Opinions of Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Columnist: Yentik Gariba
Dear Hajia ALIMA MAHAMA,
This morning, I bring you the kindest and warmest heartfelt greetings from the people of Nalerigu/Gambaga constituency. I have no doubt that you are under lockdown somewhere in the capital city Accra.
While I pray for you and hope that the good God be a canopy over you as a loving and caring mother of our land, I would have wished that you were right here with us to appreciate, empathise and sympathise with us your people including the health workers of our only referral centre, BMC, in your constituency, and district at large, and to ascertain how we are managing with the fears and hardships brought about following the advent of the most dreaded virus of the century.
Hon. Hajia, that I do often write to you on issues of politics is a fact, but today, I write to you in my capacity as a concerned citizen of this country and indeed a humble indigene of the land of your birth who feels that matters and concerns of our people which are so dear to my heart should be depoliticized and tackled head-on irrespective of our political colourations. I deem it a concern to all of us, and that it should be brought to your attention as the political head and someone who controls our resources. Hon Hajia, there is a saying that "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown", yes indeed, we have given you the Crown as our MP to come to our aid in terms of need like the most dreaded coronavirus, and sympathise with us. We most anticipated that this would have been the most fertile moment for you to show us your ingrafted love, care and support, so that we would have appreciated and felt proud that you have not forsaken us, your people.
But what do we see? Even ever since the news of the dreaded virus broke out, all we heard from you is recorded voice shared to us through the radio waves and mobile phones. Hajia, do you call this caring and love? We have heard what you are doing in Accra, but we think that we deserve to have been served first as people who crowned you the crown. After all, how long must feverish birds struggle in their nest before their helper rescue them? As a cabinet member of a responsible government, you needed to have charged the Gender Minister and the Regional Minister of the capital city,Accra, to take charge of the concerns of the capital city while you run down home to help the health professionals and our revered chiefs and elders to help educate the people on ways to combat the spread of the demonic virus. Hon. Hajia ALIMA, What have you done to deal with the pandemic virus as a concerned MP who doubles as a minister of state? If your people are so dear to your heart, does the response you have given us so far merit that?
Hon Hajia, there is a saying that a ripe corn can be seen by its looks and that a chick that can grow into a cock is hatched on the twenty-first day. Your inability to pay apt attention to the concerns of your people was what served as a driving force to cause for Alhaji Baba Seidu, who at the time was not even in the country, but he had to, as a matter of urgency, expedite action to return to the country and come back to your constituency, precisely Nalerigu, resourceful as he is, turned things around, to mobilize assorted items to help support the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic while you lavish yourself in the capital city!
Hon. Hajia ALIMA, I ask you a harmless question; is it a betrayal, negligence, greed, deception or lack of resources? Or is it the vagaries of the shiny weather condition up north at the time that was so deterrent to your coming? Quite clearly, you have shown that you are not a leader that can continue to wear the crown because you have disappointed your constituent at the time they needed you most. We would not accept any excuse for this total disregard and abhorrence!
Hon. Hajia, I hope you do not advance your excuses on the premise that the capital city in which you are resident is under lockdown! That cannot be accepted because Alhaji Baba came from US at the time people were alleging that he had been quarantined following alleged news that he was infected. All this while you were in Accra! He(Hon Alhaji Baba Seidu) returned and still rushed back home with sanitizers, Veronica buckets, Soap and a host of materials for the East Mamprusi Municipal health centres,, the Nayiri and his elders including some of the sub-chiefs and people of the area while you lavish ostentatiously in Accra.
I will end here by calling on Hajia ALIMA MAHAMA to use her good office to provide risk allowances for all the workers of Baptist medical centre to help boost their morale to continue to risk their lives in the midst of this pandemic and dreaded killer coronavirus so that her colleagues MPs: Hon Solomon Boar and Dr Sagri Bambangba to emulate same in their respective constituents to help combat our common enemy, the Coronavirus.
Thank you
Yentik Gariba
[email protected]
Sakogu
Northeast region