I will start this write up by visiting the famous questions by Wa Naa Sidiki Bomi to Ghana’s Head State Colonel Acheampong in 1975 when the latter visited Wa.
Indeed on 25th March 1975, the Head of State of Ghana, Colonel Acheampong, was the special guest of honour at the Damba festival of the Wala people. The Chiefs and people gathered reiterated their demand for a separate Region (Upper West Region) from the then Upper Region.
In a question couched in proverbs, Wa Naa Sidiki Bomi through his interpreter asked the Head of State Colonel Acheampong whether he knows what a chimpanzee is.
Colonel Acheampong answered yes.
Wa Naa Sidiki Bomi again asked Colonel Acheampong through his interpreter whether he knows a monkey?
Colonel Acheampong again answered, yes.
Wa Naa Sidiki said he was happy Colonel Acheampong know a chimpanzee and a monkey.
The Wa Naa said both animals that is a chimpanzee and a monkey like corn very much. So if one send corn through a chimpanzee to a monkey, will the monkey get it?
Acheampong immediately said no and that he was sure the corn will not get to the monkey.
Wa Naa Sidiki then said, we (upper westerners) want development, the people of Bolga (upper easterners) also want development. You have given development to the people of Bolga to bring to us, do you think it will reach us? If you like us give us our own region, no matter how small, whatever you have give it to us and it would be of more benefit to us than giving us development through Bolga”.
It is the same situation we find ourselves as people of the current Northern Region.
For many the Savannah Region (mostly on the geographical boundaries of Gonjaland) has been competing for the poorest and under-developed position in the present Northern Region.
It is time the youth of the Savannah Region point to any political or traditional leader that posterity will never forgive us if we do not fight for the creation of the Savannah to develop our area!!
Sooner we will be given our fair share of the national cake like todays Upper West Region.
Presently we not benefiting much from national projects like new roads, educational facilities like a University or even a Teacher Training College.
Road construction is the poorest in our area. One can count the major roads in the Savannah Region area. We don’t have a major road connecting East Gonja to the other parts of Gonjaland. What a shame!!
Many of us do not even know that there is a shorter route from East Gonja to Central Gonja. Why should people of East Gonja go all the way to Tamale and descend back to Central Gonja.
Many of us do not know there is a shorter unmotorable from the Bole area to Buipe. The Daboya Mankarigu road has been on the drawing board for decades. The people of Daboya deserve a bridge connecting the area to Dagbon for trade and commerce.
We deserve world class infrastructure too. We deserve Universities, Roads, Bridges, Airports etc.
We deserve shopping malls, stadiums, Banks, Hotels, jobs etc.
Savannah Region means we would Regional offices for Ghana Education Service, NCCE, Department of Agriculture etc.
We would have a High Court, a Regional Hospital and many other state institutions. We would also have Commands for the Police, Fire Service, CEPS, Military, and Immigration Service and Prisons Service Commands.
The Savannah Region will be the biggest Region in Ghana if the other proposed Regions are created and so more districts would be created. Already there are proposals for ‘Bole South’ or ‘Tinga- Bamboi’ District (from Bole District); Yapei Kusawgu District (from Central Gonja); Salaga North District (from East Gonja Municipal Assembly), Kulaw District (from East Gonja Municipal Aseembly) etc.
Let us remove our political lenses and support Savannah Region for accelerated development. Savannah Region should not be about NDC or NPP, it should be about our collective benefit.
Let us suppprt Savannah Region with or without the Kpandai District of Gonjaland.
Source: www.thepressradio.com /Ghana /Mahama Haruna
