RE: Mahama And Gonja Mafia Seize Control Of NDC

Feature Article of Thursday, 24 January 2013

Columnist: Nuhu, Kashaa

It baffles me and extremely stinking to discover the ineptitude and gross ignorance displayed by a supposed Man of wisdom who signed crappy deal with the good critics of Ghana with such a below belt kind of article featured on a national medium. The author of the above article at best has failed big time in his research or has done none at all before mounding so much unawareness on issues related to the captioned chosen for his piece. (See “Mahama and Gonja Mafia Seize Control of NDC – Bruce-Mensah Ekow” ghanaweb.com opinion 1/22/13).

It is risibly absurd to read the writer of the aforesaid article mentioned certain key people in Mahama’s government and linked them to Gonja. I was also petrified to hear for the first time in my life GONJA MAFIA. Mr. Bruce may have some problems with the appointees of the President but needs to do research, find out and get facts about what he writes to the Ghanaian public to avoid the dreadful bigotry he espoused. I am not even certain whether he has made any significant contribution towards the Subject matter of his piece whatsoever, besides jump-starting the offensive intolerance of ethnicity.

Before I delve into the subject of this segment of my riposte, let me make one momentous history known to Ghanaians and the author of my rejoined article about Gonjas. There is nothing like “Gonja Mafia” linked to any political party in Ghana. The term does not even exist in the political history of Gonjas as Gonjas are predominantly heterogeneous in politics. The father of the President, E. A Mahama was a staunch member of the CPP government and represented the then west Gonja constituency in parliament and the first northern regional secretary in the first republic of Ghana.

Again, another prominent person in the political history of Gonjas is J. A Braimah who was a member of parliament on the ticket of the present day NPP tradition and worked tirelessly in bringing NPP and consolidating the party in his area up till now. The current NPP secretary of northern region is a brother to this guru in Gonjaland and had made antecedence for the people of his linage. Another personality is the father of the 2012 Presidential candidate of the CPP, Dr. Abu Sakara who believed and held high the spirit of his fathers party irrespective of what in last year’s elections. This explains why Gonjas are cut across all the political parties in the country and have indefatigably placed themselves in recognizable positions.

For instance, Ms. Afisa Otiko Djaba is the women organizer of her party NPP, Hajia Zenabu Mahama is the Deputy Women organizer of the NDC, Dr. Abu Sakara was the former flag bearer of the CPP, His Excellency J. D Mahama represented and won Presidency on the ticket of the NDC, Dr. Clifford Braimah is the northern regional Secretary of the NPP, Hon. Boniface Saddik was a member of Parliament on NPP’s ticket and a potential running mate, the late Prof. Yakubu Saaka and M. S Adams were leading members of PNC and Prof Yakubu well contested for the flag bearer of the PNC and a whole host of others who are all convincingly knot to their various parties mocking the assertion that, “Gonja Mafia” is aimed at persuading them to cross carpet to join the NDC. Indeed, Mr. Bruce might be thinking these individuals are class one pupils who can easily be swayed by turn of events.

Now to erase the erroneous impression created in the above article captioned, none of the names mentioned in it is a Gonja and are mostly from different regions just as the way one can not refer Ashanti to Eastern. The closet individual in the mentioned closed or linked to Gonja is Baba Kamara but emphatically not a Gonja. Baba Kamara as his name sounds is part of a minority tribe in Gonjaland called “Kamara” like an Akan who is called Asante. Therefore, the writer is either playing mischief or blatantly ignorant of what he writes and needs to be put in the right perspective. The President so far has only nominated one Gonja in his list of appointments called Alhaji Muniru, minister of state designate in charge of human resource development and scholarships. Isn’t it so pathetic to delude majority of Ghanaians who has no information about the misinformation churned out in Mr. Bruce’s article? And as well be described as intellectual dishonesty?

Mr. Bruce, the author of “Gonja Mafia” truly need to up-date himself on matters about the nation if his article does not intend to play political gimmick with his write up. The idea to create a region out of the current northern region was not promised by President Mahama in 2008 as he wants the world to know. This was an idea of the Kuffour administration as far back in 2002 with so much bureaucracy impeding the realization of this very important administrative plan. It is indeed an off track article written by Mr. Bruce-Mensah Ekow which needs general condemnation to save the nation form such intolerable commentaries.

Needless to say, the only well coordinated and clinically crafted mafia group in the country is the Akyem-Mafia. The Gonja Mafia sounded very incongruous and does not fit in anyway as compare to the former. It is a household name in Ghana and perfectly webbed together to gained national recognition in the political terrain of the nation. Gonjas play the homogeneity just as other ethnic groups but very tactical and heterogeneous in political coloration attested by the political history of Ghana. Indeed, it can be said with all certainty that, Gonjas are very prominent and strategically inclined in their political affiliations which usually pay off to their advantage but not to skew and bend things in their favour.

Nevertheless, if I were the columnist, I would be very busy in writing on how the NPP is being selective, choose and pick kind of respect for rule of law and the Constitution. It is very imperative to hold principle in totality or reject it in entirety. It would do the NPP very much good if they could educate their supporters about the happenings and put an end to the hoodwink to strengthen the party for the future. It is a common knowledge to Ghanaians that, the NPP is gradually becoming unpopular and losing the potency to wrestle power from the ruling NDC in 2016. This should be a worrisome trend to well meaning and founding fathers of the party than to allow the party to tear apart by an individual parochial interest.

In all, this country is somehow sitting on a time bomb which Ghanaians have a responsibility to detonate before things get out of hand. This fate can only be achieved when we avoid intolerance and inflammatory comments. In any case, Ghanaians are all fit to be appointed in any sector and will always put the country first before any other personal, private or group interest. We must avoid implosive and derogatory pronouncements to consolidate the peace Mother-Ghana is enjoying. God Bless our Homeland Ghana.

Kashaa Nuhu [email protected]