Ethnic politics not solution to problems in the North

Ghanaians every four years head to the polls to elect a leader and a government, to steer the affairs of the nation, hoping that their government work to better their lives by providing employment, basic social amenities, making healthcare and education more accessible to majority of the people among others.

Based on how a government delivers on these, the electorate will either decide to give the incumbent government another term or otherwise. In the lead up to the 2012 elections, Northerners were told that the reason for their under-development was the fact that they did not have a President from the North.

President Mahama, after asking Northerners to vote for him because he was one of their own, has failed to deliver to improve on the living conditions of the people.

It is very instructive to note that good governance which is lacking in the Mahama administration has no place for identity politics, but rather must be upheld because it is about vision, competence and having a strong political.

What happened to all the promises made to the people of the North by President Mahama? The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, the numerous irrigation projects, the Bolgatanga Meat Factory, the Pwalugu Tomato Factory have all been abandoned by the “Northern president.”

Under President Rawlings administration, Ghana witnessed massive expansion of electricity to rural areas. Under the Kufuor government, the introduction of social interventions served as a big relief to Ghanaians. Now what can we say about John Dramani Mahama’s government, apart from naked corruption and gross economic mismanagement?

We believe that Ghana does not necessarily need a Northerner as President before the problems confronting the north can be addressed. All that Ghana needs is a transformational, visionary and competent person to steers the affairs of the nation.

The “One District, One Factory” policy being espoused by flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party certainly will provide every district in the three Northern regions with a factory. This is a mark of a visionary person, who, as President, can alleviate the poverty that has engulfed the north and other parts of Ghana.

The NPP flagbearer has shown that even though he is not from the North, he is a friend to Northerners and ready to implement policies that would be beneficial to all Ghanaians irrespective of one’s tribal, social or ethnic background.

The Daily Statesman is therefore asking Ghanaians to move away from the politics of tribalism because it has not worked for us. We need a competent and visionary leader in Nana Addo who has shown that he is committed to ensuring that the development gap between the north and south is bridged.