Kumbungu Youth demonstrate against bad roads

The Youth in Kumbungu District on Monday demonstrated against the deplorable state of the Tamale-Kumbungu-Nawuni Road, demanding that government should urgently construct it to end the sufferings of the residents.

The Youth, clad in red attire, and holding placards with various inscriptions, detesting the bad state of the road, started the demonstration from Dalun through the Kumbungu town, before presenting a petition to government through the Kumbungu District Assembly.

The petition, which was read by Mr Ibrahim Iddrisu, Chairman of the Youth of Kumbungu District, said “The 14-kilometre Tamale-Kumbungu-Nawuni Road, which is the only major road linking the district to the regional capital, has been deplorable for several years now, and it appears to us that the government is not serious about constructing it.”

It said successive governments, including the current one, made promises during electioneering campaigns in 2008 and 2012, to construct the road, but it had since seen no improvement.

The petition said the deplorable state of the road was affecting the lives of the residents, since conveying their farm produce from the Bontanga Irrigation Project and other farming communities to Tamale, had been difficult, resulting in a great loss to farmers because highly perishable crops spoil on the way.

It mentioned other effects the deplorable state of the road has had on the residents, which include difficulty in transporting patients to the nearest referral hospital on time, being dusty during dry season, and waterlogged during rainy season rendering most communities inaccessible.

The petition said the construction of the road would open up the district to the rest of the region, to boost the business activities of the people and improve their living standards.

It added that it would also attract investors to invest in productive opportunities in the district, leading to the creation of jobs, making health centers accessible, as well as speeding up the development of the area.

The petiton, therefore, urged government to take immediate steps to fix the Tamale-Kumbungu-Nawuni Road, as well as initiate processes leading to the improvement of the status of the town roads in the district.

The petitioners also demanded that “The Kumbungu District Assembly should initiate immediate steps to create and name roads in the district, as directed by the President, to ensure easy identification of locations.”

They said: “We, the Youth of the Kumbungu District, also deserve to benefit from the national cake, and we demand to feel the “Better Ghana Agenda” in our district.”

Mr Mohammed Alhassan, Kumbungu District Co-ordinating Director, who received the petition, assured the petitioners that he would forward it to the appropriate quarters.