Comment: Northern Ghana must unite or remain underdeveloped

The people of Northern Ghana are yearning for the days when the Tolon Naas, Mumuni Bawumias, Jato Kaleos and their educated compatriots united to fight for the emancipation and empowerment of the inhabitants of the Northern Territories before the colonial Gold Coast became independent Ghana.

During those days, there were no Dagombas, Mamprusis, Waalas, Dagabas and Gurengas. There were no Abudus and Andanis at each other's throat. What mattered most then was the North, and its peoples' common good.

But these days what do we see? The northern educated political and economic elite use some of their kin and kith to perpetrate crimes and pursue hidden agendas bordering on egotism and self-gratification.

Instead of mentoring the young ones, the opportunistic northern elite rather exploit their exuberance for negative purposes. Instead of teaching the youth how to fish, the elite rather fish for them: That is if they fish for them at all. For example, instead of advising the youth to pursue formal education and choose fruitful careers, the elite rather encourage them to fight for political power.

The elite do not encourage the youth to learn trades, but complain that the young ones are being marginalised in the South. If they are marginalised, what must they do? The best thing is for them go to school or get a trade. But this does not cross the minds of the elite. They seem to prefer that the youth remain 'kayayei,' khebab sellers, truck pushers, 'fufu' pounders and fowls sellers so that they can use them for their agendas.

From the independence era to the present, the elite have used their fellow northerners to do unholy ventures. No wonder some people say persons of northern extraction are their own enemies. The instances are many. Some shenanigans from the North helped disgruntled J.J. Rawlings and his cohorts to overthrow the first northern President, Dr. Hilla Limann. The first northern Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama's presidential bid was shot down by some New Patriotic Party (NPP) elements from the North. The Mills-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government replaced Moses Asaga with Albert Abongo, but there was no solidarity protest by the latter. Similarly, Dr. Benjamin Kumbour accepted the post of Martin Amidu without blinking an eye. Now, as reported in our lead front-page story, Boniface Abubakar Saddiq, with the aid of some northern king-pins in the NPP, is scheming to replace Dr. Mahammudu Bawumia.

For the development of the North, URADEP, FASCOM and SADA were projects designed to lift the people from poverty, but the northerners who manned these projects failed their own people. The time has come for well-meaning northerners to wake up from their slumber and realise that majority of the elites do not really have the socio-economic development and advancement of the North at heart.

The youth must, therefore, hold their leaders responsible for the underdevelopment of the North and not be deceived by NDC-NPP divisive politics. For, whether NPP or NDC is in or out power, there will always be the North whose development is paramount. The destiny of the North is in the hands of all peoples from there!