NDC and President Mahama have entered into the realm of inglorious shame. And noone should tell me they are not aware. They are just playing tough to smile to hide their stinking shame. How they are treating Kumasi as a second city of Ghana is just at the height of the infamy. It is as if they wish Kumasi does not exist at all. It’s all part of the dirty stain of injustice being perpetuated on Kumasi citizens and by extension Ashantis for daring to vote against NDC. The development of Kumasi as the 2nd city is virtually forgotten in the Mahama government system of things and it shows clearly.
Just last week Saturday 9th August 2014, I read in the Daily Graphic about construction of a high profile 24km Western by-Pass in Accra which will offer motorists an alternative road to Winneba road through Old Barrier, Aplaku, Oshie, Bortianor, Kokrobite, Tuba and Nyanyano. The day before in the same Daily Graphic, we read about Alhaji Inusa Fuseini the Minister of Roads inspecting the ongoing emergency repair works on the Nungua –Sakumono and that the works will be completed in three months because there is no problem with logistics. Alhaji Fuseini told the press that the completion of the road will mitigate the hardship that road users encountered daily in the locality.
Two weeks before, President John Mahama himself and Alhaji Fuseini, the Roads Minister were in the news inspecting the almost completed high profile road also in Accra, the Awoshie-Pokuase dual carriageway which will enhance and link traffic between the Accra –Nsawam-Kumasi Road and the Accra –Kasoa –Cape Coast Road i. e. the Northern and Western parts of the capital. Again, three weeks before, the same divisionist political leadership was inspecting the 37 hospital-Burma Camp- La Road dual carriageway in Accra. Other high profile roads inspected in Accra were the Accra East Corridor Roads, Dansoman, Tetteh Quarshie Circle- Legon –Madina and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Roads. The list goes on and on with other secondary roads in Accra and its environs.

Accra is the capital of Ghana and there is the urgent need to improve and modernise transportation infrastructure for the convenience and comfort of the general public. This is a must, so that management and sustenance of socio-political lives of the people are achieved. I don’t have a quarrel with these arrangements at all in the capital within the last 6 years. Ghana is progressing.

However, that does not mean that everything should be concentrated in Accra, Accra, Accra as NDC/Mahama and his group seem to be intoxicated with. Kufuor developmental pattern was seen to spread in other famous Ghana cities;- Kumasi, Takoradi, Cape Coast, Koforidua, Ho, Wa etc. making sense of balanced countrywide urban development. This is not so with the NDC/Mahama administration. NDC/Mahama are not doing balanced development of Ghana and I shudder to think Kumasi the 2nd city is being neglected in the name of vindictive and envious politics. Ghana’s second city certainly has no place in vindictive Mahama developmental plans. Mahama is doing lop-sided voodoo development which will not help the country overall in the long run.

Nothing new has started in Kumasi since 2009. Even high profile economic transportation developments in Ashanti, started in the Kufuor administration especially the Sofo line interchange and Boankra Inland Port have been abandoned for 6 years. Logically, in any national transportation development programme, Kumasi the 2nd city must be next in terms of priority before the other cities. Kumasi is as congested as Accra in several parts. I am inclined to believe that Mahama/NDC government clearly is determined to deny Kumasi such that the other cites equally suffer. The Accra- Kumasi major road has been left to the dogs and monkees for years. It is a criminal neglect hinged on NDC/Mahama wicked philosophy that- THE HARDSHIP WHICH THE ROAD USERS ENCOUNTER DAILY NEED NOT TO BE MITIGATED- in sharp contrast to the Nungua road where – THE HARDSHIP WHICH THE ROAD USERS ENCOUNTER DAILY SHOULD BE MITIGATED—as proclaimed by the Roads Minister Alhaji Fuseini to reporters during the Nungua inspection. They just don’t want to sink logistics and resources with anything Kumasi. This dangerous divisionist doctrine should have no place in modern Ghana and Mahama should bow his head in shame. Yet, President Mahama had the haughtiness to tell Kumasi people that they don’t appreciate anything — you remember the infamous –‘ akoko ye biara a enye akoroma fe’- tirade.

The uneconomic Tamale international Airport has been prioritised over the economic Kumasi airport for some strange reasons I dont know. Kumasi Airport is left to contend with what Mahama described as ‘resurfacing’ in his last visit. At the same time, resurfacing of an obscure and insignificant Breman local road by KMA was cited by President Mahama as a major national development in Kumasi worthy of praise by Kumasi people.

One shudders to observe that the following highly rated national economic developmental hubs in Ashanti are not in Mahama /NDC schemes:- Kumasi By Pass is lost. Boankra Inland Port is out. Kumasi international airport is submerged. Accra - Nsawam -Kumasi Road is out. Surprisingly, Mahama then tars an obscure 6km Bremang minor road and lambasts Kumasi citizens of not being appreciative of his efforts. The reaction my in- law gave to Mahama comments was that: ‘Yede kente daadaa funu indeed’—to wit:- ‘they use kente to flatter a corpse indeed’. President Mahama must work harder otherwise the notion that Ashantis are being haunted in their own country unnecessarily and without any just cause will stick and with dire consequences to the socio-economic development of the country.

I am not in any way arguing against the development and modernisation of Accra, the national capital. I should not be misconstrued. My beef is the overconcentration of infrastructure development in Accra as if Accra is the only place in Ghana. The fact is, Kumasi and Takoradi are suffering neglect of high proportions. NDC must learn balanced development in infrastructure. Under normal circumstances, in NDC development philosophy, Mahama will feel very comfortable to give Takoradi its fair share of appropriate road infrastructure especially now that Takoradi is at the center of Ghana’s oil boom. Other cities equally need attention. However, Takoradi is being denied the necessary attention because the government feels uncomfortable to jump to tackle Takoradi whilst Kumasi is seen to be in tatters, in the manner explained above, without any attention whatsoever. In that case, then every development should be in Accra, Accra, Accra and only Accra. Thats my observation. That is the lot of Ghana. Mahama must prove me wrong. Observers are monitoring the on –going nationwide inspection tour of Alhaji Inusah Fuseini the Minister of Roads, on road construction projects. The Minister has no significant road project to inspect in Ashanti. A shameful example of NDC gigantic failure in road infrastructure developmental spread.
Hon Inusa Fuseini will perhaps inspect Breman road and some minor feeder roads in the region or he will not visit Ashanti Region at all. Accra gets the best part of the loaf: the crumbs are for Kumasi indeed.

John Yawose