A group calling itself the Northern Progressive Youth Group has renewed calls for a split of the Tamale South constituency ahead of the 2020 general elections.
There were similar calls during the creation of new constituencies before the 2012 polls.
There is an ongoing debate that another constituency should be carved out of the Tamale South constituency with the largest voter population in the Northern Region.
It is against this backdrop leadership of the Northern Progressive Youth Group at a news conference appealed to government to initiate processes that could lead to the split of the Tamale South constituency.
The Convener, Ibrahim Baba explained that splitting the Tamale South constituency will fast track infrastructure development there.
Below is the full statement:
NORTHERN PROGRESSIVE YOUTH GROUP
Development is said to be the overall growth of the individual and the society, that is the quantitative and qualitative growth associated with a person and the society at large. For development to be achieved, it must reach the individual at where ever he/she finds him/herself. The only way this can be achieved is the decentralization of the development process by the creation of more districts.
The Tamale Metro Assembly is a very big assembly, the biggest in human population in the Northern Region with a population of 293,881 with a total area of 731km (282 square miles). The Tamale Metro Assembly has two big constituencies, the Tamale Central which is urban and the Tamale South Constituency which is predominantly rural.
The Tamale South Constituency is the worse developed constituency of the two constituencies; it is the biggest of the two both in land size and human population. Before the creation of the Sagnerigu District Constituency from the Tamale North Constituency, the Tamale South Constituency was bigger than the then Tamale North Constituency that is, Tamale North and Sagnerigu combined.
In 2008, the Tamale South Constituency had a voter population of 78,186 whiles the Tamale North Constituency which was divided into two had a voter population of 75,276 and land size of 200.4 km2. Tamale Metro has a land size of 731km2 with Tamale South far bigger than Tamale Central.
The Tamale South was therefore chosen to be divided and a district created out. Political parties were making plans towards the creation of the constituency surprisingly; it was the Tamale North constituency that was divided. It was rumoured that an individual was said to have been behind that unpopular move.
As stated earlier, the Tamale South Constituency is very big with a huge population. Most of the people live in rural areas, those that are very deplorable, with their roads being very bad, with no portable water; some use the water bodies simultaneously with their animals. Some communities don’t have schools and those that have schools lack teachers, teaching aids, and some still sit under trees for studies. As a matter of fact, conditions in Tamale South are extremely bad.
We believe that with the creation of the new constituency and the apportion of one million dollar to each constituency will help bring a lot of development within the Tamale South Constituency and the northern sector as a whole.
It is against this background that, we the Northern Progressive Youth Group and stakeholders of Tamale South Constituency wants the constituency to be divided as stated by the Electoral Commission of Ghana for a speedy development of the constituency and we therefore appeal to His Excellency the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the man destined to change Ghana, the man who listens, the man who has so far done very well for our dear nation to give us an ear and see to the split of the constituency and Metropolis for the betterment of our dear Tamale South Constituency.
Long Live His Excellency,
Long Live Ghana.
Signed by:
ABDUL RAZAK ISSAH
P.R.O
IBRAHIM BABA – PRO
OSMAN ABDULMUMIN-
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana