The Regent of Dagbon has renewed calls for justice to prevail in the murder of the late overlord of Dagbon, Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II.
The late Yaa-Naa died in March 2002 as a result of deadly attacks in the Yendi Township and the perpetrators are still at large.
[contextly_sidebar id=”NfKJqbwSvVepUBmQHnKYB0Sd6zTOFiro”]The Kampakuya-Naa Andani Yakubu Abdulai is displeased about the delay in apprehending the killers.
He also bemoaned the recent killings of some chiefs in the region, including the murdered Bimbila Naa Andani Dasana Abdulai.
He also recalled the recent murder of Salinkuga-Lana, a sub-chief in the Zabzugu Traditional Area among others who were murdered in a similar fashion.
According to the Kampakuya-Naa Andani Yakubu Abdulai, he is traumatized by what he described as immoral acts and is demanding immediate justice.
He raised this concern at the 2015 Damba festival jointly celebrated by the Abudus and Andanis in Yendi.
It was celebrated on the theme, “Taking inspiration from our common heritage and culture in the struggle for peace and development.”
His speech was read by the Registrar of the Dagbon Traditional Council, Adam Gariba Mohammed.
According to the Regent of Dagbon, government should consider the gruesome murder of chiefs in the area as a national catastrophe and take pragmatic steps to reverse the trend by clumping down on the activities of the criminals.
He decried that, “twelve years ago, Ghana or more precisely the world at large witnessed the dastardly and cowardly murder of our beloved father, Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II and 29 of his elders and sympathizers: just after this as if people were not satisfied, another gruesome murder of Gnanga-lana was recorded, to date all well meaning sons and daughters of Dagbon remain in tears as there is no sign that anybody is about to be found responsible for the heinous crime.”
He added, “In Dagbon not only have we been denied justice so far but even a settlement that should allow us to continue our lives is proving elusive over twelve years since our bereavement: a settlement based on the well-known principles of fairness, equity and the truth regarding our nearly millennial customs and traditions should however not have taken more than a few weeks, this long delay is no good omen.”
“Only a few month ago, history repeated itself in another Gbewaa state with the carnage in Bimbila followed by the criminal murder of Salinkuga-Lana in the Zabzugu District: we are concerned that beyond the blatant impunity, the state and the laws of Ghana are unable to or have refused since to recognize as such and the perpetrators continue to make noise in the belief that they will through manipulation of the state machinery and legal/judicial subterfuge eventually derive benefit from their crime,” the Kampakuya-Naa fumed.
Development priorities
Sanitation
The Kampakuya-Naa commended government for introducing the National Sanitation exercise to clear the nation of filth.
“The policy on sanitation is most welcome: we appreciate the idea of establishing engineered landfill sites aimed at converting waste to wealth by processing same into energy and compost.”
He called for the exercise’s rapid expansion to all the regions as a sustainable solution to the nation’s waste management deficit.
Agriculture
The Regent of Dagbon applauded government for allocating enough resources in the 2015 budget for agricultural growth.
He described the agricultural mechanization services and the Youth in Agriculture Program as some of the steps taken by government to revamp the agric sector.
He however called for high yielding subsidized seeds and the need to support agric technologies with adequate spare parts.
He advocated the sustainability of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
Health
He said government was worthy of praise for the sustained campaign to eliminate cholera and prevent the entry of the deadly Ebola disease into the country.
The Kampakuya-Naa requested for the expansion and upgrading of the Yendi District Hospital.
He paid special tribute to the nation’s gallant health workers and proposed the setting up of a National Awards Scheme to reward deserving health personnel.
Road network
The Dagbon Regent said the construction of the Eastern Corridor Road marked a turning point in the socio-economic development of the Northern Region.
He encouraged contractors working on projects in the region to speed up and do away with shoddy work.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana