Dagomba Intelligentsia Are Foolish - Haruna Atta

Haruna Atta, Editor of the Accra Daily Mail, an Accra-based privately owned newspaper, has strongly asserted that the crises and power struggle in Dagbon should be blamed on the foolishness of the intellectuals in the community.

According to him, instead of the educated elite in the community using the traditional conflict resolution mechanism to help find solutions to the problem, they resulted to holding press conferences to attack each other and playing politics with such a delicate issue.

His comments is in reaction to the hullabaloo that arose in the Northern part of the country after an Accra Fast Track High Court acquitted and discharged the 15 Abudus charged with the murder of the late overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II.

Speaking in an interview with PeaceFM News, Haruna Atta said right from the beginning of the incident, the intelligentsia in Dagbon began with press conferences attacking each other whiles politicians also deepen the crisis by wading into it for their political interests.

“I blame the intelligentsia of Dagbon because they started by press conferences to attack each other, putting ideas into some of these enlightened people in Dagbon and putting their heads together. Then the politicians also waded in to spoil things. Excuse my language, but the Dagomba intelligentsia are foolish people because there is trouble in your traditional area and instead of them to sit down and use their education… the free education Kwame Nkrumah gave them to help their people, but the intelligentsia of Dagbon are using it to divide their people,” he said emotionally.

He was of the view that the case is an intelligence struggle between brothers which should have been resolved as such. He noted that the ruling NDC made a mistake by politicizing the Ya Na murder issue and even going to the extent of making it a manifesto promise.

According to him, the NDC could have emphasized on finding peace for Dagbon and by arresting the perpetrators, rather than making it seem as if catching the murderers was so easy.

The seasoned politician said he cannot help but be filled with indignation that the peace and tranquility of Ghana is under threat because of how “foolish” the tragic situation was handled.