The Tamale Mayor, Musah Superior has served notice he would defy an order by some members of the regional executives of the NPP asking him to be ‘vote conscious’ and stop pursuing his “Tamale Project”, a developmental agenda that seeks to make Tamale a befitting urban city.
The “Tamale Project” has been, if not only but the biggest accomplishment of Musah Superior in his 29 months in office now. By the project, the Mayor instituted sustained measures to sanitize the choked Central Business District (CBD) of the city to ensure vehicular and pedestrian safety on the streets.
Hundreds of traders and hawkers who had taken over the street pavements and walkways to sell their wares were evacuated in an unprecedented decongestion exercises by police and soldiers. Before the exercise, the Mayor provided alternative satellite markets to the traders but they refused, saying the alternatives were not conducive for business.
The Mayor also ordered the removal of squatters from a 138.64 hectare forest reserve in the city that has become a notorious hideout for criminals. He launched a crackdown on prostitutes and brothel operators and also placed a sweeping restriction on minors roaming the streets beyond 10pm.
Across the region and even beyond, bipartisan commendations and encouragement poured in from chiefs, opinion leaders, NGOs and colleagues Mayors in other regions who were already emulating the precedence-setting move.
However, among the ruling party executives in the region the moves were politically suicidal and a raging lightening rod that could direct voters anger towards the party in the next elections.
The Northern Regional Organizer, Rashid Salifu COP opposed the “ways and manner” the Mayor was carrying out his developmental agenda and ordered a suspension of all the exercise.
He said the Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive Officer must stop evicting market women and hawkers from the streets and removing squatters from the forest.
Rashid COP said the decongestion exercises have caused widespread dissatisfaction among party members which might hurt the electoral fortunes of the NPP come 2020 elections.
He said the Mayor was making it extremely difficult for them as regional executives to convince the street hawkers and the forest dwellers to vote for the party in the next election if they allowed him to continue with the projects.
He accused the Mayor of taking unilateral decisions, disrespecting and sidestepping the authority of the party regional executives and council of elders.
“This man who called him to a meeting and you think that he would come? He is the president darling boy. He is for himself, nobody lobbied for him to be appointed. Ask our council of elders whether they can call Superior and talk to him. There is no single council of elders in this region who can call this gentleman and talk to him”, COP said on live radio weeks ago.
After massive pressure from the regional executives, the metropolis went on a local governance shutdown as the Mayor was forced to submission and suspend carrying out his mandates as Chief Executive Officer.
After almost a month into the suspension of the projects, the Central Business District have become congested again and the squatters back in the forest. Residential robbery is on the rise despite the operation of the ‘Calm Live’ troops in the city and prostitution on a new level now.
However, announcing his defiance on facebook, his most cherished medium of communication, Musah Superior said a “re-consultation” with stakeholders about the suspension of the “Tamale Project” has been successfully completed.
He said the assembly would resume the operation in the coming and insisted that the project must be “effective and complete”. He asked for the “fullest support and cooperation of the general public”.
“As we continue talking to groups and individuals, and seeking their suggestions and support, I urge all encroachers of our roads to start looking for alternative places to conduct their businesses/trades”
“The Kukuo market, Kakpayili market and Aboabo market are available for use. I will announce the removal of ALL illegal occupants of our roads, pavements and buffers in the next few days. Other aspects of the “Tamale project” such as removing of minors from danger at anti-social hours, curbing child labour, drug use, dwelling in our forest reserves and recklessness on our streets/roads, etc will recommence simultaneously as the re- decongestion. This exercise will be effective and complete”, Musah Superior indicated on Facebook.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5fm/ Eliasu Tanko
