The people of Mandari in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency have staged a massive demonstration against President John Dramani Mahama and the Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi, Hon. Yusif Sulemana Ori, who also serves as Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, over what they describe as years of developmental neglect.
Community members both old and young set aside their political differences and took to the streets dressed in red, marching through Mandari to register their anger and present a formal petition to authorities.
The petition was read on behalf of the demonstrators by the community’s youth leader, Tiifu Boronsun.
In the petition, the Mandari people acknowledged their long-standing loyalty to the National Democratic Congress, saying the community has consistently and overwhelmingly voted NDC in both presidential and parliamentary elections since the beginning of Ghana’s Fourth Republic in 1992.
However, they lamented that despite their decades of political support, the community has received little to no tangible development in return no meaningful jobs, no scholarships, and no social amenities or infrastructure.
The petition called on President Mahama to urgently intervene in six critical areas: healthcare infrastructure, education and skills development, economic empowerment and employment, rural electrification, road infrastructure, and potable water and sanitation.
The petitioners painted a grim picture of life in Mandari, describing a health facility they say is an embarrassment, schools that are falling apart, idle youth, impoverished women, and a community that remains without electricity.
They stressed that their demands are not political bargaining but constitutional rights including the right to health, education, economic participation, and a decent standard of living.
The Mandari community issued a stern warning: if their demands are not addressed, no NDC politician from the Bole-Bamboi Constituency will be allowed to set foot in the community.
They however expressed willingness to participate in any consultative meeting or needs assessment exercise that may be convened in response to the petition.
(Cue Audio of Mr. Tiifu Boronsum)
