International Diplomatic Consultant, Farouk Al Wahab, has condemned information processing in the country saying Ghana is good at gathering information but poor at processing it.
He has questioned why there are security agencies, especially from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) residing at Bawku and its environs but cannot aid in the processing of information to stop the escalation of the Bawku conflict.
According to Al Wahab, the age-old conflict between the Abudus and Andanis has even been resolved, and cannot make meaning as to why the drift between the Mamprusis and Kusasis has not been resolved.
Speaking with Captain Smart on Onua FM’s current affairs show, ‘Asɛm Bɛn Ni?’, premiered Monday, November 04, 2024, Al Wahab questioned the economic gains of the Bawku community to Ghana’s income to necessitate the amount of resources being wasted there as a result of their chieftaincy issue.
“If Abudus and Andanis have been able to smoke peace pipe, why is it that that particular part of the country, [cannot do same?]” he questioned.
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He bemoaned the wanton wastage of a chunk of the National Security’s budget on Bawku whenever there is a conflict there, saying the community does not make any huge impact on Ghana’s economy to be costing the state that much.
In his analysis, he quantified the amount spent on a single security officer that is airlifted to Bawku during such crisis, asking how much is spent on their accommodation, feeding and even the transportation itself, making a comparison with the Western region where about 50 per cent of the nation’s income comes from.
He also questioned why successive governments have not established a permanent military base in Bawku knowing how fragile the community is, rather than having to send people in there whenever there is a trigger.
“What is happening is the weaknesses of the country and our lack of preparedness to solve the country’s problem, as far as Bawku is concerned. About 60% of the National Security budget goes to Bawku when there is an uprising. This is because of the joint security forces that are deployed to the area for permanent operation.
“How many people are sent there? How much does it cost a night for each officer? There is no camp or military base so how much hotel budget are they given? So if we were smart as a country, looking at a place like Bawku where there is an insurgence every year, what stops the Republic of Ghana from building a military base in Bawku and station the soldiers there permanent?
“What do we get from the land of Mamprusis or Kusasis that contributes to the economy of Ghana? The highest pole of this country is from the Western and about 50% of our national income is from the Western region but they are not raising arms there,” he quizzed.
