People of Dagbon must name and shame war-mongers - Aliu Mahama

Former Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama         Former Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama wants the people of Dagbon to name and shame politicians who try to take advantage of the chieftaincy dispute in the area. He said the people must hoot at such politicians and drive them out of the area. The former vice president has just ended a tour of the Dagbon area to remind the people of the need to embrace peace. He told Joy News’ Seth Kwame Boateng that politicians who take undue advantage of the people to incite them against each other must be told they are not welcome. “Politicians who come and preach hatred should be hooted at. If a politician is coming with…something good then you will receive the person but anybody who comes and continues to hit on the Dagbon crisis, knocking heads, and preaching hatred - you should rather hoot at him and tell him that you don’t accept that because we are all tired, Dagbon is tired of this [conflict],” he stated. The former Vice-President said some unnamed politicians had persistently and consistently incited the people of Dagbon, often portraying themselves as concerned about the people when in fact they are doing that for political purposes. He said Dagombas must remember that “poverty is our greatest enemy.” “It is poverty that has brought our people to this level. There are no jobs, people are sitting under trees and people come to tell them lies and even when they are telling them lies, the man telling them the lies should not even be questioned because when you question, they say, ‘ahh, this man doesn’t belong to us,’” he said. Alhaji Aliu Mahama said while in government, he had some limitations but was now determined to stay at the forefront of resolving the crisis. He said although the government’s efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict was commendable, Dagombas must be committed to peace before any efforts can succeed. Story by Malik Abass Daabu with additional files from Joy News/Ghana