Regent and Acting President of Dagbon Traditional Council, Kampakuya Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani has reiterated the Council’s resolve to block creation of an Eastern Corridor Region from the current Northern Region, declaring that he would aggressively protect the territorial integrity of Dagbon lands.
He made this known after some youth of Yendi calling themselves Coalition of Eastern Corridor Youth Monday January 1 staged a street protest against the Council’s decision to kick against the creation of a new region which will spilt Dagbon into Western and Eastern fronts and displace at least a million Dagombas.
He was delivering a New Year message to another sect of youth of the town who had concurrently paid a courtesy call, at the Gbewa Palace, where he warned the youth not to respond to any provocations and aggressions.
The Regent downplayed the significant of the Monday demonstration and said it was borne out of misinformation.
He denied accusations that the Traditional Council was frustrating efforts by government to divide the Northern Region and cautioned against the spread of false information.
“I did not say government should not divide the Northern Region; we said government should not divide Dagbon into two. There can be a new [region] for our brothers, the Gonjas or for the Mamprusis, but Dagbon should remain one and not split.
“Because a kingdom divided cannot stand. We want full Dagbon and not half Dagbon,” said the Regent.
According to him, a new region will restrict powers of the Yaa Naa insisting that no Dagbon land will be ceded for the creation of the proposed Eastern Corridor Region.
He told the youth to be law abiding, desist from acts and decisions that could harm peace and security in the area and learn to control themselves even in the face of extreme provocations.
Background
The Traditional Council on December 24 last year unanimously took a strong position and kicked against the creation of proposed Eastern Corridor Region at a council meeting in Yendi, chaired by Acting President and Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuyana Naa Yakubu Abdulai Andani.
A new Eastern Corridor Region would separate Western Dagbon comprising Savelugu, Sagnarigu, Tamale, Tolon, Kumbungu, Nanton from Eastern Dagbon.
There will now be two independent House of chiefs which will automatically squeeze the powers of the Yaa Naa and repeat a scenario at pre independence era where the overlord nearly lost control over some territories when the Kingdom was partitioned between the German Togoland and British Gold Coast.
The Council warned that any move to partition the current Northern Region will be to divide Dagbon and limit the powers of the Yaa Naa, adding they will rebel against any such attempts.
However, in a brazen show of dissent to the Traditional Council, a never-heard-before youth calling themselves Coalition of Eastern Corridor Region Youth staged demonstration Monday, January 1, 2018 against the chiefs and elders of Dagbon seeking them to rescind the decision.
The youth argued a new region will accelerate development, bring new opportunities and broaden powers of the Yaa Naa.
Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5FM/Eliasu Tanko
