TWO STEPS BACK OR A GALLOP IN MULTIPLE FOLDS FORWARD, GLYA IN PERSPECTIVE

TWO STEPS BACK OR A GALLOP IN MULTIPLE FOLDS FORWARD, GLYA IN PERSPECTIVE.

Great wisdom is not obvious, great merit is not advertised. It maybe easy to win a battle when you spot a subtle, but that doesn't take bravery or cleverness, for who calls it cleverness when a problem is solved before it gets formed or call it bravery when there is victory without a battle? The growth of my Kingdom isn't obviously dependent on the clever or the brave, but it surely depend on the will power, soft heart and the wisdom to carry the people along. 

Gonjaland is blessed with a vast land, although never was it gotten as a Freeby, our ancestors had to fight without compasses, microscopes, missiles or even war jaguars. Although our culture and traditions are been crowded out with sophisticated technology and greed, there is no doubt that we have one of the rich cultures in Ghana if not Africa. With this in mind, we need to take our stand as a people and ground it at where we can't lose.

Today the Gonjaland Youth Association is 40 years old. We have come a long way in finding tune our edges, through strategic positioning as an Association and lobbying. We have achieved a lot even with the obvious challenges, we have had very experienced but committed leaders who stood for our common good in the past. In the very recent past  we have had the feel of the leaderships of Chairman Ewura, Chairman Nyari and all their supporting executives. Their personalities, resourcefulness and their posture relative to our rights as a people have had very glaring but positive scars on our image.

GLYA today has one of the best executive committee if not the best so far. I am still young, perhaps I haven't had a personal touch with the past leaders, so my readers can forgive me for that, but from a very portrait view of our current arrangement, I can feel and see the commitment and dedication to duty of our current leadership ably led by Chairman  Alhassan Dramani.

Pursuant to this admission, what then do we want in our leadership in order to carry through our agenda as an Association? What do we look out for in our leadership especially in our chairman who carries the cross and has since been championing the course of this Association selflessly?

What does chairman Alhassan Dramani has in stock which we all need to rise in his support? Aside being resourceful, his readiness to commit these resources in getting the Association to run is no only gallantry, but also Godly. We have had instances where he had to personally foot the bills of GLYA without given a second thought or a blink. We have had instances where he personally funded GLYA key activities without calling for a refund in the future. This is the kind of  chairman we all are looking out for. Without ready resources, GLYA would become not only a white elephant, but an empty vessel.

Chairman Alhassan's personality is something we must equally watch. Not only is he gentle and calm but, his love for action and not plenty words to play to the gallery is worth applauding. There is no doubt that every Association needs someone with these qualities to take the front role, at least not only to get very quick results, but the image the said Association has to show to the cameras is very key in defining who we want the world to say we are. Appearances they say is notoriously deceptive, but very often, it does the magic for people. So the image of our Association must be seen in our leadership especially the Chairman who is the driver.

Once you seek to lead us, we must see some resemblance of a leader and a ticket in getting you the nod. How much have you done for your immediate community and Gonajland at large. This would actually tell your story as to what we should expect from you. It is no secret that, Chairman Dramani has singlehandedly executed very key projects within and without his immediate community. I am  not the only one saying this but, the physical testimonies in the form of dams, school infrastructure,  payment of school fees and a host of other projects he over the period have had to handle without cross checking what his account balance is the story we all testify to. One clear example is the recent dam project at Manful, it was all joy when the story broke out. What do we look out for again, if we have such a leader?

The relationship between his administration and the chiefs who are the custodians of our land and tradition has been the best. Yes, we have had some few disagreements,  but that in itself is a mark of progress, because we disagree in order to agree on the common good. They swiftness with which his administration handles chieftaincy or land issues is beautiful. The case in Kpotor is still fresh in our memories.

There is stiff competition out there, groups clamouring for recognition and the limited national cake, and so we need a chairman who has a deep and far - reaching strategy which can gain much calculations in order to fight the battle of the mind. Going in for someone with shallow thinking and near - sighted, then we will be left with no option than to fight with one eye closed and one limb broken. Sun Tzu puts it right in his book "The Art of War", "victorious warriors win first before going to the war front, while defeated warriors go to war first before they seek to win". We need a leader who knows what he wants and how to get it and not a leader who seel to lead before defining his strategy.

GONJALAND YOUTH ASSOCIATION DESERVES A CHAIRMAN WITH A PERSONALITY WHICH CANNOT BE CALLED TO QUESTION, AND THAT CHAIRMAN IS OBVIOUSLY ALHASSAN DRAMANI.

I am but a distant observer and a concern member of this association, who's watching happenings from a portrait view point. Don't mind me, I am just testing my my campaigns arsenals. I am not interested in any position, but I am very much interested in the positioning of GLYA after the Kpembi Congress.

ISSIFU SEIDU KUDUS

Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

THE GONJALAND NDC YOUTH CAUCUS

RE: PRESIDENT JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA SIDELINES AKYEMS IN HIS GOVERNMENT.

The chieftency institution is so revered in Africa and for that matter Ghana so much so that, a Chief in a village is much more like a small god. If there is any such institution which still has the respect of the people, there is none other than the chieftaincy institution. But for whatever reasons, some of our chiefs have decided to wade into the murky waters of partisan politics thereby throwing away the very ethics and principles of this enviable institution.

We wouldn't want to bore our readers with numerous examples of some of those statements surprisingly made by some revered chiefs some of which hold the danger of degenerating into chaos in Ghana. The Rwadan genocide didn't start in 1994, it started decades before building up to that point where just a comment was needed to spark the fire.

These supposed ethnocentric comments didn't start  today, even during president John Agyekum Kufuor's regime, similar comments which nearly broke into pieces the Ashante Kingdom were made. Although the Akyems and Ashantes had that longstanding conflict as to who should dominate in the internal politics of the NPP,  It took President Kufours leadership to manage those raging sentiments.

In a durbar of chiefs at the just ended Okyeman Congress in the Akyem - Abuakwa state, the Okyehene couldn't hide his feelings for President John Dramani Mahama. He subtly incited his people against the president and the NDC government. In his words, the Okyehene said amongst other things that, the president has sidelined the Akyems in his government and that has translated into underdevelopment in the Akyem - Abuakwa state. He emphasised that the prominent Akyem member today is unemployed, so he implored his tribesmen to consider their own blood in whatever decision they have to make today and in future. This implied in simple terms; consider your own Nana Addo first, because he is your tribe mate before all others.

We respectfully would want to remind our revered Okyehene that, an appointment into government isn't an end in itself, if it were, the roads, water facilities, schools, markets, health facilities etc, which are springing up in the Eastern Region and for that matter the Akyem - Abuakwa state would have been done long ago when their main bread winner (Nana Addo) was a cabinet minister for seven wasted years in the erstwhile president Kufour's government. What monumental achievement can he boast of in the Akyem - Abuakwa state with all the influence as a cabinet minister and a Member of Parliament for 12 wasted years?

We again beg to disagree with the Okyehene on his straightforward statement that "we don't have anybody who speaks for us in this government today." We cannot say he lied, but we respectfully beg to differ. In president John Mahama's government,  the following from the Akyem - Abuakwa state have been appointed, unless they have not fallen in the list of his (Okyehene's) preferred list:

1. Hon Julius Debrah (Chief of Staff, Suhum, Akyem - Abuakwa)
2. Hon Mrs Marrietta Brew Oppong (Minister of Justice and Attorney General,  Akwatia)
3. H.E Victor Smith (Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Kukurantumi)
4. Hon Ofosu Ampofo (Board Chairman, GHAPOHA)
5. Hon Dr Apea Kubi (Board Member, ECG, Akyem-Achiase)
6. Nana Adusei Peasah (Regional Lands Commissioner)
7. Hon Mavis Ama Frimpong (Deputy Regional Minister,Abirem)

If appointments could translate into development by whatever definition, then the Mahama led administration can boast that the above mentioned personalities were not appointed for nothing, because they have the following to boast of as achievements under H.E John Mahama:

1. Suhum-Amankesem road
2. Kyebi township roads
3. Kade township roads (ongoing)
4. Kwafokrom-Apedwa road and it's south bound carriageway
5. Adomi bridge (completed)
6. Adeise-Asamankese road
7. Kpong water project
8. Kyebi township water facility
9. Begoro Central Market (completed)
10. New-Tafo township roads

The above mentioned are but a few. These have not taken into account the numerous health facilities and classroom blocks across the length and breadth of the Eastern Region of which the Akyem - Abuakwa state is a part of. This does not also include the Community Day Senior High Schools that the region has including the Akyem - Abuakwa state, not even the over 100 communities which have been connected to the national grid, not the proposed University for the only region left to have a public university (Eastern Region).

We respect, revere and adore our chieftaincy institution in Gonjaland so much so that, we never for once pray that it should dip it's image so deep into partisan politics, because that is the last institution standing to ensure peaceful coexistence if all others should fail.

Interestingly this unfortunate ethnocentric comments didn't come in isolation. We recall somewhere 2015, Hon Yaw Osarfo Marfo made these same unfortunate comments. In his stead, he didn't understand why President Mahama should be allowed to rule this country when indeed his region neither produced gold nor cocoa. It simply meant that,  Dr Mahmoud Bawumia,  the two times defeated running mate of the NPP has no business seeking to lead the NPP and for that matter Ghana, since he is equally from the "empty" northern region where President Mahama comes from. This was not only unfortunate, but had the tendency of sparking chaos. Sadly, these same chiefs from the Akyem - Abuakwa at one point had a ceremony where libation was poured, calling on the ancestors of the land to make Nana Addo a president at all cost. So we feel that, the most recent statement by the Okyehene is just but emphasis drawing its spirit and guide from the aforementioned instances.

It is worthy to note that, if appointments meant anything to a group of people in Ghana, then, the very land the president was born into would have lost its voice out of incessant cries. That very land H.E president John Dramani Mahama was born, bathed in our steams and drank from our pot and calabash, today can't boast of a single cabinet minister, but Mrs Marrietta Brew Oppong is a cabinet minister from Akwatia in the Akyem - Abuakwa land. Should we tear the president apart because his own clansmen do not sit side - by - side with him during decision making in cabinet? Would it be justified for us to also say we don't have a voice in the Mahama led government? But in the midst of all these, we can still boast of development projects across the length and breadth of Gonjaland, not to mention the Fufulso-Damongo-Sawla road among others.

In conclusion, we call on Nana Addo to admonish his tribesmen to desist from ethnocentric comments because Ghana cannot afford to be torn apart simply because some people are supposedly born to lead but nature decided otherwise.

God Bless Our Homeland, Ghana.

Thank you

Working committee:
Issifu Seidu Kudus (0244198031)
Rauf Adam              (0243084110)
Don Haruna Nnibo (0205521261)
Emmanuella Musah (0244051992)

MAHAMA FIRES NKRUMAH'S BOMBS.

If Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah knew that one of his loyal servants, E.A Mahama had a son of his resemblance, I guess he would have offered him a buttered loaf than the dough nut. I hope you can spot this resemblance in the duo?

Countries indeed develop on the heels of visionary leadership. Visionary leaders are hard to come by and more often, they get jostled out just for political expediency. Some get their fingers soiled in the process as a result, they get fissile out of the political race.