MINISTRY SUSPENDS PROJECTS IN BAWKU (BACK PAGE)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Nalerigu

The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports has suspended all its projects in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region, due to the volatile nature of the conflict in the area.
The World Vision International has also cancelled its educational projects while Barclays Bank, which recently extended its services to the area, has also folded up.
Mr Alhassan Samari, Upper East Regional Minister, disclosed this during a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Nayiri Mahami Sheriga Abdulai, at Nalerigu in the Northern Region and said that due to the unstable peace in the municipality most workers had fled the area for safer locations.
The Regional Minister, accompanied by Members of the Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC), was at Nalerigu to brief the Nayiri on the latest development with regards to the Bawku crisis.
Mr Samari said the renewed fighting in the area was unfortunate, as President Kufuor had met the leadership of the feuding factions at the castle in an attempt to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
He noted that due to the recent fighting in Bawku, some Mamprusis in Pusiga were currently seeking refuge in some towns in northern Togo and announced that plans were underway to bring them back home.
He appealed to the Nayiri to impress on his Mamprusi subjects in Bawku to exercise restraint to avert a spillover to the Northern Region.
The Nayiri expressed regret at the current situation in Bawku and called for patience and education on the problems in Bawku.
He said there were several remote causes to the conflict in Bawku, which, he said, included the non performance of the funeral of the late Adam Zamgbeogo, as well as his inability to visit the shrine of Naa Gbewaa at Pusiga to invoke the spirit of their ancestors to help bring peace to Bawku.
He also said the inaccessibility to good farmlands by Mamprusis in Bawku to carry out their farming activities was another contributory factor to the conflict and expressed the hope that such problems would be addressed to help bring peace to the area.
“If in the past it was possible for us to live together in peace, why the differences now?” He questioned.
The Nayiri expressed regret at the cancellation of development projects in Bawku due to the conflict and said without development there would not be progress.
He pledged his commitment at efforts being made at restoring peace in Bawku and gave the assurance that he would impress on his subjects to remain calm and exercise restraint in the face of provocation.
Responding to a concern raised by the Upper East Regional Minister about an incident in which a bus travelling from Kumasi to Bawku was stopped at Wulugu and the passengers searched to identify persons believed to be Kusasis, the Nayiri condemned the act and said he would do all he could to advise his subjects to desist from carrying out such acts of retribution.
The Regional Minister had earlier called on the District Chief Executive for East Mamprusi, Mr Peter Awuni, and the District Co-ordinating Director for West Mamprusi, Mr Musah Issah, to discuss some security issues and plans to check the activities of criminals who would want to take advantage of the conflict in Bawku to carry out their nefarious activities.
The delegation included the Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ofosu Mensah Gyeabour; the Regional CEPS Commander, Mr Evans Klutse; the Regional Chief Fire Officer, Mr Johnson Abu; the Regional Security Co-ordinator, Mr Ahmed Mumuni; and the Regional BNI Commander, Mr David Gobah.