committed. In the interregnum, the people of Yunyoo turned to ‘refugees’ and slept in the bush for fear of being attacked by Gulari and his people.

Thanks to God, he failed on this score because as stated earlier, Konkonbas are peace-loving and intelligent people. They read between the lines and realized that they could not sacrifice the peace and unity existing between Mamprusis and Konkonbas to fight a proxy war for Gulari who by now they realized was a lackey. The new district assembly, unlike Mr. Gulari want us to believe, is created as part of government’s efforts to deepen decentralisation and bring development to the doorsteps of all affected communities and not just the district capital. There was no manipulation at all by anyone to favor any community. What the MLGRD did was in line with the law, standard practices and conventions.

Be it known that this same gentleman nearly kindled a bloody war between his village and their neighbors not long ago in the District Assembly elections. He lost an assembly election and tried to twist the results in his favor after realizing his faith. The margin of his defeat was so huge that it was unfathomable to people of his electoral area why he should declare himself the winner of the elections with frivolous excuses that irregularities had taken place in the polling station of his main contender. But for the timely intervention of a combined army and police team, Gulari would have succeeded in causing a serious war between his village and their neighbors.

He who does not learn from history repeats the mistakes of yesteryears. Today, Mr. Gulari has been unseated as the president of Konsu and he is roping in innocent people and levelling bogus allegations against them. How on earth will anyone with his senses intact accuse the Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama of interfering in elections she has no knowledge of or interest in? She is not a Konkonba and neither is she a student. The only interest she has in Konkonbas is to bring development to those of them in her constituency and by extension the generality of Ghanaians. This explains why it was in her time as MP that the Kanchina bridge was constructed, several schools built in Konkonba communities like Gbangdaa and Gbintiri etc.

The Gbintiri market, one of the biggest markets in the northern region was built out of her initiative and funding. Currently, she has lobbied for the construction of the Nalerigu-Gbintiri road to ease transportation of goods and services in the Konkonba communities which has found expression in the 2018 budget. She is currently concluding modalities to empower the Konkonba youth and women groups in the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency. Already, some key appointments have been given to Konkonbas since she got elected as MP and subsequently appointed as minister. All these is because of her genuine love for Konkonba people and her keen interest in their development. Per our understanding of Konsu, it is not a political grouping, and honestly, Mr. Gulari is having an exaggerated importance of himself. Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama does not remember his name or ever having an interaction with him. She does not also know any of the other aspirants who contested with, and subsequently defeated him in the elections. This whole thing about the honourable minister bringing Bimobas to vote in Konsu elections in order to unseat him defies elementary logic.

Why Bimobas? Which Bimoba in his or her senses will risk his/her life to do such a thing in a Konkonba town very remote from any Bimoba community, knowing the fragile relationship that exist between Konkonbas and Bimobas? Is Konsu, which under normal circumstances should be the intellectual bank of Konkonbas so bereft of ideas that will put security measures in place to prevent non-Konsu members from voting? How did Hajia Alima suddenly acquire membership for these so-called Bimobas who voted against Mr. Gulari at a time he, Mr Gulari was the president of the union? Could anyone just walk in and vote? If Hajia was interested in using a DCE to interfere in the elections, why didn’t she use the East Mamprusi DCE? After all, the congress was held in the East Mamprusi district and not Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo district. Mr Gulari claimed that Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama and Hon. Oscar Liwal brought thousands of people to the congress in cargo trucks (sic), did they bring them in person or the people that came informed him (Gulari) that they (Hon. Alima and Hon. Oscar) brought them?

We are quite convinced that there is a grand plot to rope the Hon. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development into every misfortune that befalls you or that your intentionally create, even if that include getting kicked out from the position that gave you prominence and made you a ‘toast’ of the media for the bad news you sell to them, which sells faster. The good Lord has been merciful and protective of Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama. Try as you may, her integrity and resolve remain unshaken and intact. She will continue to discharge her constitutional duties without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. That is not however to encourage you to continue in that tangent. You must learn to respect other people’s rights in expression yours. Your agenda to give Hon. Hajia Alima Mahama bad publicity has not worked and will not work for Allah is ever defensive of the innocent.

My friendly advice to Mr. Gulari is that speaking to the media and levelling baseless and unsubstantiated allegations do not make you an intellectual and neither do fanning bigotry make you a patriot. There are big men out there always preying on the vulnerabilities of young men and women like us to front their interest. The value of our education is being able to decipher the ones that are noble and conscionable from the repugnant, divisive and self-centered ones. Your ability to stand up to these leeches and reject their tempting offers is what makes you truly enlightened, patriotic and God-fearing. Our conscience is always the best judge, it will judge all of us sooner or later.

It is a new year, flip a new page Mr. Emmanuel Gulari!!!

Simon Suayam