NGO says NDC deceived northerners on SADA
The Northern Youth, Peace and Development, a non governmental organisation, says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has deceived people in the three northern regions with the idea of Savanna Accelerated Development Authority to win popular votes.
Mr. Prince Hardi Adams, Executive Director of NGO, says it is shocking that apart from the 20 million Ghana Cedis that had been lodged in the accounts of the Authority way back in 2007 by the previous administration, the NDC government had only provided a cheque for 20 million Ghana Cedis for SADA to date.
At a new conference in Wa on Tuesday, the NGO re-newed its earlier call on Vice President John Dramani Mahama and all ministers of state who hailed from the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions to resign en bloc for failing to prompt the government to fulfill its campaign promise to the people.
He said the NGO would organise the youth in the three regions to demonstrate against the government and cabinet ministers who hailed from the area if they failed to resign honourably.
“These people sit in government and seek only their personal interests while Northern Ghana sinks deeper into the quagmire of poverty, under-development, ignorance, sickness and suffering that results in the massive exodus of the youth and even some elderly people to down south on daily basis for menial jobs”, he said.
Mr. Adams quoted some portions of the revised edition of the NDC’s 2007 Manifesto, specifically from pages 76 and 77 which spoke about the poverty levels of three northern regions and the subsequent establishment of the SADA to address the development gap between the north and the south.
He said the NDC government promised to provide an initial seed capital of 200 million Ghana Cedis for SADA within 100 days in office while government would continue to contribution 100 million Ghana Cedis each year for 20 years to replenish SADA’s accounts.
Once SADA was established, the government would lead a donor conference on Northern Ghana, aimed to raise an additional 200 million US dollars from Ghana’s development partners and private organisations to give SADA a solid financial foundation.
Mr. Adams said it was upon this promise that led to the massive votes that the NDC received from the people from the northern regions but their reward now is a blank cheque placed on SADA’s account by the government after two and half years down the line.
“The hopes and aspirations of the good people of Northern Ghana have been dealt a heavy blow, the promise of the President seems to be just cheap political talks calculated only to deceive the people and win votes for his party”, Mr. Adams pointed out.
He called on well meaning individuals, non-governmental organisations and youth associations to demand accountability from both the leadership of SADA and government.
Mr. Adams said the NGO could not buy the idea that the government would be able to provide 1 billion Ghana Cedis for SADA next year as being promised by some government officials.
“If a government promises 200 million Ghana Cedis within 100 days and 700 days pass without delivering on the promise and later that same government comes promising 1 billion Ghana Cedis next year, would the people take it”, Mr. Adams asked.
Source: GNA