“Saying that you don’t have time to improve your thoughts and your life is like saying that you don’t have time to stop for fuel because you are too busy driving. Eventually it will catch up with you.”
This piece is in response to a very unfortunate and undoubtedly misleading piece of misinformation published by one Francis Npong on his blog “Rural Voices” at http://npong2franco.webs.com/#.TpCZu-8VcNI.email. His show of gross ignorance about the issues he talked about is very sickening to say the least. Before I delve into the issues raised by my brother, I would want to give a very apt overview of the Zabzugu Tatale District so as to give readers a fair idea about the district.
The Zabzugu/Tatale District is situated on the eastern flank of the Northern Region. It shares boundaries with the Republic of Togo to the East; Yendi District to the West; Nanumba and Nkwanta Districts to the South; and the Saboba/Chereponi district to the North. Zabzugu, the district capital, is about 160 kilometres from Tamale,the northern regional capital.
The Population of the District is 79,201 (2000 Population and Housing Census) comprising of 38,696 males and 40,505 females. With a growth rate of 2.9%, the District’s population was projected to be 94,018 in 2006. The population density is 40 persons per square kilometer. Zabzugu has a population of 11,269 which constitute 14.23% of the district population while Tatale has 6,592 which represents 8.32%.(Source: 2000 PHC)
In the first place, it’s unfortunate for Francis to make it look as though one ethnic group or another is under bondage of any kind; it’s a show of incredulous naiveté and a mockery of our democratic credentials as a nation. The laws of the country do not in any way give room for this in any slightest possible way.
The use of these terms or words is highly inappropriate and demonstrates only a wanton desire to ignite ethnic, tribal and religious sentiments in an already volatile part of the country. This comment is destructively selfish, to say the least!
The writer of the said article hints of an ‘intending uprising’ as he puts it if Tatale is not granted ‘self rule and governance’; this shows a regrettably low depth of thinking and a desire to sell gross ignorance, Ghana is a sovereign state that gained its independence over five decades ago and the geographical jurisdiction of the country leaves no doubts at all on the minds of Ghanaians.
Must we see Tatale as a distinct and somehow independent from the rest of the towns and villages in the district? The frequent reference by Francis Npong to “THE PEOPLE OF TATALE TRADITIONAL AREA” smacks of tomfoolery. Ghana has an unambiguous system of local government and administration which recognizes the role and significance of the chieftaincy institutions but does not rely entirely on chieftaincy, ethnic, religious or tribal considerations for the redrawing of the boundaries of districts or for reconstituting the districts. I humbly request that my brother schools himself very well with the flamboyant constitution of the republic, especially Chapter 20.
The 1992 constitution and various legislations on Local Government give traditional authorities minimal responsibilities with little or no recognition of their leadership in central or local government decision-making process. We however know as Ghanaians, the important role chiefs, as agents of mobilization and social change play in our communities.
In any case by what criterion does Sheini, where the iron ore deposits are believed to exist, come under Tatale? Tatale as a sovereign state or a district of its own?
Francis Npong seeks to denigrate the beautiful constitutional arrangement for our local governance system, which peoples’ rights and which colonial masters? Ghana has no colonial masters and to refer to whoever under the tag ,playing with the rights of any Ghanaian is illegal and there are appropriately laid down procedures for seeking redress, what prevents one from taking that window?. Which power? The power of the assembly as granted by the ‘yellow book’? The human rights of the people of this country have been clearly protected by the constitution in Chapter 5 and Article 17 Clause 1 to 3 unequivocally speaks about equality of all of us before the law as well as on discrimination; so what is my brother talking about? Who says who owns no land where? Come again and come cleaner, clearer and factual!
Most deplorable road network, inadequate educational, health, economic and other critical social facilities are but an underestimation of the extent of deprivation of the entire Zabzugu Tatale District and not just Tatale alone. The inadequacy of the district’s road network is the main challenge to the full exploitation of the resources of this well-endowed district, whose agricultural potentials in particular are phenomenal. Most of the significant settlements are inaccessible in the rainy season and parts of the Yendi-Zabzugu trunk road as well as the stretch between Zabzugu and Tatale need improvements too. It is pathetic to know that Tatale and Zabzugu are the only towns hugged to the national electricity grid in a district of over150 communities. The district in the Fourth Republic has sent four persons to Ghana’s parliament to represent them; can Francis tell me which of them was from Zabzugu?
Tatale does not generate “volumes of revenue to the state” through the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) as my brother would want us to believe. CEPS is a state Agency that is operating in the Zabzugu Tatale District on the Ghana-Togo boarder; any call for some percentage of the revenue generated in the district to even be ceded for the assembly to pursue its development agenda will only inure to the benefit of the whole district and not Zabzugu (because it’s the district capital) or even Tatale (because CEPS operates in the outskirts of the town)
Which part of Ghana, Northern Region can be said to be the most violent or volatile and by what criterion? Every hamlet in the country has development minded persons as well as pockets of conservative people who will resist every attempt to see everyone smile, what shows that some residents or sections of the Zabzugu Tatale District are development oriented and others are not?
How is development in the district skewed towards Zabzugu to the neglect of other towns and communities as Francis Npong believes? Zabzugu is one of the district capitals in the region if not in the country, which has no tarred town roads-not even 10metres. On education, there is one SHS each in Zabzugu and Tatale; five JHS each in Zabzugu and Tatale and on health, Tatale has a Clinic and Zabzugu has a Polyclinic even though a District Hospital is under construction in the district capital. I entreat Francis Npong to get his facts right before getting on the rampage of accusing everyone except the category he calls ‘his people’
My brother Francis Npong intimates that much has not been seen to be changing in communities around Zabzugu and the rest of the communities, I absolutely agree with him on that and this only re-emphasizes the degree of neglect. we should not blame politicians but ourselves as well: we are all either part of the problem or part of the solution; but it is quite erroneous for Francis Npong to say that development has been skewed in favor of Zabzugu town without due regard to other towns and communities in the district. The truth is and remains that, Zabzugu Tatale District by all standards is relatively deprived and comparatively marginalized.
Brains are implanted in living beings and not stones, it is therefore the responsibility of all of us to sit up as educated youth from the district to ensure that the development we need in the district for ourselves and future generations does not elude us, and not to embark on programmes of misinformation and mal-information of our unlettered brothers and sisters. We must have long term range goals to keep ourselves from being frustrated by selfishness, greed and vulgar ignorance
The Zabzugu Tatale is a very large one and if it is split into two, the spate of development can be rapid, this is undisputable. Who are against the splitting of the district as Francis Npong alleges? I am convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that no person in his right senses will rise against any attempt to create a new district out of the current Zabzugu Tatale District. Any move by government to divide the district into two will be received by all without any reservations especially if the due consultations are done to ensure that boundary disputes are avoided, at least anyone who does not even have a well-screwed on head will discern that the creation of a new district will fashion the avenue for more resources to be sent to the area for development.
Francis Npong claims that he has heard some people he calls ‘enemies of progress’ went as far as to the ministries and agencies to ensure that the government’s idea to create another district to facilitate development of the area is dropped. I encourage him to go to the point! We want to know Who have gone to which ministries to pursue this mischief? It must however be made very clearly and emphatically that, so many factors are taken into consideration before districts are redrawn or constituted, it does not depend on the whims and caprices of any minister, it is exclusively dependent on relevant demographic data and other key considerations.
Francis Npong states that he is sure the “war” have not ended yet and that there is more than war to be fought whether or not Tatale is given a district. Which war? I am not aware of any war in the district! The issues of Sheini iron Ore deposits is frequently being referred to by Francis Npong and I find it extremely bizarre! Sheini existed with all the perceived resources before independence, why must it now be a reason for divisiveness and tension in the district where Dagombas, Basares and Konkombas and other ethnic groups have lived peacefully for centuries.
I don’t understand what my brother means by frequently repeating the phrase “my people”, who are his people? Must we be seen to be engaged in fuelling issues with unparalleled divisive tendencies? I am afraid it would not help our course!
Yes, the issue of the new district has come even though we are yet to get to know how the zoning has been done; we are certainly interested in knowing which communities fall under which district. This is undoubtedly the point of interest for all of us and that is where we will come and come with the strength the exigency of the situation will deserve!
I leave these issues here for the discerning readers to judge!
Z.A. LABARAN
zalabaran@yahoo.com
0244182951
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