The North East Regional Secretary of the governing New patriotic Party(NPP), Lawyer Sulley Sambian, has warned against the politicization of the plight of head porters in the country in the wake of the coronavirus fight.
He observes that it does not serve in the interest of anyone who attempt to make political gain out of their situation bearing in mind that their situation worsened under the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration.
Alhaji Ibrahim Abdul-Rauf Tanko Member of Parliament for Yagaba/Kubori had raised concerns about what he calls inconsistencies from government on the provision for Kayayes and other vulnerable groups suffering the biting edge of the lockdown in Accra and Kumasi.
But the NPP executive in reaction said “ I have seen videos of Hon. Tanko pretentiously fraternizing with our unfortunate brothers and sisters from the North. These individuals, commonly referred to as KAYAYES have been badly hit by the partial lockdown of Greater Kumasi and Greater Accra.
I have also heard the Honorable Tanko blame government for the plight of the Kayayes.
Unfortunately I don’t see this as a government problem; I see it as a failure of political leadership of northern descent spanning from the 3rd Parliament of the 4th Republic to date. My focus is from the 3rd Parliament because from that period, Northerners have occupied the position of vice presidents and even president! What conscious efforts have we put in place to resolve this social problem that is peculiar to people from the North? Nothing, shamefully! We must all bow our heads in shame!
Sadly, we are all over the place throwing mud at each other, pretending to care more than others over a situation that we have all failed to solve. What is the essence of politics if we cannot use it to solve problems that basically threaten the survival of our own?
I know for a fact that the NPP government attempted to put up hostel facilities for these unfortunate ones in Accra. Unfortunately, issues of litigation stalled the process.
But that is even at the level of government.
Can’t we as a people set up vocational training centers back at home for these ones to learn some trade? Can’t we establish some micro loan schemes for them to access? These may not be easy but we can do them. How about providing capital for the young men to engage in farming?
This is a disgrace to all of us, not NPP or NDC
If we have to play politics, I will be looking at the time we had the enviable opportunity to occupy the presidency as the time we ought to have ultimately brought this problem to an end; but as I said, this is not NPP or NDC, it is simply a failure by all of us as politicians from the North to help our own people”
