Youth Groups in Northern Region Urged to Fight Against Destructive Violence

Jewul Bisolna Titus

The Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) has called on all the youth associations of the various tribal groups in the Northern Region to join forces to fiercely fight against the frequent outbreak of destructive violence leading to lose of human lives and valuable properties.

The National Executives of the Konkonba Youth Association said that they are particularly worried about the negativities and violence associated with the people of the north, which they said were affecting the standards of education, quality healthcare, socio-economic standards of the people as well as infrastructural development. 

The KOYA Executives therefore announced their resolve to set the agenda for the unification of the youth of the various tribes in the north so as to bring back home the peace and unity that had eluded the area for several decades now. KOYA is now mobilizing the necessary resources both human and financial to carry out the plan. 

Speaking in an interview with Savannahnewse on the sidelines of the official inauguration of the Tamale branch of the KOYA at the Warders Canteen in Tamale, the General Secretary of the Konkomba Youth Association, Mr. Jewul Titus Bisolna vehemently stated that the youth of the north could no longer continue to destroy themselves through needless wars and destructive conflicts which are mostly masterminded by a few selfish and unscrupulous political and traditional leaders just to satisfy their personal interest.

He indicated that the KOYA which was established in 1977 on the principles of promoting peace, unity and development, was working closely with the National, Regional and District Security Councils to also deal with needless chieftaincy issues, land disputes, inter and intra tribal issues which are mostly carried out by the energetic youth.

“Northern Region has gotten to a stage where nobody wants to come here. If you look at everywhere in Ghana, you can see people are struggling to build better houses, schools, hospitals and roads to ensure that their communities are developing, but we are in northern region fighting everyday over trivial issues and killing one another and destroying or burning our own properties. These things ought to stop and it is the youth who must take the lead because the future belongs to us but not the elderly”.

The Konkomba Youth Leaders declared a total war against what they described as attempts by some unscrupulous leaders in the region, who were wasting millions of cedis to purchase guns and other dangerous weapons for the youth to cause destruction instead of building their talents and teaching them about the rich traditions and culture of the area.

Mr. Jewul Bisolna Titus emphasized that the youth of the north would not wait further for those mischievous leaders to tear the region apart for their selfish gains.

“If they are indeed good leaders who have our welfare and the development of the north at heart they should rather buy us food, educate us and teach us our rich culture which is the only way we can unite and bring back the lost image of our region”. 

He blamed the leaders, particularly the traditional and the opinion leaders, for the protracted tension and conflicts in the Northern region arising out of chieftaincy disputes, land disputes, hegemonic tendencies based on historical past, political differences and competition for limited economic and social opportunities among others.

The KOYA General Secretary insisted that when all was set and done for the various association leaders of the various ethnic groups to come together as one big entity or body, they would strongly march positively forward to secure the peace, unity, development and quality education for the people, particularly the youth.

According to Mr. Bisolna Titus, the people in the region needed more tools for farming, more teaching and learning materials, more equipment for technical and vocational studies, more basic tools for construction and balanced food on their tables, but not weapons for destruction.

He appealed to the Chiefs in the region to also desist from indiscriminate selling of lands including state lands in order to secure a brighter future for the youth. 

Most chiefs in the north have over the years engaged in multiple sales of lands to different developers resulting in several disputes. 

However, six new executives were ushered into office as Northern Regional Executives of KOYA. The New President, Mr. Christopher Ali said that the KOYA was established to deliberate on issues affecting the Konkomba Youth and Northern Region in general and also seeks to promote development, peace, unity and culture of the people. The Association he said also seeks to outline the roles and responsibilities of the youth in the area.

Mr. Ali promised to unite the Konkomba youth in Tamale and promote quality education among them. 

He admonished the Konkomba Youth to live peacefully with other tribes wherever they found themselves and also support the development in that area.

The first herculean task for the KOYA Northern Regional branch executives led by Mr. Christopher Ali after the official inauguration was to visit Nakpanduri and its surrounding communities where there is a current dispute between Bimobas and Mamprusis in the area.

The KOYA leaders are lobbying through the leaderships of the feuding factions to ensure there is total peace in Nakpanduri.