With the arrival of a group in the Volta region, the electoral ‘World Bank’ of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is set to rattle the support base of the governing party as it seeks to spearhead a change in the region.
The group, Volta 4 Change, is a diverse group of Ghanaians who hail from the Volta region and have come together to protest the continual neglect of the region and its people by successive governments, particularly that of President Dramani and the ruling NDC.
According to the group, the neglect by President Mahama’s administration has led to an unprecedented high unemployment in the region, deteriorating social and educational infrastructure, the decline in the agriculture sector, poor healthcare delivery among others.
And it is for this reason that the group wants the NDC to lose its electoral advantage in the Volta region.
“It is time to leave our support where it belongs—in the dustbin of history…no longer shall we be NDC’s football of choice. The time NDC only pays us any attention is when [sic] officials of the party come campaigning for our votes…this time round they should forget about it,” President of the group, Eyram Doe, told Today in an interview.
He stressed the need for Voltarians to examine the basis for “our support for President Mahama and the ruling NDC government”, calling on the Voltarians to demand in exchange of their support to political parties and leaders, development and growth of “our region.”
He said there was no reason to continue to elect governing NDC and its leaders who had used “us for its own ends—milking us only for political capital,” maintaining that the “Voltarians can no longer justify support for a party that does not seek our welfare.”
Mr. Doe indicated that Volta region is somewhat of a paradox, noting that the region’s patent lack of development and dilapidation of its infrastructure is stark, and yet, election-after-election, “we continue to elect the NDC that has failed to deliver for its inhabitants.”
According to Doe, the state of affairs in the region was sad as it had the potential to be one of the leading regions in the country, instead of being left behind in terms of development.
He intimated that unemployment was high, the farming sector was withering, roads were decrepit and health care provision was mediocre.
“For instance, take the area of tourism. It is a particular area where the region’s potential remains untapped. Areas of scenic beauty, such as the Wli Falls, and historical interests, such as the Likpe ancestral caves, have been vastly undervalued.
The aforementioned attractions could potentially attract visitors from far and wide, stimulating the local economy and acting as catalyst for development. Yet the ruling NDC government willfully ignores these potential opportunities,” he noted.
According to Mr. Doe, the farming sector of the region has also failed to thrive, saying that the biggest employer in the region, remains unproductive as farmers who could not afford the basics, such as tools and fertiliser, bear witness to their lands lying fallow.
He said despite these iniquities, the ruling NDC government’s help was not forthcoming.
Trade and commerce, he added, was being hampered by a road network, the Ho-Aflao road being a case in point.
Narrow and ridden with potholes, he mentioned that the aforementioned artery carries the bulk of trade between Ghana and Togo, thus serving as an important conduit for both goods and people.
According to him, a much-needed rehabilitated road would improve trade between the two countries, with Voltarians in particular (as well as Ghana in general) being the main beneficiaries.
According to him, the current lamentable thoroughfare was not exactly a ringing endorsement of John Mahama’s supposed love for the Volta region.
He stated that the neglect and decay have become bywords that sum up the current state of the Volta region, with the region’s hospitals symptomatic of the wider malaise that plagues the nation.
Sounding worried, Mr. Doe averred: “God forbid any Voltarian ending up in Agortime-Ziope district hospital, for example.
According to him, the lack of equipment and qualified staff renders the facility ineffective, failing to adequately serve the healthcare needs of its patients.
“In short, the region’s healthcare system is literally on life support,” he pointed out.
He stressed that accountability was lacking and there was nothing tangible to show for all the claims of government spending on the Volta region, adding that Voltarians should not be fooled by the myth that John Mahama has Volta’s interest at heart–“he does not”!
“We Voltarians would do us good to question the bloated costs projects which had been executed in our region.
For example, the cost of GHC90,000 for the CHPS compound facility built in Avega, in the Akatsi North district–a cost that did not correlate with the modest facility delivered.
He therefore urged Voltarians to join Change 4 Vote to mobilise voters in the region to ensure that Mahama and his cohorts are not elected in the 2016 elections to wreak more havoc on “our beloved region and its people.”
Source: Today Newspaper
