AKILU SAYIBU: Why I Won’t Write About Dagbon And Ya Naa



One day a reader of my articles sent me an email; “Do you know you are stupid” I replied to him “Yes I know I am stupid” Then he wrote back; “because you are so stupid and an idiot you don’t understand what I emailed to you”



I replied “because I am stupid and an idiot I understood what you wrote, you said I am an idiot and stupid” Then he wrote back; “Don’t make me angry” and I replied to him “Ok am sorry”



I still have all the emails in my inbox. What must be explained is that, this guy sent me these emails after earlier insulting me on both Ghanaweb and myjoyonline continuously for a month! I honestly do not respond to readers comments to my writings in the media so for all his insults I did not respond to him. Maybe that was the reason he choose to email me personally and the above was how I handled him.



What I did two weeks later was to do a search of his name which I saw in his email. When I did I noticed that the guy was registered on face book I checked through his friends list and realised that, we had 17 mutual friends in common!

I got his phone number from one of his friends who was also my friend on face book and gave him a call one weekend. “Hello I am Akilu Sayibu I just called to say hi and to thank you for your emails the other day except that you were sort of very angry how did I offend you?

For three minutes the guy could not talk then I told him that, the number that appeared on his phone was my number and requested him to bleep me to call him back anytime he was happy to chat for some few minutes.

Then in five hours time he called and said “I honestly like your writings but I hate you a lot! I asked him why? He said “I was not happy of your comments on radio stations in Tamale after the Dagbon crisis that lead to the death of the Yaa Naa in 2002” He added “you were always defending his excellency Alhaji Aliu Mahama in relation to the death of the Yaa Naa and that was always making me angry”

Dear readers, I am honestly an avid admirer of his Excellency Alhaji Aliu Mahama. I must admit that I have in the past even before he became Veep of Ghana done a lot of media works for him. I did much more work for him when he was Veep and I am still doing media works for him even now that he is no longer Vice president of Ghana.

About his alleged involvement in the death of the late Yaa Naa, what I have always said is that, anybody who has empirical evidence about how he was involved In the death of the late Ya Naa should make his evidence available to the nearest police station for the necessary investigations to be carried on. I have always strongly kicked against circumstantial and pedestrian allegation used to accuse persons that was my position then, that is my position now and that will always be my position.

If such simple and harmless calls like “provide proof” could earn me enmity and the hatred of friends and fans who can tell what else could? I always tell friends to stay out of trouble if they can. So with Dagbon crisis I am staying out of trouble because I can.

What I do know is that, gutter, baseless, infantile, and intoxicated fabrications of lies about Dagbon have been what has make the situation volatile as it is. I am not going to join the very media I am accusing of fanning the crisis.

Also I am of the conviction that, the traditions and customs of Dagbon should be used to solve the crisis and not fanatical youth and politicians.

As a Dagbana am definitely either an Abudu or Andani perceived or real. So when I write, what I will write could be thrown into the dearest dustbin and the focus would now be on “Who is Akilu Sayibu?” If Dagbon Journalists and other social commentators could honestly restraints themselves from writing on Dagbon it would have helped a lot.

If I am tempted to say anything about Dagbon; all I will say is that, none but only Dagombas can give themselves peace. We have to come to terms with the natural truth that, Abudus or Andanis we are all Dagombas! So we either swim together or sink to together by our omissions and commissions in relation to the Dagbon crisis.

A word to the wise it is said is enough (North)

Akilu Sayibu, UK

Email: Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk