Krobo Youth Disappointed In Some MPs Over Relocation Of University

Monday June 15, 201.
The youth of the Krobo area have said they are greatly disappointed in some Parliamentarians over their recent debates on the floor of parliament calling for the relocation of the proposed University of Environment and Sustainable Development from Somanya to Koforidua.

The youth have said that though it is the constitutional rights of the MPs to speak their mind on the issue, they believed the arguments made by some of them notably Dominic Ntiwul, Papa Owusu Ankomah, Adwoa Sarfoa, and Patrick Boamah are flawed both intellectually and logically, and have therefore called for the immediate cessation of these debates.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

On Thursday 11th June, during the ammendment of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development Bills (2014) on the floor of parliament, the aforementioned MPs have expressed concern over the siting of the proposed University at Somanya and some have called for its re-location to Koforidua.

Reasons for their arguments include:

–All public universities were first established in the regional capitals before Satellite campuses established elsewhere

– Siting of the University in Somanya is for political expediency since the Krobo area have been the stronghold of the NDC since the fourth republic

–The Committee set up by government must be allowed to indicate the location of the university and must not be chosen by government.

However, the youth of the Krobo area have said that though these aforementioned MPs have their freedom of speech, they are heavily disappointed in their line of debates since such arguments are flawed both intellectually and logically.

The youth have outlined the following to back their claims:

1. That, not all public Universities are located in the regional capitals, and therefore Somanya will not be the first. Examples of these include the University of Education with its main campus at Winneba and not Cape coast, and the University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa and not Takoradi.

2. That, there are already plans to establish a University at Koforidua as the Koforidua Polytechnic will soon be turned into a full fledge technical university by September 2016 and will therefore be inappropriate to locate another public university there.

3. That, the choice of Somanya for the University was recommended by a technical committee of experts that was set up and was headed by Professor George Benneh (Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana), and it is therefore not for political expediency by the current government as the aforementioned MPs want us to believe.

4. That, Somanya has since the 1960s being on the Development plans of Dr Kwame Nkrumah to established an Agricultural University during the days of the vibrant Workers Brigade in the area. The work of the Technical Committee of experts only confirms that the location of Somanya indeed is suitable for a public university and no one must oppose it.

5. That, at this time when most of the capital cities are totally congested and are creating problems and calls are being made to decentralize our country's institutions, it is unfortunate for some of our MPs to be making such arguments to centralize instititutions in the capital cities.

The Chairman of Kloma Hengme; a Krobo advocacy and heritage association, Isaac Tamatey Otu, said he is highly disappointed in the arguments made by the aforementioned MPs. He said Krobos believe in freedom of speech but it appears these MPs involved in such debates are doing that deliberately to deprive the Krobo area of a university since their arguments are pregnant with serious flaws.

He has condemned the actions of the aforementioned MPs and called for the immediate cessation to the relocation debates since according to him "We the youth are going to do everything possible to ensure that the University stays here in the Krobo area at all cost"

"This University is coming here to Kroboland at all cost and we are aware of an additional 200 acres of land that has been provided by our chiefs to supplement the already existing land apportioned for the University. We want such unfortunate debates to cease immediately since it is not good for the health of the country and will make us to mark time in our developmental efforts", he added.

For further Enquiries:

020 686 8875, 024 403 4711, 050 724 1924