With the exception of the main roads leading to the major towns and cities in the upper west region, upper east region, and the northern region; all other routes we called roads in the aforementioned regions are paths. Those paths called roads are still, in a gradual advancement to become roads. This has been so, since the inception of our nation. On those paths/roads, if two vehicles meet, one has to roll into the ram pikes to give way for the other vehicle to pass. We are no longer in the medieval world so, something seriously must be done about them.

Since time in memory, we have always seen those paths/roads leading to our villages with pot holes and dust, the messy nature of those paths/roads when it rains is appalling. In the dry season, anybody who necessarily has to go the village covers themselves very well to avoid inhaling dust. Those with air conditioned vehicles roll their glasses up to the fullest and those without air conditions step on the throttle to the floor. They will speed their vehicles either consciously or unconsciously to enable them get to their destination and return back as quickly as they could.

While people are elated to get their buildings by the road side in the cities, no one in those villages wants to build by the road side. The reasons are simple; trail clouds of dust are always poured on the poor villagers to ingest which may eventually make them sick.

Yet every year, the district councils have a budget to rehabilitate those paths/roads. They will get a contractor to pour gravel on those paths/roads, get a squeaky earth leveling machine to spread the gravel to fill the pot holes. This practice has continued since time in memory, only for the gravel poured on the paths/roads to be eroded when it rains again. Nobody takes time to inspect that gravel to ascertain the level of compaction. And if even at all it is compacted, which I doubt, nobody test the compaction to be sure it attains the maximum dry density? Without any proper supervision, spreading gravel on those paths/roads is just throwing our money on the ground without results. How can we be doing the same things all the time and expect different results? Our people have suffered for so long a time, we can’t wait any longer. We will not sit on the fringes anymore.

We should consider feasibility studies of those routes, to address bereft factors at locations such as culverts, bridges and gutters ect, to address them. Compaction of the paths/roads should be inspected by authorities when renovating them to produce desired result. To withstand pressures, compaction must attain 95% to 100% of the maximum dry density. We should divide the budget used to maintain the paths/roads every year, by using part to start tarring those paths/roads, even if it’s one kilometer every year.

At the moment we have electricity and telephones, we are very grateful to those gallant patriots who made it possible. If we get the roads in order, this will eliminate most of the hazardous effects generated by the dust and will encourage some of the Non Governmental Organizations to move into those areas to assist in building the capacity of our people. The villagers are not allergic to good roads; they just don’t have a choice.

People elected into public offices or positions of authority should use that authority to create conducive environment for the people, that’s part of the integral reasons why they were elected to those offices. Get a coherent plan of those routes, go out there and talk to somebody, seek for assistance and collaboration legally from the Non Governmental Organizations, Companies and from the People. We have some good companies and some good folk out there, who’re willing to collaborate if they observe some seriousness. We need leaders at the helm of affairs who must be prudent and pragmatic with regard to performance. We need leaders who must sometimes positively cogitate outside the box. Organize positive coherent programs that will put the area in a positive focus of attention. Make the place lively by promoting livening and educative programs for both the youth and the adults. We need leaders with bold initiatives to shove us to the next level in development.

Our children should not meet the area just as we met it, because we have no excuse. Necessity has always been a prerequisite for innovation so; we must not succumb to the pressures of our circumstances. But, we cannot realize the complete fortunes of our area if we’re not prepared to step aside from most of our anachronistic ways of doing things.

We should find means to do something substantially, to supplement what trickles in from the national budget. Because, if even presidents are out there seeking for assistance and collaboration, then we should not sit in the comfort of our offices and expect everything to come from Accra.

Our past experience makes it apodictic that, nobody will come to our aid if, we do not repine about the north for attention and consideration from all sectors. By nature most northerners are gentle taciturn people; this do not mean we are comfortable with the neglect of our people and the area by the governments. Henceforth, we will shake off the taciturnity and will not sit on the fringes anymore; we will be forthright for necessary attention and consideration from all sectors.

Balemwo Assam balemwo@yahoo.co.uk Washington DC