The Mamprugu Youth Association , Bawku Chapter say they are the least enthused by the commentary by the Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa Mr. Sulemana Braimah Over Bawku Conflicts.
According to the group, they are equally saddened by the comments of Saani Yelikambe, the Assemblyman for Sabongari, a suburb of Bawku.
The group insist that the comments of the duo on Joy News AM Show’s Newspaper review segment and Metro TV’s respectively both media outlets in Accra is “inaccurate and misleading”.
The Association in a statement issued by its Secretary maintained that It is misleading and inaccurate for Mr. Braimah to claim that the guns were silenced in Bawku for the past two months until the recent shootings.
“We will encourage him to get the right information from the right sources since his people have been misleading him with inaccuracies”.
The youth equally singled out Mr. Yelikambe for blame over his commentary over the disturbances.
“We wish to advice and caution media houses to be very cautious and not allow their widely viewed platforms to be used by certain individuals to propagate their personal/tribal interests” the statement warned.
Read full statement below
MAMPRUGU YOUTH ASSOCIATION, BAWKU CHAPTER RESPONDS TO MISLEADING COMMENTS MADE BY MR. SULEMANA BRAIMAH ON JOY NEWS AND MR. SAANI YELIKAMBE ON METRO TV
December 20, 2022
The Mamprugu Youth Association, Bawku Chapter has taken notice of comments made by the Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa Mr. Sulemana Braimah on Joy News’ AM Show’s Newspaper review segment on 19th December 2022. We have also taken note of Metro TV’s interview, on the mid day bulletin of december 20th 2022 of Saani Yelikambe, the assemblyman for Sabongari. Both Mr. Braimah and Saani Yelikambe who were commenting on the recent disturbances reported in Bawku made inaccurate and misleading statements which we wish to respond to as follows:
1. First of all, in as much as media houses like the Multimedia group reserve the right to empanel guests of their choice, it is very important that they do due diligence in the selection of these guests to avoid incidents of conflict of interest. A bit of background checks on Mr. Braimah would have revealed to the producer of the program that he is a Kusasi. If Metro TV wanted an Assemblyman, they could have selected from both sides in the interest of fair representation knowing too well the dynamics in Bawku.
2. We have no problem with Mr. Braimah contributing to the show as a Kusasi nor Saani interviewed on metro as a kusasi but in the spirit of fairness and professionalism, it will be required that a Mamprusi guest be empanelled as well for the necessary checks and balances for such a discussion and news programme. However, to present Mr. Braimah as a neutral person and allow his comments/opinions to go uncontested is very inappropriate in our view. This is the same script that was used by Hon Mahama Ayariga and Hon Cletus Avoka to propagate the cause of their tribesmen Kusasis under the guise of their official political offices as members of Parliament.
3. It is misleading and inaccurate for Mr. Braimah to claim that the guns were silenced in Bawku for the past two months until the recent shootings. We will encourage him to get the right information from the right sources since his people have been misleading him with inaccuracies. The facts are that the Bawku municipality had for the past two months witnessed sporadic gunshots in the middle hours of every night. These gunshots emanate from the outskirts of the town predominantly occupied by the Kusasis. We the Mamprugu Youth as law abiding citizens have had to invite the military and police commands to lay our complaints to them about the sporadic gunshots every night. We wish to state that it is the continuous firing of gun shots at the outskirts by Kusasis that has resulted in the escalation of the situation on the night of 17th December 2022 through to the morning of 18th December 2022.
4. We further wish to state that it is false and misleading for Mr. Braimah to say that we Mamprusis were given permission by Aninchema Abugrago Azoka to celebrate our Damba Festival. We as peace loving citizens followed the requirements of the public order act and rightfully obtained permission from the security agencies to celebrate our Damba Festival. On the contrary to claims by Mr. Braimah, the Kusasis through their leader Aninchema Abugrago Azoka resisted fiercely our plans to celebrate the Damba Festival. In fact, there is enough evidence showing how their youth issued threats to us but for the professional conduct of the security agencies, there would have been disturbances.
5. We wish to state that it is this kind of ill adviced perception by Mr. Braimah and his likes that their leader Aninchema reserves the right to grant law abiding citizens of this country permission to express their inalienable rights that is encouraging their youth to defy law and order. The Kusasi Youth falsely feel they have the power to regulate lives and businesses in the Bawku District. And for a person like Sulemana Bramah who should know better to fall for such propaganda and talk about non existent authority by Aninchema to grant any group of people permission to celebrate their festival is unfortunate
6. We state that we Mamprusis have absolutely no interest at all in the plans by Kusasis to celebrate their festival. It is not connected to us in any way and we barely even recognize that such a celebration exists. Thus, Mr. Braimah and his people should not disingenuously try to accuse us.
7. It is inaccurate and misleading for Mr. Braimah to say that their leader Aninchema had done well in stopping a spill over of the conflict to the surrounding districts in the area. The evidence that exists shows that there is no single district in the Bawku area that the conflcit has not been exported to by the Kusasis under the express orders of their leader. There have been violent attacks on persons suspected of being Mamprusis or their sympathizers in the Binduri, Zebilla, Pusiga, Garu and Tempane districts. Mr. Braimah should rather be applauding the Nayiri of Mamprugu for his peace loving nature and continuous preaching of peace to the youth of Mamprugu to not export the conflict to districts in the North East Region that surround Bawku and its environs.
Finally, we wish to advice and caution media houses to be very cautious and not allow their widely viewed platforms to be used by certain individuals to propagate their personal/tribal interests.
Thank you
SIGNED
Secretary