I am also Canteen Yaaro - Mahama reveals

Ex-president John Dramani Mahama has said he is a Canteen Yaaro and proud to associate with Canteen Yaara.

He made this stunning revelation at the grand durbar of the 2018 second homecoming event of the Canteen Yaara Development Association(CAYDA) held at the Canteen Central Park in the West Gonja District of the soon to be declared Savannah Region.

The former president was in the district with the MP of Damongo constituency, hon. Adam Mutawakilu to observe the voting process towards the creation of the proposed Savannah Region after casting his vote in the Bole District and paid a surprise visit to the youth group. This was after the MP who was in his company had sought for permission to grace the event, since, he was scheduled to launch the Educational Fund of the association.

The former president opted to accompany the MP and stated at the occasion that he was born at the West Gonja Catholic Hospital which is located in Canteen and that qualifies him as a Canteen Yaaro.

"Canteen Yaaro" is a special colloquial phrase coined out of "Canteen Hausa"...'Canteen Hausa' is the Pidgin version of the standard Hausa Language and 'Canteen Yaaro' within the 'Canteen Hausa' context means "Youth" with no specific age limit.

The ex-president did the association an honour by presenting awards to two students who emerged best in Canteen J.H.S. Block A and Canteen J.H.S. Block B in last year's BECE. The students, Dirbe Peter and Mohammed Hadi who are both currently pursuing General Science at the S.H.S, obtained aggregate 16 and 17 respectively.

The award package which was put together by CAYDA is to serve as a motivation to the subsequent batches and to celebrate the collective victory of a significant improvement made in the 2017 BECE results as compared to the 2016 results, Ananpansah B Abraham,the Secretary of CAYDA-Educom(Canteen Yaara Development Association Educational Committee) revealed in an interview on PAD FM.

All students who participated in an earlier quiz competition, as well as their individual school's, took home standard textbooks as prizes.

The quiz session which was led by Chief Abdallah Tolodompewura Mornoh and supported by Ananpansah B Abraham saw Canteen J.H.S. Block B coming first with a total of 16 points, followed closely by St. Anne's J.H.S. Block A who obtained 11.5 points,St. Anne's J.H.S. Block B placed third with a total of 9 points whilst Canteen J.H.S. Block B occupied the fourth position with a total of 8 points.

The Member of Parliament in launching the fund pledged an amount of Ghc2000 on behalf of the former president for CAYDA Education and Development Fund. He further promised to donate Ghc5000 annually into the fund starting from 2019.

In a similar light, prof. Addah Wesseh, a Canteen Yaaro and a product of Canteen J.H.S. have pledged to provide free hostel accommodation to any female student from Canteen who gains admission into UDS, Nyankpala campus.

In a keynote address read on his behalf by Mr Sulemana Nyadia, a Canteen Yaaro, the DCE lauded the association for the initiative and promised to support the association in its bid to augment the developmental pursuit of the assembly.

He said the government was passionate about the education of the youth; evident in its policy of Free S.H.S. among others and this resonates with the theme for CAYDA 2018 homecoming event.

Mr.Albert Diwura Kassimu, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Ghana Export Promotion Council and a Canteen Yaaro was full of applauds for the association and the organizers of the homecoming event. Whilst pledging his continuous support for the association, he prayed for unity of purpose and the strength to strength growth of the group.

Dr Raphael Ayizanga, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, and a product of Canteen, encouraged the youth and students to take their studies very seriously, adding that, education holds the key to unlocking potentials.

Lawyer Baba S. Zankawa who delivered a speech on behalf of the association said the association, which started in 2017, is barely two years in existence but has chalked a lot of successes, especially in the area of education.

He highlighted major developmental challenges facing the community and how CAYDA was positioning itself to tackle those challenges.

The entire program which was covered by Ghanaweb's Ananpansah B Abraham and Asansan TV was live on PAD FM.

The chairman for the occasion was chief Cletus Zume(Zeus).

In attendance also were: youth, chiefs and people of Canteen, Canteen Yaara resident in the diaspora, Alhassan Darison; the 2013 National Best Farmer, Madam Felicia Kraja; National Women Commissioner of the Gonjaland Youth Association,Rev.Fr.Clement Aapegnua of CECOTAPS ad infinitum.

Source:Ananpansah B Abraham(AB)