You are here: HomeWebbersOpinionsArticles2022 02 05Article 1462321

Opinions of Saturday, 5 February 2022

Columnist: Michael Yiran

The happenings in Nima-Mamobi, the lessons to the Ghanaian society

Violence recently rocked the adjoining neighbourhoods Violence recently rocked the adjoining neighbourhoods

Nima-Mamobi is one half twin community within Greater Accra Region and history had shown that the community is one of the oldest Zongo communities in Ghana.

The name Nima according to two schools of thought, one attribute it from Ga language which literally means "city of king" in Ga language Nii means king or chief and Mann means city and the second school of taught attributes the name to Arabic word which means blessings since the community is dominated by Muslims.

The twin community over the years had been tagged with bad names or images which to me can either be half true or totally false. The question l seek to ask and solicit some views in this article of mine, as a country what can we do to get lasting solutions to this bad image which in effect can have a rappeling effect on Ghana as a whole.

Prior to the unfortunate clash within Nima-Mamobi on 18 January 2022 which led to some injuries and arrests, the twin community had witnessed a few inter-community clashes locally known as base clashes and to mention some Dallas and 15 Bob base within Mamobi, booza 11, and Co-oho base in Nima.

I earlier mentioned the bad image tagged to the twin community is half true or fallacy on basis of first-hand information. I am preview to have been born and bred in Mamobi and therefore have a first-hand account with regards to information pertaining to the twin community.

Media reportage had been the main factor in the bad image tagged syndrome. For instance the recent clash on 18 Jan 2022. It has been reported in some media camps as 7 people died, some quoting 6 but the truth is no life has been lost through some injuries, and arrests have been recorded.

This is not to justify what is going on however minor it looks, it still has a rappeling effect on society and the country as a whole. The notion of some group of people from some particular regions, Tribes, or religions fuels these perceptions or images but to be truthful though l am a Christian the twin community had shaped me in many ways of becoming who l am today.

One can not take away the spirit of togetherness to the extent that the Hausa language is sometimes used as medium of communication in churches and twi or fante language sometimes use in Islamic preaching(waazi).

As a citizen of Ghana, what l have observed from some Ghanaians, we take delight in getting or listening to bad news about a person or community and are always quick to pronounce judgment, an instance of looking for lasting solutions to prevent from reoccurring of such news.

In conclusion, l am with the view that when some pragmatic measures and some proposals l seek to channel out are taken with ken interest, then issues of some disturbances within some known Zongo communities will be minimized
First and foremost, is education:

As an indigenous person of Nima-Mamobi l realizes that most people often perceive education as an ability to read and write, to some there is no need to further education to the highest academic level. Most people after completing JSS feel they can read and write and therefore no need to continue but l seek to differ with this assertion and employ all stakeholders, being it GES, opinion leaders including MP's for the two communities, NGO and individuals who deem it necessary to be part of this discussion to begin attaching some urgency to the growing phenomenon which not properly handled might have a rappeling effect on the larger society.

Secondly jobs creation and empowerment: The issues regarding Jobs and empowerment are not peculiar to Nima-Mamobi alone but the whole fabric of Ghanaian society.

As a child when growing up in Mamobi, l realize young people shy away from continuing their academic dreams and rather join other means of getting quick money because their predecessors whom they always look for as role models are still looking for jobs, and therefore no need to waste their time in going to school and ending up like those people.

Enforcement of law and stiffer punishment: The phenomenon of young people abandoning their educational responsibility and going for quick means of getting money through Internet fraud locally known as 'sakawa' which was originally emanated from the same twin community which means drop off or to swindle someone is ripping the country out of getting potential human resources to mount the affairs of the state in near the future