Mr. President, you must assure Ghanaians

Dagbon Violence: Mr. President, you must assure Ghanaians that you are still in control

Your Excellency President Kufuor,

Your utility to Ghanaians may be diminishing, and your authority as commander-in-chief may be on the wane as your days as president are counting down, nevertheless you must assure Ghanaians that you are still the “driver” and not the “driver-mate.”

The recent violence in Tamale and Gushegu in the Northern Region of Ghana are cases of criminal misbehavior every decent Ghanaian should abhor and unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms. The murder of innocent citizens by members of any group or party should be met with swift justice and punishment. Anything short of swift justice will be tantamount to deliberate negligence and dereliction of duty as President.

Mr. President, it is time for you to demonstrate to Ghanaians that you are the “driver” and still in control of the steering-wheel, and not the “driver-mate.”

Innocent citizens of Gushegu were killed and property destroyed by deranged criminals who are alleged to be members of the New Patriotic Party. Such heinous crimes cannot go unpunished. A strong signal must be given to assure all Ghanaians that we all deserve security and justice on equal terms regardless of our political color, tribal extraction, and traditional lineage.

So far, under your presidency, several despicable criminal acts took place without the necessary executive action: The Ya Naa, an innocent King, and over 40 of his innocent subjects and family members were gruesomely slain in Yendi in March 2002, no arrests were made and no justice served; Alhaji Issah Mobila, an innocent man, was brutally killed in December 2004 in Tamale, the culprits were arrested, but no justice has been served; 3 innocent NPP supporters (“Iran-Irak” and his fellow men) were cold-bloodedly killed in a place not far from Tamale in the same month as aforementioned, no arrests were made and no justice has been served; several innocent people were callously killed in Anloga in the Volta Region, no arrests were made and no justice served; several innocent inhabitants of Bawku were inhumanly killed, no arrests made and no justice has been served; and very recently six innocent citizens of Dagbon were animally exterminated and valuable properties destroyed, yet not all the killers have been arrested and no justice has been served so far.

The question I desire an answer to is: Mr. President, how do you fit into the executive role as head of Ghana’s security system (Commander-in-Chief) and the trustee of our freedom and justice when you have never manifested that you give a damn about all these numerous cold-blooded murders and the countless clarion calls for justice? Mr. President, remember that “justice delayed is justice denied.” Further, your incessant inaction to prefer justice where justice is due gives a signal of a leadership that is not interested in universal justice for its citizenry and does not consider security-for-all as an important political value that should be held dear to the heart. And that, is in contradiction to the pillars (coat of arms) on which Ghana’s democracy was founded after independence and the basis of the oath you swore as president. Mr. President, remember that a nation divided is a nation defeated.

If you are still the “driver,” then prove to the nation that you are still in control by serving justice in the numerous heartless killings in Dagbon and ensuring that no more killings occur in Dagbon and elsewhere in Ghana. Furthermore, the unfortunate culture of murders with impunity and injustice that you have presided over is a dangerous recipe for disaster. Mr. President, it is clear to all that Dagbon has been a prime victim of your presidency by all measures and it is high time you made efforts to salvage the negative legacy you are leaving behind. This is your last chance - grab it!

Thank you.

Yours Respectfully,

Natogmah Issahaku

(Dagbon Peace, Reconciliation and Development Advocate)

Hails from Jisonaayilli, Tamale