Group Bare Teeth At Nana Addo Over Creation Of Eastern Corridor Region

The Eastern Corridor Citizens’ Coalition, a group made up of representatives from all the major ethnic groups in the Eastern Corridor enclave such as Dagombas, Nanumbas, Konkombas, Basaris, and Nawuris have expressed their disappointments in President AkufoAddo’sdelay in showing commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise on the creation of an Eastern Corridor Region.

Speaking at a news conference in Accra, the Chairman of the group, Dr. Bernard B.B. Bingab said the then candidate Nana Addo-DankwaAkufoAddo is on record to have promised the people of the Eastern Corridor enclave the creation of Eastern Corridor Region (ECR) out of the existing Northern Region.

He noted that several petitions have been sent to President Nana Addo-DankwaAkufoAddo from chiefs and other groups from the Eastern Corridor enclave for the creation of the Eastern Corridor Region.

“Unfortunately, Mr. President is yet to act on these petitions to set the processes for the creation of the region in motion, though we are aware of similar petitions against the creation of the said region,” Dr Bernard stated.

Read Full Statement Below:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE EASTERN CORRIDOR CITIZENS’ COALITION (ECCC) ON THE PETITION FOR THE CREATION OF EASTERN CORRIDOR REGION ON March 22, 2018.

We bring to the attention of the general public and particularly the indigenes and inhabitants of people within the eastern corridor enclave of the Northern Region that, a Coordinating Team referred to as EASTERN CORRIDOR CITIZENS’ COALITION (ECCC), comprise of the major ethnic groups have been set up to liaise with government and all other stakeholders in respect of the petition to the President of the Republic, HE Nana Addo-DankwaAkufoAddo, on the creation of the Eastern Corridor Region.

One of the flagship projects of the two leading political parties in Ghana (the NDC and the NPP) prior to the 2016 General Elections as captured in their manifestos was the creation of new administrative regions out of the existing 10 regions of Ghana. Indeed then candidate Nana Addo-DankwaAkufoAddo is on record to have promised the people of the Eastern Corridor enclave the creation of Eastern Corridor Region (ECR) out of the existing Northern Region.

Several petitions have been sent to President Nana Addo-DankwaAkufoAddo from chiefs and other groups from the Eastern Corridor enclave for the creation of the Eastern Corridor Region. Unfortunately, Mr. President is yet to act on these petitions to set the processes for the creation of the region in motion, though we are aware of similar petitions against the creation of the said region.

We the Eastern Corridor Citizens’ Coalition (ECCC) for and on behalf of our people would like to express our deep concern for the apparent lack of effort on the part of government to act on these petitions calling for the creation of the proposed region. As a Coalition with representatives from all the major ethnic groups in the Eastern Corridor enclave, including Dagombas, Nanumbas, Konkombas, Basaris, and Nawuris, we feel the sentiments of our people and the disappointment in the President’s delay in showing commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise.

Reference to the 1992 Constitution of Ghana article 5 (1) and (3), the President is vested with the power on regional creation. Especially, clause (1) of article 5.With a total landmass of about 70,384 square kilometers constituting nearly one-third of the total land mass of Ghana, effective administration and development of the Northern Region has been a herculean task over the decades and has reflected in the region’s political, economic and socio-cultural underdevelopment.

Most of the twenty-six (26) Districts in the region, especially those in the Eastern Corridor enclave are very far from Tamale, the Regional capital. Coupled with a very poor road network and extremely poor transportation system, the people of the Eastern Corridor enclave go through untold hardships on a daily basis in accessing services that are located in the regional capital. The chronic underdevelopment also means poor access to educational, economic and health facilities.

The majority of the people of the proposed region (ECR) are farmers mostly into crop cultivation such as yam, guinea corn, maize, millet, rice, soya beans and the rearing of farm animals including cattle, sheep, goats and poultry which form a major source of income and revenue for the local government. Despite these resource, the people of the Eastern Corridor of the Northern Region are among the poorest in the country.

The under development of the area accounts for several social problems of the youth such as mass school dropouts, rural-urban migration to southern Ghana and the neighbouring countries (Togo, Burkina Faso and Nigeria) to engage in menial economic activities such as head potters, child labour and other degrading activities.

The misery of the people of this enclave stand in spite of its vast economic potential, as it is endowed with vast arable lands, mineral deposits such as the iron ore at Sheini, water bodies to boost fishing and water transport (the Oti, Dakar rivers) as well as irrigation to facilitate farming all year round.

The proposed region is equally endowed with tourist sites. If the high tourism potential of the region is fully tapped it would create a lot of employment opportunities as well as be a major foreign exchange earner to the country. Some of the tourism potentials are the graveyard of fallen Germans in Yendi during the Dagbon-German wars, graves and tombs of historical personalities of Dagbon and Nanung such as Baba Ato (in Yendi) and Gmantambo, the founder of the Nanung Kingdom, the fallen warriors of Dagombas and Konkombas at Adibo near Yendi, the Kukuo Witches Shrine in the Nanumba North District, the Russian Camp Waterfalls, the Crocodile Pond at Kandin, the Tikpirah Sacred Grove, the Hanging Stone at Shieni all in Zabzugu and Tatale areas, and the Ox Bow Lake at Saboba among others. With the creation of the Eastern Corridor Region, developing these areas to boost the economy of the people of the Eastern Corridor enclave by providing jobs, revenue and foreign exchange to the local and national economies will become much easier.

Indeed, the need to split the Northern Region for the overall wellbeing of the people has been recognised by various bodies and stakeholders long before it became a campaign promise of the two leading political parties. Some of these include the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, Northern Regional Ministers and Members of Parliament from the Region. The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, for instance, identified the need for the Eastern Corridor Region in its policy document.

Thus, the Coalition would like to reiterate the need for the creation of the Eastern Corridor Region which is dear to the chiefs, opinion leaders, the youth and business people in the Eastern Corridor enclave.

We wish to humbly appeal to the President of the Republic to give a serious consideration to our petition for the creation of Eastern Corridor Region from the current Northern Region. We assure him of the massive support of the people of the Eastern corridor enclave for the creation of this Region, and pledge to mobilize ourselves to give a massive vote in favour of the creation of the Region should a referendum be called on it.

The Coordinating Team wishes to accept the responsibility and urge all concern to exercise maximum restrain while we engage all stakeholders under the subject. In the meantime, series of activities have been proposed to up our game towards the realization of the request to the President of the Republic. We call on the entire populace within the concerned territory to proof our wealth when call upon for this important exercise.

We further wish to assure the President and his entire government of our resolve to embrace this regional creation and reorganization policy through sensitization and engagement of our people. As a people, we believe that, this is the single most important policy that will bridge the poverty gap between us and similar enclaves within Ghana.

Thank you
SGD
Dr. B. B. B. Bingab
Chair
Coalition Members:
Name, Contact, Representing
Dr. B. B. B. Bingab(Chair) – 0504230425-Konkombas

Dr. FuseiniHudu(Secretary) – 0205446158-Dagombas

Mr Toni J. C. Bakawu - 0277726872 -Basares
Lawyer Abdul-RahamanMahama– 0504805236-Nanumbas

Dr. Abdul-HuseinIshaq - Dagombas
Mr. HarunaAbdulai - Nanumbas
Mr. Anthony Ntiador - Konkombas
Mr. Seth N. Baala - Basares