Humans and pigs never compete for food in Chereponi-DCE
The Chereponi District Assembly has taken a strong exception to the publication of an article publish by the Spectator News paper that sort to suggest that human and pigs compete for food describing the article as dehumanizing and far from the reality in Chereponi.
The assembly takes strong exception to the comment made in paragraph two of the paper which stated that ‘’ this is the stark reality that confronts any visitor to Chereponi in the northern region’’.
The assembly led by the District Chief Executive dismissed claims by the spectator report and the MP for the area, Azuma Namoro Sanda at a press conference in Chereponi to set the records street.
The District Chief Executive of the area, Alhaji Mohammed Seidu Issah Abah said both comment has the tendency to cast a slur on the image of the district.
Alhaji Issah Abah said the MP comments to the effect that 24 women died through labour every year in the Chereponi district due to the bad roads is not true and that the MP has no evidence to back his claims.
He said the MP should blame himself if the area is confronting with the situation he want the world believe, then he is a large contributor to the problem because he was the DCE for the area for almost 8 years during former president Kufour regime.
The Chereponi DCE said it is not true that people in the area carried sick people in wheel barrow to hospital because the district has an ambulance.
BELOW IS THE FULL STATEMENT OF THE CHEREPONI DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
STATEMENT MADE AT PRESS CONFERENCE HELD ON 15TH JULY 2013 AT THE LIBRARY IN CHEREPONI BY THE HON. DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE ALHAJI MOHAMMED SEIDU ISSAH ABAH
Lady and Gentlemen of the press, the Hon. Presiding member, Hon Assembly members, the DCD and Heads of decentralized, distinguished ladies and gentlemen.
The press conference has been necessitated by recent publications in some print and electronic media which has the tendency to coat slur on the image of the district. I also has the tendency of turning away prospective civil servants whose services may critically be needed in the district. For example if a civil servant whose services may be needed in the district has some health conditions such that he or she need to be close to a good health facility would refuse to accept posting to the area due to the image that has been painted about the district.
Bringing the issues of concern to focus now;
The first is the case where my attention was drawn to an article by some people who intact, I would say monitor the development of the Chereponi district. The article was Headed WHEN HUMANS AND PIGS COMPETE FOR FOOD. This appears on page five of the Spectator News paper of Saturday June 22 Friday June 28, 2013 Volume NO 1,0777. This article was supported with a number of photographs showing a woman and children comingling with pigs which gave the author the opportunity to jump into conclusion that the humans are competing with pigs for food.
I presume the intention of the author was to make his article attractive and interesting reading but we of the district take great exception to it for the picture is considered dehumanizing and denigrate the dignity of the persons captured. The comment made in paragraph two that ‘’this is the stark reality that confronts any visitor to Chereponi in the Northern Region’’ is unacceptable and does not reflect the realities on the ground. It seeks to portray the fact that any visitor to Chereponni would be confronted with this situation.
I had taken the pain to visit the family involved and the information I gathered was that, the women in the picture had returned from picking sheanuts and was spreading the nuts for sunshine and this attracted the children and even the pigs because it was close to the landlords the piggery. This mere coincidence should have not been interpreted as if it was the usual thing that pertains in Chereponi where humans dine with pigs because of poverty.
It is true that there are very poor people in Chereponi district like any other part of the northern Ghana (RING) intervention.
what must be made known however, is that, the Chereponi District was not selected to benefit from the project because we are the poorest of the poor, I can state without any fear of contradiction that the USAID assessed fourteen districts for the RING Intervention and it report indicated that the district had in place a very good Financial Risk Management System. Which meant that monies invested in the district would be in safe hands and would be judiciously utilized.
It would interest you know that with the tools for identifying who should benefit from the RING programme that family captured in the pictures would not qualify. Why because of the number of livestock they have. The RING programme is really targeted at the very poor and not families who have livestock.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen secondly, I read with sadness another publication attributed to Hon. Azuma Namoro the Member of Parliament for Chereponi published on Myjoyonline as captured from Asempa and Adom FM on the programme “Burning isses”
For the sake of those who may be hearing it for the first time I would wish to do are some of his statement to enable us follow my argument. Intact let me state that I am not here to condemn him but to put the records straight.
- He claims 24 women die through labour every year in this constituency due to bad roads.
- He said this situation make mortality in Chereponi one of the highest in the county.
- Women in labour are carried usually on bicycles and wheel barrows on a journey of 80 kms to the nearest clinic where a medical doctor is rarely available.
- The district has only one clinic manned by just three nurses without a mid-wife or a doctor.
- Roads are some of the worst in the county and worse when it and rains. No single road tarred.
- Electricity coverage is 15%.
- Since time immemorial Chereponi has virtually received no development intervention from government thereby making the area one of the most under developed in Ghana.
- Calls on John Mahama and the Regional Minister to set aside special fund to meet the need of the district.
Distinguished lady and gentlemen of the press and all in gathered, I am sad because if anybody would make those remarks I least expected it from the Hon. Member especially when he had the opportunity to govern this district as DCE for nearly seven years. I thought would have been telling us the effort he put in to rectify situation that he is loudly talking about today. If indeed the situation exists then he has been a great contributor to it.
It is not true that Chereponi has not seen any development since time immemorial. He may be right to so far the period he was in office as a DCE but in the last four years of the Attah Mills – Mahama administration the area has received its fair share of development unprecedented in the history of the area. Numerous projects have been undertaken in various sectors, I would however, restrict my comments to just the few areas he choose to talk about.
HEALTH
In the last four years Chereponi benefited from one of the five polyclinics that were constructed in the Northern Region which has been upgrade to a hospital status with a resident. He claims three nurses managing it.
Let me take this opportunity to give the breakdown of health facilities and staff in the district.
FACILITES
- One hospital at Chereponi
- One health care center at Wenchiki
- Eight CHIPS compound (managed by trained community health nurses/four of which he built)
- Child reproductive & health center at Chereponi
- Established a NHIS in the district
So it is not true that people travel 80klms to health facilities because these facile ties have been spatially located in the district to improve access to health services delivery.
STAFF
- Doctor – 1
- Medical Assistant – 2
- Anesthetist – 1
- DDNS – 1
- Nurse – 73(made of staff, enrolled and community health nurses )
- Mid wives – 3
- Pharmacy – 4
- Lab technician – 2
He claimed 24 women die in a year due to bad roads in Chereponi. My check from the health authorities in the district reveals the following results that are in complete varies with the number offered by the Hon. MP
AUDITED
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
3
2
0
1
0
He stated that the road network is very poor and worse in the rainy season. I do agree and concede to a large extent. But my worry or concern is that under Hon. Namoro’s administration it was not possible to travel by four wheels to Ando Nyamanu a village just after Chereponi let alone to talk about Wenchiki, Wonjuga but today even with a salon car you are able to travel to most of these places. What I mean to say is that in the last four years the road network has seen drastic improvement including the Yendi, Chereponi road which is one of the Northern Region even though there is more room for improvement.
I also agree that the electricity coverage is not the best in the best in the district but eight years of president kuffour only three communities were connected to the national Grid. But four years of Attach Mills Mahama Administration has 10 communities being hooked to national Grid and are various stages of completion. Bajani , Ando Nasoni ,wonjuga and wenchiki are already connected.
Just yesterday on radio Ghana, heard the Hon Member once again lamenting about the water situation of Chereponi where he stated that currently Cherponi has no water and depending on the dam. I wish he had stated that the town had over grown the current water system and needs expansion but to say there is no water is unfair under his administration Chereponi never had water running through the taps until I assumed office as DCE where the Assembly spent about GH$36,000 to fix the problem. Water has since been running .it is instruct to note that in this year budget estimate funds have been allocated for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Chaperone water system work has began by the drilling of a five boreholes to be mechanized .Under the same programmed that the Rural Sustainable Water project 26 orphan boreholes are to be rehabilitated in 26 communities this is all aimed at enhancing water delivery in the district.
I want to conclude by supporting the Hon s request to the president and the Regional Minister to set aside funds for development of the district. But I think it is a bit late because this he could have done under the president Kuffours years.
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your audience. God bless Chaperone District, God bless Northern Region and God bless the Republic of Ghana.
SIGNED BY THE DCE FOR CHEREPONI, HON. ALHAJ MOHAMMED SEIDU ISSAH ABAH