RE: DAMONGO IS UNFIT TO HOST THE SAVANNAH REGIONAL CAPITAL

RE: DAMONGO UNFIT TO HOST THE SAVANNAH REGIONAL CAPITAL.

By Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese
0244198031
email: skseidu_14@yahoo.com

Let me begin by apologizing to the Overlord of Gonjaland, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Sulemana Jakpa Boresa I, His Royal Highness, Jira Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II (the Vice President of the Gonjaland Traditional Council), the Kpembewura and all the chiefs and revered Traditional leaders of Gonjaland who were present at the maiden Savannah Region stakeholders meeting held in Damongo on the 12th of January 2019 at the instance of the Overlord himself. I am apologizing because we were restraint from barking like others. And as they say, when two dogs are fighting over a bone, the one that has the bone in it’s mouth doesn’t bark. But in our case now, the other “dog” is not only barking because it doesn’t  have the bone in the mouth but it’s also biting.

So I am taking this risk to respond to the many needless articles and press conferences put together by many a son from Kpembe which on the face value reads as though they were just ordinary opinions expressed by some exuberant youth but with a third eye, one can see a clear scheme with heavy hands beneath and pulling the political strings to heed their “selfish” calls.

The Overlord on the 12th of January, 2019 made a declaration as the chief petitioner and the landlord of Gonjaland to the effect that Damongo was the proposed regional capital of the yet to be constituted Savannah Region. His declaration was applauded by all sons and daughters present at the occasion with the Kpembewura himself clapping to remotely endorse the decision. We all know the Yagbonwura could not make such a declaration without consultations across Gonjaland. The Overlord’s declaration was never in isolation since available records prove that Dr Braimah Clifford, the MD for Ghana Water Company Limited and a son from Kpembe(East Gonja) led the crusade for Damongo to be made the regional capital when the Technical Committee visited Damongo for the hearing. He substantially made the case and stated reasons backed by facts as to why Damongo should be made the regional capital as contained in the petition submitted by the Yagbonwura.

Just some few hours after the exit of the Overlord at the program to make way for Jira Buipewura to coordinate the second session, the Laison Officer, Mr Iddi who is supposed to serve as a strategic arbiter in times like this made some unfortunate remarks seeking to show down the traditional authority of the petitioner (Yagbonwura) in his declaration. Mr Iddi subtly told the Yagbonwura that he doesn’t have any such authority over all of us and that the decision to choose a regional capital was a political exercise than a traditional declaration. He went further to state that Damongo is caught up in the chieftaincy disputes in Gonjaland and on that leg, it should be disqualified. As unfortunate as his comments were which showed a high level of insubordination to the Overlord, they seem to be taken shape back home in East Gonja where he comes from.

Need I remind Mr Iddi and some of the people of Kpembe that the chieftaincy disputes in Damongo or Bole are not the sole responsibility of the people of Damongo or Bole but that of Gonjaland including Kpembe. Ndewura Jakpa in his struggles never discriminated amongst his people. He taught them to be collectively responsible to anything that befalls them. That is why when the 1992-94 war erupted in Kpembe Traditional Area the people of Damongo didn’t fold their arms and look on for Kpembe alone to battle it out. In fact, the scars and memories of this war still live with the people of Gonjaland including Damongo. Brave warriors and chiefs from Damongo fell and families were rendered impotent as a result. Mbonwura Jimah who was known across Gonjaland fell in this war when he led the Damongo warriors to that war. Canteenwura, Issah Chairman, Abulai Mapurdoh all fell along with the lead warrior in this battle. These are painful accounts which still cause tears to flow anytime they come up. At the time, it was as if the War was in Damongo. Today, the same land we fought for and lost great warriors and chiefs has been silently lost (not captured under Savannah Region). The  entire Gonjaland had to swallow a very flimsy explanation from the people of Kpembe as to why we lost Kpandai. It is said in the Gonja parlance that “when the eyes mourn the nose doesn’t cast glances and smiles but joins in the mourning”. We are equally losing lands on the Salaga North stretch which shares boundary with Tamale south Constituency. That is part of East Gonja...or?

Why is Kpembe quiet on the economic lands and activities it’s losing along the Abrumase area? Shouldn’t that engage their energies? What happened when ballot boxes were sent to those areas during the referendum? Are we sweeping all those under the carpet!

Yes, I admit that Damongo has chieftaincy dispute so as Bole and other areas. Is that enough a justification for this unfortunate but selfish move by some people in East Gonja? Maybe I should remind the writers and their patrons that Kafaba was almost in ashes. There were shootouts in Kafaba which led to the death of sons and daughters of the land. Is Kafaba not part of East Gonja Municipal? Or they are telling us that aside the Municipal Capital in Salaga all the surrounding communities which still fall under the watch of East Gonja DISEC can go to war and kill themselves? When you throw a stone while standing by a glass house, you need to exercise extreme caution.

Interestingly, the writers and their unseen patrons do selective analysis of issues. If chieftaincy disputes were a key factor in this exercise then the capital of Ghana should be moved to Kumasi or Volta instead of Accra. Since the demise of Boni Nii Amugi in 2004, the position of Ga Mantse has been in dispute with competing claimants to the stool. Just in 2018, three people emerged to claim the Ga Mantse title. Meanwhile there are four royal gates which ascend the Ga Mantse (Teiko Tsuru We, Amugi We, Abola Piam We and Tackie Kommey We). All of these gates except Tackie Kommey have been battling to ascend the throne since the late Boni Nii passed. We have experienced couple of reprisal attacks from these gates. In fact, these issues are still in courts and not seeing an end soon per the available information.

Today’s Tamale was a city which was well planned and executed. Tamale wasn’t a big time city with all the available social amenities before the Capital was moved from Gambaga in the then Northern Territories to Tamale. If you read a paper titled: The History of Tamale, 1907-1957 and Beyond... by one Wyatt MacGaffey and subsequently published by Historical Society of Ghana, you would realize that several  separate villages including Choggu, Changli, Nashegu, Bulpiela etc were pieced together in a well designed city planned by the Urban Council chaired by one Ebenezer Adam. At the time (1954), the place we now call the city of Tamale was filled with Centuries-old Swish round buildings with thatch roofs. In fact, one of the major challenges of the then Urban Council in putting together this modern day  Tamale plan was the title to land (check the history of Dapkema and the Tindanas of Dagbon). With all these, how then would anybody think that Damongo should have it all before it can host the capital? Non of the above had/has it all even as we grow as a country.

Mr Laison Officer, you lost it that day and your remarks are a betrayal of trust as enshrined in your terms of engagement as a Laison Officer. Or you feel it’s a political position so as usual the partisan persuasions will make the way other than logic? Are you not supposed to be responsible in the coordination of multiple opinions, incidents and any such issues that will see the realization of the dreams of the people of Gonjaland and the government in the Savannah Region? You rather chose your hometown (Kpembe) over the interest of Gonjaland in this?

Now to the most unfortunate but weird arguments advance by some of the people of East Gonja including the patrons and the clients; They claim that Damongo doesn’t  have enough or if you like better road network. Quiet weird of an arguments. Which road leads one to the capital of East Gonja from Tamale (the major stretch). That main road is more of a death trap. In fact, the number of accidents recorded on that road only the short period within the rainy season in 2018 are countless. In short, there is no tarred road leading one to the capital of East Gonja. But the 147.5Km road from Fufulso through Damongo to Sawla links two regions (NR and UWR). The road came with ancillary facilities (clinics, schools water facilities etc). The road network within the Damongo township is superb as compared to Salaga. In Salaga apart of the Y-link which welcomes you to the town and leads you to Kpembe and one joining to the West, which other road is a link road if not man-made paths forced and created by motorists?

Another flawed argument is that of numerical strength in terms of physical schools without considering the quality (output) of these schools. The writer(s) sought to imply that because the report from the Justice Brobbey Committee captured education as one of the factors to be considered in siting regional capital, it was so limited to physical schools or who has the numerical strength. Well, let me state, that in terms of secondary education, Damongo has three SHS (Damongo Senior High, Ndewura Jakpa SHS, St Anne’s Girls SHS). An Islamic Senior High School is earmarked for Laribanga (my hometown). In terms of tertiary (post secondary) institutions, aside the Kpembe Nursing and Midwifery College, which one can Salaga boast of again?  Well, Damongo has Nurses Training College, Agric College and a site for UDS satellite campus which has been earmarked to be develop in the very near future.

Did I read about a District Magistrate? Well, when one is drowning, even a yellow floating leaf can be a rescuer. Well, some issues are left to hang on their own faith.

On the issue of roads linking to other Districts/Regions, aside the fact that Damongo is in the Centre and houses the King of Gonjaland, it’s West links one easily to Bole and Sawla, the North links you to Wasipe (North Gonja) through Murugu and Busunu-Tachali (road under construction). The Southern part of Damongo links you to Central Gonja through Sor No. 3 and Leeto.  The East as well connects you to Central Gonja District along the Busunu-Fufulso stretch of the road. So Damongo can easily connect you to 4 other Gonjaland Districts from one turning point. Tell me which of the Districts can connect to East Gonja through any other route apart from the poor road from Tamale to Salaga?

Interestingly, they are not talking about an existing hospital with immediate facilities to be raised to the standard of a Regional   Hospital and some existing infrastructure to house the region for the time being. when. The West Gonja District Hospital still holds its enviable record as one of the referral hospitals in Northern Region aside Tamale Teaching Hospital. Just a reminder though!

So are the people or Kpembe telling us that at anytime any Kpembewura ascends Yagbon, he will not be privileged to attend any regional house of chiefs meeting in Kpembe assuming it were considered as the regional capital? Maybe they are losing sight of the customs and traditions of Gonja.

The most annoying argument is that it’s only Salaga which has an NPP MP...and so what? Maybe they should be reminded that President Nana Addo didn’t win in Salaga South, JM did. And since when has these political twists and turns set in? Siting Kpembewura as an appointee of Nana Addo as a case? How about Buipewura Jinapor? I am imagining whether the people of Kpembe led by their patrons would have shown this level of insubordination to the Yagbonwura if it were Yagbonwura Bawa Doshie.

Salaga is a municipal. Yes it is, and what about that? Was Tamale a municipality when it was made the capital? Was Wa a municipality when it was made the capital? Come on!

Shouldn’t we as Gonjalanders be celebrating because we have the largest part of Mole National Park sitting right on our land? The writer doesn’t even know that the Park spreads to Four different Distritcs and two regions; West Gonja, North Gonja, Sawla/Tuna/Kalba and Wa East in the Upper West Region. And the issue about expansion towards the Game reserve and how limited that would be in future, maybe the writer ought to know that Accra is now connected to the Eastern Region in the West (Nsawam), in the North-West at Aburi and connected to Central Region at Kasoa. In fact, Kasoa is now a suburb of Accra but a constituency in the Central Region. Are we looking at Savannah Region in the next 5 years or beyond decades and centuries?

Let me end this by calling on the Kpembewura who I respect so much to call his people to order. Kpembewura and the big political heads who are being accused of pulling these strings from the backdoor must act before the entire Gonjaland start to demand from them the whereabouts of Kpandai. People are still pained by the lost of Kpandai and that must be stated without fear. We can do better than the current ridiculous maneuverings aimed at destroying the image Gonjaland has built over the years and especially during this period when we went seeking for a region.

I write this as resident of Damongo, a native of Laribanga and not as a Kamara.

Let the voice of the King Suffice.