I honestly weep for Dagbon

When I was contesting to represent my constituency in parliament, I drew up a plan which was to meet up with youth groups of all political parties in the constituency. I as well as part of reaching out to the electorates drew up an itinerary to meet up with chiefs in my constituency without regard to whether a chief or youth group was an Abudu or Andani group.

My idea was to sell the policies of my party and those of mine to the electorates. I took off with my campaign team and we were doing just that. We came into contact with electorates who wanted to know how the free secondary education of my party was to be funded. Others wanted to know my particular plan to bring development to my constituency.

My campaign message was crafted in the lines of what I have already done for the constituency, what I was doing for the constituency then and what I will do should I be elected as the MP for the area.

I knew the constituency very well as I was born in the constituency, grew up there, schooled there and have both my nuclear and extended family live there. I have lots of friends and schoolmates around. It was therefore not surprising that most of the youth groups that we met during our rounds included my school mates, my students and in some cases family members.

Where ever we went, the response of the people of the area was that “You have a good message but your political party”. I always intentionally did not ask what my political party did that it was seen as a problem to the electorates.

All I told the people was that it was about the party that has good policies for you and an MP who can carry your concerns to every corner of parliament.

Then one day we went to meet a youth group who after listening to me told me they wanted to know why my party, the NPP, killed the late Yaa Naa and whether I thought more killings will not be done in Dagbon should Akilu Sayibu and the NPP be elected.

Just as I was about to answer that question, the chairman of that youth group overruled it and told members of the group to ask questions based on development which was what they wanted.

The next questioner asked what strategy I had for peace in Dagbon and Northern Region. I had a football for peace programme which was aimed at using soccer to unite the people. I donated over 500 Footballs to youth groups in the constituency. So I elaborated on this and also added that peace talks on the local radio stations on the benefits of peace which I started was to continue. I gave other strategies which they lauded very much.

I made them to understand that there was no tribe known as

Abudu or Andani and that we were all Dagombas and must emphasize on our identity as dagombas rather than seeing ourselves as Abudus and Andanis which was not helping us at all.

I also told them that being in competition with ourselves was needless. That is where my honest worry is. Dagombas have forgotten that even in Northern Region we are not the only tribe there. And no tribe will wait for us to finish burning all our houses and killing ourselves for us to move on together.

As of the time of typing this article there was a problem as to who was best qualified to be the next Northern Regional Minister. Whilst the other tribes in the region are ready to present a name for that position, we dagombas are still analysing the Abuduness and Andaniness of the person to fill that position. What a sad day for dagbon!

I will not be surprised if at the end of the day a dagomba fails to be named Northern Regional Minister.

Let the youth especially be told that our personal and community development should be what should concern us. Don’t employ or sack Mr. B in your organisation because he or she is an Andani or an Abudu must stop and now. This is not doing dagombas any good.

Let us defeat this internal competition if we are to move forward. We are better together as dagombas than we are as Abudus and Andanis.

When it comes to elections lets vote for people who we think can articulate our views on any platform like others are doing so that at the end of the day we all will have our share of the national cake.

The principle of voting for people even when we are aware they can’t perform just because of our artificial division of Abudus and Andanis will not do us any good any day.

Let us stop this internal competition and unite for the external competition. Let us understand that none but ourselves can give us the development we are lacking. Whether we like it or not, we are dagombas first before Abudus and Andanis. We have to choose to either sink separately or swim together as one people. I’m done.

Akilu Sayibu

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