Northerners should all be part of the solution

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• francis kwarteng 11 years ago

  Ibrahim Hardi,
  
  Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece with us.
  
  Thanks, brother Hardi.
  
  Great work.

  Ibrahim Hardi,
  
  Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece with us.
  
  Thanks, brother Hardi.
  
  Great work.

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• Frank Agyena-Karikari 11 years ago

  One of the best articles I have read on this forum. It is sad that the people from parts of the North allow their own kindred to knock their hesds together, leading to violence and destruction while they live in luxury in Acc ...
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  One of the best articles I have read on this forum. It is sad that the people from parts of the North allow their own kindred to knock their hesds together, leading to violence and destruction while they live in luxury in Accra and Kumasi. Northern politicians even smuggle AK47 and other guns to fight each other. Those who gained free education from the regions do not want to accept postings there because the area is deprived, witchcraft or juju. One of my mates at Cape vars since our Cape Coast days in the early 80s never went back to Nandom. Who do they expect to develop the area. At a point in time in 1989, there was only one gynecologist in upper East region but we have a number of people from the region who are specialists in many areas.
  The government must turn her attention to develop the North but Northners must also realize that there is no sense in useless tribal wars and the destruction of property that goes with them. Notrthners can be part of the solution. Imagine how much money government spent on peace keeping at Yendi and Bawku a year. Can that money be used to develop the area?

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• Yaa Naa 11 years ago

  wow, well said brother. may the good lord give the right people the strength and resources to develop the north..

  wow, well said brother. may the good lord give the right people the strength and resources to develop the north..

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• Tinaabs 11 years ago

  We can develop ourselves to support our selves if we are determined,committed, and dedicated to our destiny.May God Help us to eschew selfish interest and seek for the interest of our fellow brothers and sisters. Thank you br ...
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  We can develop ourselves to support our selves if we are determined,committed, and dedicated to our destiny.May God Help us to eschew selfish interest and seek for the interest of our fellow brothers and sisters. Thank you brother hardi.

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• Show nana 11 years ago

  "...Colonialism is partly responsible for the underdevelopment of the north. The colonial masters (British) deliberately denied the people of the north access to formal education...."
  
  
  Your opening statement is a gargantu ...
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  "...Colonialism is partly responsible for the underdevelopment of the north. The colonial masters (British) deliberately denied the people of the north access to formal education...."
  
  
  Your opening statement is a gargantuan lie. Every gov't since Adam has strenuosly encouraged northerners to go to school. FREEBIES like free, free, free everything has been bestowed on our brethren upstairs. Besides how long has the colonialists been gone? Or you mean they should have established SADA way back in those days? SADA that is going to be the most corrupt enterprise ever to be dreamed up to fill the pockets of the elite?
  
  
  Massa, lets get rid of this culture of "we are entitled to this because we are that" 'cos it is now 2014.

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• Divine 11 years ago

  this is the best article i have read for a year now.no matter your tribe we should all come together to build the north.Ghana will still be a developing country when the south is well developed but the north is not.i really c ...
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  this is the best article i have read for a year now.no matter your tribe we should all come together to build the north.Ghana will still be a developing country when the south is well developed but the north is not.i really cant tell the reason why the southners mostly ashantis behave & say rude words towards the northners.we are all one.the most disgraceful & stupid person is John Mahama who has neglected his people.Your time will come very soon.

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• Frank Agyena-Karikari 11 years ago

  It is true that colonial masters were partly responsible for the underdevelopment of the North but it has been over half a century since they left. Can't we change things ourselves. I have great adiration for the Kwahu people ...
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  It is true that colonial masters were partly responsible for the underdevelopment of the North but it has been over half a century since they left. Can't we change things ourselves. I have great adiration for the Kwahu people because even if he livess in Accra, he puts up a nice building in his hometown and visits there for funerals and festivals. Our Nothern relations do not do that. Many areas in Kwahu were not developed by the government but themselves. Some Northern communities have to take their destiny into thir hands. Why should they let children go to school under trees and without furniture and just wait for the government to do everything for them? Where is the community spirit? Can communities not put up even thatched buildings for kids to go to school? How much does it cost to provide low cost furniture for school kids instead of kids sitting on the ground to study. There are many rich Northners who should help. A Kwahu man will build a school for his town just for the SHOW SHOW of it. It is just like some villages in the South who want to wait for the gov't to build toilet and simple wells for them. Responsibility and dedication are solutions to the Northern problems.

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• Brother 11 years ago

  Why do you say it is the biggest lie when Hardi did not say it is the only problem. Are you denying that, Nkrumah was the first government to build schools there? What am glad about is that, as a country we agree that, the no ...
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  Why do you say it is the biggest lie when Hardi did not say it is the only problem. Are you denying that, Nkrumah was the first government to build schools there? What am glad about is that, as a country we agree that, the northern problem is lack of commitment from even their own typical of Africans when we move above others of our own elk. No other people could show more concern than the northerner and so very sad it is that, SADA seems to be a conduit for sharing money by a few northerners. Other peoples also seem to think like north is a different country. Northern troubles are as well everybody's because at least, you tax is misdirected to maintain peace there.

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• Gado 11 years ago

  Well said, Hardi .The problem we have as Northerners again is the denigrating way we treat our women . This is what we don,t want to talk about but is the international truth! The north is not made up of only men. Not until w ...
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  Well said, Hardi .The problem we have as Northerners again is the denigrating way we treat our women . This is what we don,t want to talk about but is the international truth! The north is not made up of only men. Not until we get them involve in decision making and in leadership position most of our effort would be in vain. We have very capable , intelligent smart women in the north but the over domineering and PHD nature of the men has left them behind. The fact is that women are more influential when it comes to lobbying , negotiation etc. By nature they are appealing and more acceptable in diplomatic circles and we must make good use of them. I was ashamed when in the first year of the appointment of JMs goverment not a single woman was appointed for the three Northern Region as ministers as if we don,t have them. In almost all the regions we had at least one woman as a minister. The earlier we expose them the better for our development.

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• Esi 11 years ago

  Ibrahim, I will suggest that if you want the northern section of the country to developed, your people should settle chieftancy disputes amicably once and for all, especially, the budu gate and ndani gate. Dont allow the NDC ...
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  Ibrahim, I will suggest that if you want the northern section of the country to developed, your people should settle chieftancy disputes amicably once and for all, especially, the budu gate and ndani gate. Dont allow the NDC and Rawlings to put more fire into the case. Any time the case is dying out, Rawlings, media and other northern politicians will bring it up. Since your regions have been noted for violence zone, they are capitalizing on it in order to start war or distabilizes the country. If you want your northern sector to be developed, then, sensitize your people to help each other, to bring peace to the region, and sideline any person who want to incite the youth to cause disturbances in the regions. This will bring a lot of investors to the region and there will be peace. Hoot at those who want to incite the youth to rise up against peace in the sector.

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• Nii Ablorh 11 years ago

  good article, spread the word for all northerners, that is why is saddens me when a son of the north agambire wants to built hope city was looking at accra and not Bolga

  good article, spread the word for all northerners, that is why is saddens me when a son of the north agambire wants to built hope city was looking at accra and not Bolga

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• Pelicles 11 years ago

  Whether education went to the North in this 21st century or not, the North had produced TWO presidents so, that nonsensical excuse in the past should be ignored.
  
  North, South, East, West, Central, Volta, Ashanti, Brong are ...
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  Whether education went to the North in this 21st century or not, the North had produced TWO presidents so, that nonsensical excuse in the past should be ignored.
  
  North, South, East, West, Central, Volta, Ashanti, Brong are all on the same scale. Northerners should get that into their tick skull and move on. Right now, there should be no free education to any Northerner again.

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• Paul Amuna 11 years ago

  You made a list of schools that missionaries built in the North, but completely left out the tremendous efforts made by the Ghana government and the 'Giant Schools' which have even made a GREATER impact than the ones you sugg ...
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  You made a list of schools that missionaries built in the North, but completely left out the tremendous efforts made by the Ghana government and the 'Giant Schools' which have even made a GREATER impact than the ones you suggest.
  
  For starters, the current Ghana president attended Ghana Secondary School, Tamale, one of the group of 1960s schools built by Nkrumah across the country to transform our education landscape - in the North these include Schools such as Navrongo school which has produced many a Ghanaian expert (and many who continue to serve the north), Bawku, Lawra, Wa Secondary, Damongo Sec etc. We might also add Tamale Secondary school which was built in the 1950s and boasts a lot of senior military officers of the Ghana army as its alumni, many have served Ghana with distinction.
  
  You also forgot to mention all the training colleges that were built by the Nkrumah government including Bagaba (Tamale), Tumu (later converted to The Secondary School), Bimbilla etc. and Schools such as Nalerigu Sec and Bagabaga training college in Northern region.
  
  Yes, you are right people who hail from the North should contribute to developments in the region and I support your general argument. But I rather prefer an argument for all of us to contribute to the development of all parts of Ghana, and to brighten whichever corner we find ourselves in whilst not forgeting our 'roots'.

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• Akadu Mensema 11 years ago

  Good!

  Good!

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• John Agbo 11 years ago

  That was a masterpiece. Hope our policy makers and administrators will get the opportunity to read this article.

  That was a masterpiece. Hope our policy makers and administrators will get the opportunity to read this article.

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• Seba Yakubu 11 years ago

  Lack of commitment and love for the North by many well to do Northerners hinders our true development. For instance Rich Southerners will always try to put up mansions in their remotest villages, but see most Northern rich me ...
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  Lack of commitment and love for the North by many well to do Northerners hinders our true development. For instance Rich Southerners will always try to put up mansions in their remotest villages, but see most Northern rich men and men of power-Political, they put up mansions in Accra or Kumasi and come to stay in their family dilapidated buildings or hotels when in the north, its a pity. Mr writer if you could fish out an article published in the Northern Advocate cant remember the year by the late Hon. Mumuni Bawumia on the Minerals of the North, you will marvel. Gold deposits at Nangodi, Diamonds bigger than those at Akwetia in Gambaga and lots more. Some of our hinderancies in development comes from sabotage and lack of unity.

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• Komla 11 years ago

  Ibrahim, your article took me back in time. I grew up in Tamale and love the north and its people. I agree with you that the north is blessed with honest, intelligent, hardworking and determined people. It is my prayer and ho ...
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  Ibrahim, your article took me back in time. I grew up in Tamale and love the north and its people. I agree with you that the north is blessed with honest, intelligent, hardworking and determined people. It is my prayer and hope that the north will catch up with the south very soon in terms of development. By the St Charles Seconday School in Tamale was one of the best schools in Ghana those days. Only the best and the brigtest were offered admission.

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• Angel 11 years ago

  Mr. Ibrahim Hardi, I congratulate you for this article. In fact, one of the areas we northerners need to do more is what you have done: writing. We northerners should endeavour to write - articles, books, etc. I wish to add t ...
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  Mr. Ibrahim Hardi, I congratulate you for this article. In fact, one of the areas we northerners need to do more is what you have done: writing. We northerners should endeavour to write - articles, books, etc. I wish to add to the last point you made about Tumu being referred to as a town in UER. I am a teacher; In fact I was one of pioneer teachers who started the JSS system in 1987. I taught English. The first edition of the English text books that were printed were full of mistakes of that nature. They wrote about "handicrafts" in Wa in the UER, and so on. It was annoying! During an In-Service Training course for English in 1993, teachers condemned that book. When we studied the list of contributors and editors, none was from the north. We wondered whether no northerner was qualified enough to be part of that team! Northerners are the "authority" of the north. Many northerners are excluded in assignments involving the very region they come from. We must think about this issue carefully.

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