Politics of Thursday, 11 December 2014

Source: Abdul Karim Naatogmah

Tamale Ward ‘K’ residents roar

Angry residents of Ward ‘K’ in Tamale have threatened to boycott the upcoming district assembly elections if their roads and drainage systems are not constructed.

They have also served notice to chase politicians out of the Ward ‘K’ community, come the 2016 political campaign season.

“We will boycott and not take part in the upcoming district assembly elections in February 2015, intensify our peaceful demonstrations, boycott and refuse to take part in the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.”

This is largely due to what they described as government’s total neglect of Ward ‘K’ on the nation’s development priority list.

Beginning with a massive demonstration, they have lined up series of revolutionary activities to pressurize government to address their concerns.

They have therefore given government up to January 4, 2015 to begin the construction works or face the dire consequences.

“We have decided that if nothing convincing is done in solving these problems by January 4, 2015 we will have no option but to explore other options within the laws of the land to have our issues addressed.”

Spokesperson for the protesters, Abdul-Rauf Ibrahim told Citi News that they were tired of campaign promises and needed quick action by government.

“It is not clear to us why the area has been neglected all this while: Ward ‘K’ is a community and in fact one of the biggest electoral areas in the Tamale North constituency: it has eight polling stations with a total population of over 1.5 million yet life has been unbearable for us.”

He recalled, “The District Chief Executive, Hon. Mohammed Sorigudoo in September visited the community after the elapse of the MP’s timeline and also assured the community elders of the commencement of work on the roads and drainage systems: incidentally, he also gave two weeks timeline frame and similarly nothing happened till date.”

Abdul- Rauf Ibrahim added, “The assemblyman of Ward ‘K’ electoral area, Hon. Abdulai Mohammed a.k.a Jakpahi, keep assuring the community that his research revealed that work on the roads and drainage systems would be done anytime soon, he however never gave timelines but so far nothing has happened too.”

As one of the densely populated communities in the Sagnarigu District, Ward ‘K’ lacks drainage systems and road network.

It is a well-known fact that severe floods have always ravaged some parts of the Ward ‘K’ community during torrential rains.

Ward ‘K’ is sharing boundaries with the Northern Regional Coordinating Council and Tishigu where the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Inusah Fuseini hails.