– What I Wrote This Year.

In all my five articles that I wrote this year, I talked about security, peace and unity in Bawku. My recent article titled, “The Security Agencies in Bawku and the Criminals – Who Is Who?” was written two days after three people were shot dead in Bawku by unknown persons. This incident happened on Friday, October 18, 2013 and also the following day Saturday, October 19.

In that article, I chastised the security personnel in the Municipality and challenged them to sit up and flush out the miscreants threatening peace and unity in Bawku. I also appealed to the Government to take necessary steps to reactivate the work of the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee (IEPC) which the Mamprusis suspended their participation in the work of the committee for what I sincerely consider as legitimate concerns. I appealed to the Government not to dismiss the concerns of the Mamprusis but try to get them back to continue with the IEPC dialogue. I also appealed to the good people of Bawku to continue to coexist peacefully. Let me use this opportunity to also appeal to the Mamprusis to reconsider their decision not to be part of the IEPC activities and open their doors to the authorities concern when they are approached to discussed on their decision.

My other four articles, titled, 1. Arms and Ammunitions in Bawku, 2. It Is Possible to Get the Miscreants In Bawku, 3. The People of Bawku Demands Accountability of Leadership, and 4. What Is The MCE and The MP for Bawku Doing As Leaders? were all written early this year. I wrote them when there was senseless sporadic shootings in Bawku continuously for three days, and the subsequent killing of one Amando, as he was popularly known. All these criminal and evil acts were done by unknown persons and up to date, they are still unknown.

In summary, this was what I wrote in the article titled, “Arms and Ammunitions in Bawku,” “One of the main problems in Bawku has to do with the issue of too many arms and ammunition in the hands of civilians. I believe that the Securities agencies can do better. We all can do better to flush out the miscreants among us. We must all speak with one clear voice to ourselves, our leaders, the Government, and the security agencies. We must all be proactive in ensuring that peace prevails in Bawku. The Military must not allow the powers that be to bring their hard earn respect, professionalism, and the trust they enjoy from the people into disrepute. The Kusasis and Mamprusis opinion leaders should always be willing to call their people to order.”

In my article titled, “It Is Possible to Get the Miscreants in Bawku,” I wrote, “It is very clear that the people of Bawku spoke strongly with one voice against the recent sporadic shootings in the Municipality and the subsequent death of innocent young men who have been denied their natural and constitutional right to live. The security men and women must also be commended for doing their best even though it seemed too little. Certainly it should not be too late next time. The people must rise up in the same one clear voice and demand from the security agencies to go all out and do whatever lawful and possible to bring to book these miscreants in the society. The security agencies must prove to the good people of Bawku that they can be trusted to flush out criminals who want to create trouble in the Municipality.”

This was also what I wrote on January 15 this year in my article titled, “The People of Bawku Demands Accountability of Leadership,” “Why must the MCE, and the Assembly men and women representing the people sit aloof and watch things like this to happen in the Municipality? Fellow citizens, this is the time to demand accountability from our leaders. Until such a time that we all rise up and start questioning and demanding answers, we will always lament and nothing will ever change.”

In my article titled, “What Is the MCE and The MP for Bawku Doing as Leaders?” I simply asked, “What are our leaders doing to get the concerns and grievances of all parties in the IEPC addressed, so as to get them back to work for peace? As leaders, our attitudes and efforts in situations like this should be in a way that would build confidence and trust in the people to appreciate our efforts in working to give them justice.”

It is clear that, in all the articles I identified the following people as stakeholders in Bawku who must effectively play their role if we really want to peacefully coexist. 1. Our leaders, 2. The People, 3. The Security agencies, and 4, The Government.

God bless Bawku and may we have lasting peace in Bawku.

Iddi Wuni Jnr.

iddiwuni@yahoo.com