Feature Article of Saturday, 6 April 2013
Columnist: Abugri, Haruna S.
It is always the prayer of robber/s to go scot-free after embarking on their inhuman activity [robbing their victims of their valuables.] and in the same manner, property owners also pray never to fall prey to robbers. Like health and infection tries to compete, so is the prayer of robbers and property owners. As fast as a robber/s tries to escape apprehension, same intensive prayer is said by property owners for their [robbers] apprehension.
Having toiled to acquire a property, owners will see no reason why a robber who has contributed zero effort towards the acquisition of their property should forcefully do away with it. But for reasons best known to robber/s, which am not interested in here, goes the extra mile to commit their act-as to whether they [robbers]know the consequences or not is no one business.
In my last article entitled [Naba Azoka robbers can run, but they can’t hide], I made it known to my readers how the man Naba Azoka I, The late supreme ruler of Kussaug, had one of the oldest secondary schools in the Bawku traditional area named after him-having sacrificed his life in making sure the said school was put up. Unpardonably however, some of the readers have refused to appreciate his great efforts and the undesired manner in which he has been robbed of his gift, and spat all manner of venom on me. Just like the parable of the sower, some readers, regardless of the truth put out there, will still tease me to suit their ‘baloney’ interest. So the choice is in their hands. What some of my critics might not know is that some of us have developed an insult-proof skin and no insult will do me ‘hu’.
In this article, I wish to briefly scale Naba Azoka’s identity robbery to a parable of the “dry season farmer”.
In this parable, the land was too dry- may be probably because the raining season [the season for farming] was over and so many were those [farmers] who couldn’t sow any crop. They might have been afraid that their crops will not germinate or might die after germinating. This thought scared most farmers who thought it wise enough to preserve their crops rather than sowing it.
As to how useful their decision not to sow could be, they unitarily agreed to boycott the “dry season farming”. They took this decision so as not to waste their crops. But among them [farmers] was a great one who for his blessed wisdom knew that upon hard work and determination, he could engage in to dry season farming. He knew that he could invest in to dry season farming by watering and moistening his crops to sustain it and keep it growing and so he called his household and kept them in action.
He and his household diligently watered their crops till it yielded. Sooner than later, food scarcity hit the entire community and the only source of food was the garden of this great selfless farmer. The entire farming community having learned and seen how this selfless hard working man utilized his energy in making sure his crops grew, yielded and saved the community of famine, decided to crown him the title ‘founder of dry season farming’.
But years after the crowning of this title, some unknown men for their useless reasons came and robbed this hard working selfless man of his title. He was robbed daylight in the eyes of the community dwellers whom his hard work [watering of his crops during the dry season] has greatly helped. Having kept my reader in much anticipated suspense, I now wish to elaborate the above brief parable of the “dry season farmer”.
The community that was afraid to go into dry season farming is the Northern part of mother Ghana where most persons on authority refuse to accept education probably due to their belief of more hands on the farm. The great man full of blessed wisdom was -Naba Azoka I, who decided to utilize his wisdom and strength- thus invested in to the dry farming [which the community farmers feared of] by watering his crops. The household of Naba Azoka I, were the TINDANAS [land custodians] of Kpalewega whose names I captured in one of my article titled “who robbed Naba Azoka”?
This great man-Naba Azoka I, then summoned the Tindanas of Kpalewega whom I captured in the parable as his household, and asked them to immediately release and demarcate a preferred virgin land to the authorities for the kick start of the school building. He watered [keeping everyone on his /her toes] to make sure the school project is realized. The food scarcity spoke about in the parable was the non availability of schools some years back in the northern part of mother Ghana which compelled the dwellers to rely on Azoka Secondary School to have their educational ambition realized.
But having been crown as the “founder of dry season farming”[getting the school named after him-Azoka Secondary school] due to his unrelented efforts, Naba Azoka suffered a day light robbery of his identity. Unfortunately, this great man was robbed before the eyes of those who rewarded his efforts by naming the school after him.
In most of my articles, I have been telling my critics that criticism will do me nothing and so those who think spiting venom on me will scare me are rather doing nothing. Haven’t robbers been apprehended by their victims before? So are these Naba Azoka I, robbers too hard to be apprehended? Haven’t we seen in most circumstances where peoples who for one reason or the other had their properties, identities restored after suffering from similar fate, especially after the unfortunate first coup in the country? For heaven sake, let’s face the truth to the fullest.
Please comrade, Kussaug need your total devotion in this sensible, civilized, and matured battle. If we fail to correct the messes, then we will be punishing our children yet unborn. I wish to place on record that those on the queue as far as this heroic battle is concerned should not downplay the obstacles on our way, but should rather develop the strength to overcome them.
Some readers of my previous article titled ‘Give to Kussaug, what belong to Kussaug and to Naba Azoka I, what belong to Naba Azoka I,[where I proposed for the renaming of all the districts under Kussaug] told me that I will be digging my own grave if I dare continue authoring such articles. But should we be cowards to throw away what belongs to us just because of empty threats? Come on-this is the 21 century and the days of threats are long buried. Anyway, if those bigots think threatening my life is the solution, then they will be laughing at the wrong side of their mouths.
In as much as the race between Naba Azoka I, robbers and the chasers have been drawn, I wish to humbly avail to my readers that luck has eluded these wicked robbers and in no time, they will be apprehended and publicly disgraced. The alien name- Bawku Sec will soon be given it original and recognized identity-Azoka Sec.’thruth-the only weapon’.Mpo,osya.
Abugri Sumaila [email protected].
0247244879.