UER airstrip: ‘Reckless’ Rockson is the cause of project delay - NDC Communicator

The confusion surrounding the location of an Airstrip in the Upper East Region has been attributed to the actions of former Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari.

He has been accused of changing the proposed airstrip site from Sumbrungu to Sherigu in the Bolgatanga Municipality which nearly caused acrimony between the residents.

Then Minister for Aviation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, asked the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in 2018 to conduct feasibility studies on a new site at Sherigu for the construction of an airport. Already, former President John Dramani Mahama had announced at a durbar held during his working visit to the region in 2013 that construction work would begin on the same project at Anateem, an area within Sumbrungu, in 2014.

The Anateem site has been on the drawing board since the early 1970s where a proposed area has been cleared with a three kilometer runway constructed. So the change of the site came as a surprise to many people in the region, the then Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari was reported to have masterminded the changes.

But as the issue appears to have faded off, recent comments by Hon. Kofi Adda, Member of Parliament for Navrongo Central and Minister for Aviation in an interview on A1 Radio suggested that the airstrip was to be constructed in Navrongo because of the misunderstanding between Sherigu and Sumbrungu over the site selection.

However, the two communities have flatly denied the claims by the Minister that they were at ‘war’ and appeal to government to consider fast tracking the processes in getting the region an airstrip.

But commenting on the issue on Daybreak Upper East, Member of NDC’s Communications Team, John Paul Danka said, Rockson Bukari should be blamed for the delay of the project.

“we wouldn’t have been we are if the unnecessary internal bickering had not started at all .this attitude and penchant for geographical naming of national projects does not send us anywhere,the most important thing was that the airport was supposed to be here period ! we are where we are because of the recklessness and irresponsibility of Rockson Bukari ,the former Upper East Regional Minister. What was the essence of you changing the original site from Sumbrungu to Sherigu? He queried

He added that in order for the situation to be settled amicably, the Technical Report on the viability of the Anateem proposed site should be implemented.

Meanwhile, Communications Team Member of the NPP, Osman Kariyama made a point that issues of development should not be politicized but rather cool heads should be allowed to roll.