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(Damongo) – The King and Overlord of the Gonja Traditional Council and president of Savannah Region House of Chiefs, Yagbonwura Jakpa Tutumba Bore Essa (II) has again called on the government of Ghana to speed up processes to get the people of Damongo portal drinking water. He said his subjects are in dire need of water to overcome the challenges they go through in search of portable drinking water.
Yagbonwura made call during the 2021 Yagbon Damba at the Jakpa Palace, Damongo on Saturday, October 23, 2021 in a speech read for him by Abutu Kapori, the Secretary, Savannah Region House of Chiefs.
Yagbonwura Jakpa Tutumba Bore Essa (II) also appealed to the youth of Gonjaland to embrace Damba festival and other festivals because it plays strategic role the culture and tradition of the Gonja Kingdom. Damba festival, usually celebrated by the descendants of Ndewura Jakpa, is singled out as the most important traditional festivals transcending across traditional areas in the Gonja Kingdom. Damba is a unifying festival among all persons in Gonjaland; it brings people together and promote human interaction to champion and facilitate general development agenda.
Yagbonwura applauded the citizens of the area for holding high, the peace of the area despite they belonging to different political, social, religious, tribal groups.
“As a beacon of peace in Gonja and Ghana at large, I am proud to mention that every person in the Savannah region must be applauded for helping in maintaining peace in the region. More especially, the traditional authority, security agencies, REGSEC and MUSEC. I congratulate you for your enormous efforts in the area of peace”.
The Savannah Region House of Chiefs president expressed gratitude to the government through the Lands and Natural Resources minister for putting measures in place to help in the restoration of the depleted vegetative cover and warned that actors will be dealt with by the law.
“With respect to restoration of the vegetation cover of Savannah region, collaborative effort and team work brought to a successful end of commercial charcoal burning, fuel wood harvesting and illegal logging activities in the Savannah region. Anybody who will fall short of the laid down principles governing the environmental restoration process will have themselves to blame”.
A crusade to restore the environment led by our own son lawyer Abu Jinapor, Lands and Natural Resources minister and MP for Damongo constituency is in the right direction with good intentions to support Ghana, he added.
The unhappy Yagbonwura however, called on all stakeholders to team up to halt the declining educational standards in the Savannah region.
“I was sad when the statistics on educational performance was released and the position of Savannah region which reflects an appalling state. We need to work and do careful assessment of basic and SHS performance in the region to bring change and improvement in the educational sector.
Thanks to stakeholders who have started mitigating in this regard. The youth of today, I want to encourage you that your fathers did it well and you can do better if you sit up”.
Yagbonwura congratulated those who have been appointed to serve in various capacities of the current government and urged them to work harder to open the gate for more opportunities to others.
“Let me use this opportunity to congratulate all sons and daughters of the land who have been given various appointments in the Nana Akuffo-Addo led administration to serve mother Ghana. Please serve with your hearts and mind to make the region proud and to create avenue for future appointments for more sons and daughters of the land”.
Yagbonwura appealed to assemblies that have not confirmed nominees of the president to help approve the nominees to promote growth and development. He appealed to the Hon. Assembly Members of the East Gonja municipal assembly and Bole district assembly to eschew their differences and approve the two nominees.
Saeed Muhazu Jibril, the Savannah regional minister explained the the RCC is putting up better measures in place to help halt the falling standards of education in the region.
Muhazu Jibril said the Savannah region in the last ranking was 16th out of the 16 regions in terms of education performance. And this needs serious attention to enable us catch up with the other regions. He assured the Yagbonwura that efforts are being made to reverse the poor output of students in the region.
The Hon. MP for the Damongo Constituency Samuel Abu Jinapor was the Guest of Honour.
Abu Jinapor expressed gratitude to the people of the Damongo Constituency for peaceful election 2020, and the opportunity given him to contribute to the development of Gonjaland, the constituency and Ghana as whole. He disclosed that a lot needs to be done in the infant Savannah region and the current government has been so since the region was created by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Abu Jinapor said the opportunity given to sons and daughters of the region to serve in various capacities in government is unprecedented and that alone is sign of pushing development to the region and, added that a regional hospital, University project, water project, roads and others will soon be executed. Compensations for affected persons has been paid with actual work for water project starting soon.
Abu Jinapor further stated that water tank vehicles will be deployed into the constituency by the Ghana water company to supply water for residents especially in Damongo and it’s environs during this dry season.
They were donations by former president John Dramani Mahama and the Damongo MP Abu Jinapor to the organizing committee. Bags of rice and cash were received by the committee from the two sons.
padfm.com.gh / Abdulai Zulkaninu
