Controversy over Abu Jinapor’s ‘cemetery’ gift to Damongo

The Deputy Chief of Staff, Samuel Abu Jinapor’s gesture of a generator powered earth digger to the Chief Imam for Damongo in the West Gonja District of the Savannah Region to help the Muslim community in digging graves for the burial of deceased persons is said to have sparked controversy in the area, MyNewsGh.com has learnt.

According to Bole-based Nkligi Fm, Mr. Jinapor who is lacing his boots to contest as Parliamentary Candidate for the Damongo Constituency on the ticket of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), also donated ablution cans and praying mats to the Damongo central mosque.

The donation according to him, were upon a request from the Muslim community who complained of challenges in digging graves to bury the dead in the area because of the rocky nature of the land at the cemetery and appealed to him for his intervention.

He is said to have procured the portable generator powered machine to ease the stress they go through in digging graves each time someone dies and advised them to maintain it properly in order to serve the intended purpose.

But some residents have since been making mockery of the gesture likening it to the donation of coffins by a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Salaga South Constituency and ranking member of Public Accounts committee Abubakari Ibrahim Dey who was accused of trying to smoothen his way to victory ahead of the December 7, 2016 polls by sharing coffins in the area.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) then in opposition, accused the MP of wishing ill for residents of the constituency after he was reported to have procured and distributed coffins to a number of mosques in various communities in the East Gonja district.

While observing that it was a despicable gesture, the NPP led by one Mr. Abubakari Dramani, the organized a Quran recitation to counter the move because they believed it has spiritual implications.

“Spiritually we are also seeing how we are going to counter that but we believe that If you want to help a mosque there are so many deteriorated mosques in town which needs speakers. Some cannot pay their bills and you come and supply this kind of items to the mosques; it doesn’t actually speak well”

“We don’t understand such a move because while the people are hungry, you have done virtually nothing in that constituency and just barely a month of election and you come and be supplying coffins for the mosques”, Mr. Abu lamented.