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| An aerial view of the chamber of Ghana's Parliament |
There
is a debate in Parliament now which should be of great interest to every
well-meaning persons of Krobo descent. Listening to the substance of the
argument being advanced by the Minority side in Parliament makes me cringe in
my seat. I still find it difficult why
the minority, led by Hon Dominic Nitiwul, Deputy Minority Leader would want to
make such a grievous error.
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| A young female scholar taking her ceremonial walk during her graduation |
Based
on the findings/recommendations from a committee of experts, government decided
to situate the proposed Eastern Region University (the University of
Environment and Sustainable Development) at Somanya in the Yilo Krobo
Municipality and has since been taking steps (at a snail pace, though) to make
this happen.
Government
managed to move what initially sounded a mere rhetoric beyond the formation of
a mere committee and drafted a bill to give legal backing to the establishment
of the educational facility. The bill is presently before Parliament for
legislative approval.
We
woke up to a rather shocking news last Friday about how the minority in
Parliament is determined to influence the relocation of the project from Yilo
Krobo to Koforidua in the New Juabeng Municipality, hinging its lame argument
on the fact that Koforidua is more deserving of the project because of its
status as the Eastern Regional capital and the fact that by precedent, all
public universities have been sited in the regional capitals and so this must
follow suit.
To the minority, the choice of Somanya as the site for the main
campus and Donkorkrom in the Afram Plain North District for a satellite campus
was based purely on political expediency for which reason the project must not
see the light of day because the designated towns and their respective
constituencies are “freebies” (world bank) of the ruling NDC.
The
Deputy Minority Leader is even on record to have literally sworn to rally all
other members of his side to “Suarez” the bill when it comes back for third
reading. Given his position and the seriousness with which he made the
statement, this cannot be taken as an empty “threat”.
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| A University graduate posing for a shot after his graduation |
I am
sad ! As a Krobo, you will expect that I will oppose the minority’s argument
with aggression, after all, who will watch a fleshy meat in his plate swapped
with dry bones? That aside, isn’t it unfortunate and baffling that the minority
(and Hon. Nitiwul in particular) is being similarly driven by political
considerations to think that the choice of the Krobo area for the project is for
political expediency which may inure to the benefit of the ruling NDC government,
for which reason the project site must be changed at all cost without further
consideration of how that will deprive the Krobo area of this very important
facility?
Come
to think of it, who said it is a rule or law enshrined in the constitution that
all (emphasis on ALL) public universities should be located in regional
capitals? Since when did Tarkwa turn a regional capital to qualify to host the University
of Mine and Technology (UMaT)? I thought the University of Education is located
in Winneba which is not a regional capital.It
would be expected that in the face of the growing congestion in the capitals
(with its attendant negative ripples as being experienced), arising out of the
overconcentration of such important facilities in the cities, policy makers
such as our MPs and key decision making bodies like Parliament will adopt more
proactive measures to start diverting the increasing traffic to the cities and
reduce the alarming rural-urban drift through a conscious, logical and
strategic spread of developmental projects such as this.
Must we all desert our communities/towns and
flock to the unplanned, garbage-filled, flood-prone and overpopulated cities
and come put up in makeshift structures (because decent accommodation is just
unaffordable) to access higher education and “improved living condition”?
Is
it not time for us to rethink our approach to development and take a cue from
what Accra, for instance, has become to want to start giving a more practical
meaning to the concept of decentralization? Won’t we rework this elementary method
to doing things and prove ourselves contemporary by cleverly and evenly
distributing developmental projects across the country? Or is this an indirect
vote of no confidence in the technical committee of experts on whose findings
and recommendations the Krobo area was chosen?
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| Academic cap and scroll, symbols of academic success |
If
the Koforidua Polytechnic will eventually be upgraded into a full-fledge
university as is the proposal and promise by this government, is it the best of
options to take this new university project to the same Koforidua (where
another private university is in full operation) when other and more areas are
weeping for just, I mean just, a senior secondary school worth its name? (http://www.ghananewsagency.org/education/koforidua-polytechnic-to-become-university-in-2016-90445),
If
the argument by the minority is informed by more legitimate concerns which are
yet to come to the fore, they are better raised now for proper assessment and
analysis otherwise these ones are loose and could easily be misinterpreted as
an anti-Krobo agenda which will further weaken the base of a party that is
still striving to find an antidote to its poor showing in political contests in
the area.
Watching
from my corner here as a worried observer, I genuinely feel the minority’s argument
is ungrounded and risks ditching the party further. Can someone be smart enough
to read between the lines and find the brake pedal?
I
have spoken my mind and not yours; let the discerning reader and
well-meaning-Krobo make meaning of this piece
The
writer is a journalist and a blogger (the kroboquill.blogspot.com) and can be
reach via klonobi2007@gmail.com or
0266 000 747. You can follow him on twitter with the handle @henkingklonobi
On point!
ReplyDeleteThank u YH
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