People climb rocks, mountains, and trees to make calls – Bawiesiboi Kuoro
The Paramount Chief of the Bawiesiboi Traditional Area in the Sissala East Municipality, Kuoro Baluagu Bania Sapara II, says people in the area are travelling deep into the bush to climb on top of rocks, mountains, and trees to make telephone calls.
This he said had led to some of them getting snake bites in the bushes, some falling from treetops and others also getting involved in motor accidents; all in their quest to make phone calls to people in the region and beyond in this 21st century.
He has, therefore, appealed to the government and the telecommunication companies to connect the area to the national networks to ensure free flow of communication between the people and the rest of the world, as information sharing was important following the activities of terrorists in recent times in the municipality.
Kuoro Sapara made these known to the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Yakubu, during a courtesy call to interact with the chief, people of the paramountcy, and listen to their concerns, as well as share his vision for the region’s development.
“It is also sad and pathetic for me and my people that the two roads leading to Bawiesiboi are in deplorable condition and inaccessible to vehicular movement when the rains set in.
Very soon, the area will be cut off when a river between Bawiesiboi and Duu is flooded, and that will halt business tractions between Bawiesiboi and Tumu, the municipal capital while referral cases from the Bawiesiboi Clinic to the Tumu Municipal Hospital would also not be possible,” he lamented.
The other road linking Bawiesiboi to Kundungu in the Wa East District has numerous streams and rivers, which needs to be bridged to make it accessible to facilitate the movement of people, goods, and services.
He told the minister that the Bawiesiboi community had been able to mobilise funds to construct a culvert on one of the streams in their efforts to make the road accessible and appealed to the donor community for support to complement their efforts.
Kuoro Sapara who is also the President of the Bawiesiboi Traditional Council, said because of the remoteness of the area, which borders with West Mamprusi, in the North East Region, activities of armed robbery were widespread, as traders especially market women were being robbed of their goods, monies and other valuables on daily basis.
“These developmental challenges have made people in the municipality nickname the area as the overseas of the region, which I can’t help but agree with,” he said.
He pleaded with the Ministry of the Interior to consider the area with a Police Post to ward off the activities of armed robbers and improve law and order in the area.
At Bulenga in the Wa East District, the Paramount Chief of the Area, Naa Seidu Nawolugme II, commended the government for awarding the Wa-Bulenga Road on contract but expressed disappointment over the slow pace of work on the road by the contractor.
He appealed to the government to upgrade the Bulenga Health Centre to a polyclinic to cater for the health needs of the people while efforts were made to complete the warehouse in Bulenga to help farmers to store their farm produce against the lean season.
The Bulenga Naa said several communities in the area were not provided with electricity and called for the extension of electricity to those communities to boost cottage industry.
Mr Yakubu noted that it was time for the chiefs in the region to come together and work with the government to address the numerous development needs of the region
“During my rounds, I have realised that the development assessment needs of the people are common in nature; ranging from poor road network, inadequate educational and health infrastructure, provision of potable drinking water, the provision of agricultural technologies, equipment and fertilizers supply and the extension of electricity among others,” he said.
“It is time to focus on the development needs of the people and this needed strategic planning by sons and daughters of the region to complement the government’s efforts,” he pointed out.
Similar courtesy calls were paid to the Kundungu Kuoro Haadi Asimbie and the Manwe Naa Alhaji Abubakari Yussif Wiah.
Source: GNA