President Akufo-Addo's Visit To Buluk: My Thoughts

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo paid a visit to Buluk on Friday, 20th July 2018, as part of his two-day working visit to the Upper East region. Ideally, every visit by a president of the land should come with some benefits to our community.

Now, I will like to consider some of the things the president said during his address to the chiefs and people of Buluk below:

President Nana Akufo-Addo and His Royal Highness
Nab Azagsuk Azantinlow II

1. "Ten (10) [dams] for Builsa North, ten (10) for Builsa South": The construction of dams in Buluk is good but, considering the number of dams already available, won't desilting the already existing ones serve the same purpose the new ones are coming to serve? This is not a pressing need and, although the president did not come to solve pressing needs only, should have been briefed properly on the things that we hold so dear to our hearts. 

We must learn to conserve land, and what a way to do it if we can go back and desilt all the dams we already have and expand them to serve the purposes of the new dams! Besides, Sandema Kori had a dam constructed during former president John Mahama's era to be used for dry season farming. Up to date, not even a single hoe or cutlass has hit the banks of the dam in the name of farming. It is just wasting away gradually.

2. "Sandema will have one [Warehouse]: A warehouse in Sandema and Buluk for that matter is a piece of good news since it will add to the development of Buluk and boost storage of farm produce. But, what exactly would the warehouse store, considering Buluk doesn't produce many commercial crops? At best, rice and millet. This calls for the prioritization of commercial agriculture in Buluk. The Gbedembilisi valleys will have to be explored more to ensure Buluk has a main commercial crop because, as it stands, the warehouse doesn't seem to be one of the problems of Bulsa and may just be a white elephant or a green eagle.

3. Police headquarters for Bulsa North: This has been long overdue. Past governments have failed to pay serious attention to the security needs of Bulsa. What is lacking in president Akufo-Addo's security package for Bulsa North in particular, however, is a permanent police station for the police service. A police station with police quarters accommodation should have been added to complete the package.

4. Agric mechanization: The president revealed to Bulsa that parliament is deliberating on a $150 million Indian EXIM Bank facility for the construction of agriculture mechanization centres across the country. This is a laudable idea if it would extend to Buluk. This facility will help boost agriculture in the Buluk area and engage the idle hands of most youth in the dry season. But, the leaders have to start advanced planning which should involve the location of the project, types of crops to plant, size of land required, and how many people would benefit if it does materialize.

5. The Navrongo-Sandema-Weisi road completion: The president said the road will be completed by the year ending 2019. However, we have been witnesses to similar promises which never materialized. I still remember the BOZO company which later abandoned the contract and it had to be re-awarded to a different contractor during the Kufuor days. So, having been witnesses to such deceptions from previous governments all in attempts to get our thumbprints at the ballot, we have to be careful in how we rate such information.

However, the president was not conclusive as to whether Buluk would be considered to benefit from this project. We are still waiting for an answer.

I had expected the president to have been briefed on the following pressing areas too:

1. Sports stadia for the two districts: Considering the size of Buluk, a sports stadium for each of the districts will never be a bad idea any day. At a time every government is worried about rural-urban migration, it will be prudent to engage the youth at home with sports and entertainment activities which force some to travel to cities and get stranded most of the time.

2.The Sandema market redevelopment: This project was started around 2009 but is yet to complete. This project, when completed, will enhance the revenue of the assembly to undertake bigger development projects. However, the president was silent, either because our leaders did not brief him well or he just did not want to commit himself to many things.

3. The illegal logging of rosewood: With the uncertain rainfall patterns, we are supposed to make sure the remaining forest cover is preserved and, if possible, practice aggressive reafforestation to help restore the climate of Buluk. Some business-minded folks have descended into the bush and are logging the remaining trees for money with the support of some faceless beings. The president should have made a statement that will criminalize the felling of rosewood in the country to bring the practice to a halt. This goes to foil the perception that some 'authorities' of Buluk are backing the practice.