Letter To All Politicians From Northern Ghana

I send you warmest greetings from the soils of Larabanga.I hope you heard the words of your colleague politician and the member of parliament for the Assin South constituency, Honourable Kennedy Agyepong about your attitude towards your brothers and sisters in your home(Northern Ghana). Anyway, if you have not heard, let me point it out to you. He stated that you northern politicians are greedy, selfish and do not lift us the young ones up. To confess, he has spoken the truth and that is your exact attitude towards us. Let me serve this notice to the tribal bigots among you whose political fortunes are tied to tribal sentiments and incitements that no matter how they attempt as they always do to incite us against him for saying those words will not yield any fruitful fruits because we no longer throw our weight behind politicians based on some trivialities. We now deal with concrete,competence and bread and butter issues. Besides, we know his words were directly directed to you and not all northerners and that he has boldly told you what we have been hiding from you people out of fear of intimidation.

Have you ever sat down and pondered over why he was able to spew out those words against you? He takes the same emoluments and entitlements with many of you as a politician but he can boast of paying for thousands of students' school fees in all the levels of education. Many of his constituents are now big time entrepreneurs and business tycoons all because of his efforts. He can pride of aiding many graduates who got employed into government and international agencies. Can we talk same about you people? It is a fact that some of you are doing very well especially the likes of Samuel Abu Jinapor, John Jinapor, Alhaji Limuna Muniru, Solomon Boar, Haruna Iddrisu, Alhaji Short, Alhaji Dagomba Boy, Chairman Samba, Alhaji Sulemana Yussif Ori, Prof. Zakaria Ahmed, Anthony Abayfa Karbor, Mohammed Amin Adam, Musah Superior, Dr. Braimah Clifford, Dr. Ziblim Iddi, Solomon Boar,Ambrose Dery, Ali Kassim, Saeed Muhazu Jibril, Abubakari Boniface Sadik, Rashid COP, Prof. Kalamonia among others in that arena.

Through their efforts many of the youth from the north were able to go to school and others gainfully employed in various departments and agencies of the government. However, majority of them are deliberately greedy and really do not want to push us the young ones up. Probably, they are of the view of that they stand stiffer competition from them in future when they help push them higher.Devoid of emotions and other considerations, I analysed his words and put them into perspective and realised that his words are the hard truth. Taking SADA as a case study, one will have no option than to conclusively conclude that we are our own enemies. I used SADA as a point of reference because it was a well thought out and calculated plan to develop the north and that all its board members, CEOs and administrative staff staff were all northerners.

This implies that its success or otherwise was dependent on us. Our own brothers in the centre of the policy misused that golden opportunity and SADA became a conduit for corruption by them. The policy that was orchestrated by a president from southern Ghana, Prof. Atta Mills of blessed memory and given out to only northerners to manage became a vehicle for amassing of wealth for our brothers who were in the helm of SADA and its purpose was defeated. The 15million Ghana Cedis SADA invested into guinea fowl production all went into the private pockets of our very people who were in charge of the project.

The 32,498 Cedis invested by SADA to plant 5million trees went down into the drains because only 700,000 trees were planted. The tractors that should have been given out to poor farmers on subsidized bases were taken over by yourselves and others given to their cronies who are not even interested in farming and hence they had to live them to the vagaries of the weather. Just move to their various houses and you will see these tractors packed for years without working.

I will want you all to sit down at a quiet and serene corner and judge yourself with his statements. Is it not true that many of you run to Accra to settle after winning elections and will only come back during electioneering period? Is it not true that many of you have put up very beautiful and nice buildings at Accra and other cities to the neglect of your home? Is it not true that all your companies and businesses are in Accra and other cities down south employing thousands of youth over there? Is it not a fact that after you are being advised or forced to put up a house in your home because of your status, you do it shabbily? To those of you who were and are still CEOs of parastatal agencies, ministers and chief directors of various ministries, how many of the northern youth have you helped to secure opportunities for with your portfolios? To those of you who were and are still ambassadors, high commissioners and special envoys to foreign countries, world bodies and their agencies, how many scholarships and job opportunities have you gotten for us the northern youth? I ask you these questions not because I am a tribal bigot but for the fact that many of you have always told us not to vote for political parties which are dominated by Akans for they are not out for our good and we have been listening to you. So why do you people always use us during elections and dumped us after winning? Can't you copy what your colleagues in southern Ghana do? It is better you know that your colleagues from Southern Ghana will never mince that opportunity to help their people when they have the chance to do so.

How many of you can boast of a single capital projects initiated and paid for yourself in your constituencies and various hometowns with all the monies you have amassed for the long period of time you have been into politics?Honourable Afenyo Markins who just recently joined politics have personally done a lot for the good people of Winneba. Last week, his name was in the news as having distributed 400 quality laptops for 400teachers in his constituency and also instituted a scholarship fund for teachers on further studies whiles in practice with a seed capital of 50,000Cedis. This scholarship fund is different from his usual one he has for students in the various levels of education.

In 2016,he presented 20 Hyundai buses to some drivers to be used for commercial purpose. This created jobs for people and helped boosted the local economy of Winneba. At the beginning of this year, we read a news item about the building of a divisional police headquarters at the Bekwai in the Ashanti region which was fully financed by the first deputy speaker of parliament and the MP for the Bekwai constituency, honourable Joseph Osei Owusu aka Joe Wise. Honourable Kennedy Agyepong in 2012 as part of his birthday celebration, presented a 110KV standby power generator to the Tamale Teaching Hospital valued at 58,000 cedis. He on that same day contributed 10,000 cedis to the Dakpema Educational Fund and promised to annually contribute to the fund which he has been doing.

I can give you countless of those help that your colleagues from Southern Ghana give out to their constituents but time and space will not allow me. I will end here by admonishing you to follow the footsteps of your colleagues from Southern Ghana. We actually know that their constituents benefit from them and therefore if they listen and follow whatever they tell them, they are right to do so. But some of you of the northern politicians will incite us against some political parties as being anti-northern and when we listen to you and give you the power, you turn your back on us.

We now know for a fact that those incitements are for your personal good and not the whole of the north. Better be served with the notice that we will no longer kowtow to that attitude from you. Let me thank Hon. Kennedy for making it possible to tell you this because he lifted the lid to the bowl. Assalamu Alaikum.

Your brother,
Iddi Adam Osman from Larabanga