Alhaji Mohammed Baba, Tamale
Metropolitan
Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE)
SPLITTING of regions is a constitutional provision and so if the need arises for the Northern Region to be split, why not.?
However, the process must be carefully carried out and pursued taking into consideration the various ethnic groups in the region.
We have four major tribes in the region, namely the Dagombas, Nanumbas, Mamprusis and Gonjas. The process must ensure that a separate region is not created for one ethnic group otherwise it would cause a lot of disharmony among the people.
It is also worthy to mention that the constitution demands that 70 per cent of residents living in the region must vote for or reject that proposal.
On the whole, I must say it would be a good idea if the Northern Region is split into two regions.
Mrs Wilhelmina Aklaku,
Director of the Picorna Hotel, Tamale
I do not see the need for a split of the Northern Region. The issue is that when you create a separate region, you have to provide more resources for provision of infrastructure which would be an additional financial burden on the government.
I would suggest to the government to do a proper assessment of the region and put in place a lot of interventions to help reduce poverty and other developmental challenges facing the region.
Government should equally make more resources available for the development of the region. The road network, potable water and creation of more employment for the youth are areas that should be critically looked at.
Concrete efforts must also be made to resolve chieftaincy disputes and other forms of conflicts in the region.
The issue of splitting the region should not be the priority of government for now.
Hajia Fati Akwei Allah,
Proprietress of the Akwei Allah Food
Complex in Tamale
In my opinion, the exercise is a very expensive one and so I would rather suggest to government to put in place mechanisms to ensure that the regional minister and the various district chief executives work harder for the accelerated development of the region.
The region is grappling with such challenges as education, health, streetism, among others, so why don’t we solve those problems rather than spending huge sums of money to create another region?
Creating another region would mean paying more staff and providing more infrastructure at the time when existing regions, particularly the Northern Region is deprived.
Madam Comfort Zakaria,
Proprietress of Sapaarak Home Kitchen, Tamale
The Northern Region is a vast area and travelling between one district and another is very tiresome, laborious and time-consuming.
Administratively, the region is very difficult to manage. One could just imagine if the regional minister decides to tour a number of districts within one day. How many of them can he visit within a day?
To me, splitting the region would make more resources available for development.
The proposed exercise is even long overdue.
Alhaji Abdulai Yahaya (chairman), Opinion Leader in Tamale
It is a welcome idea but it is long overdue. Splitting the region will enhance its development but it should not be an agenda for any group of people.
Creating a separate region would mean more employment for our teeming unemployed youth. I disagree with the assertion that it is a costly exercise.
Even if government spends huge sums of money, it is a good investment.
Alhaji Abukari Sumani
Tamale-based
Contractor
Splitting the region would facilitate its development and since we all cherish progress, l must say it is a step in the right direction.
We must go for a referendum and employ the services of experts to critically examine the process.
I hope the team of experts would take into consideration ethnicity before making the demarcations such that it does not create problems for the people.
I, however, admit that it is a costly exercise to undertake but I am convinced that the process is worth it.
Philemon Aboungo, Pastor of the
Seventh-Day
Adventist Church, Tamale
The proposed splitting of the region would promote healthy competition and the judicious utilisation of scarce resources.
The division might even help to resolve some of the conflicts in the region because if the demarcation is done properly, then those ethnic groups that occasionally engage in conflicts might be separated and that alone could end the conflicts among them.
I must stress here that we do not need more infrastructure to be able to create a separate region.
It is my wish that this process is implemented effectively.
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