Residents of Sakai, a farming community in the Sissala East Municipality of the Upper West Region, are reminding politicians about their unresolved Telephone Network issue that has remained a major burden for them for the past 12 years.
According to residents, both past and current governments have always neglected them soon after elections despite them (politician) using “sugar-coated” words to convince them for their votes.
“I want to indicate clearly to the political figures who may need our support, that the youth and the entirety of the catchment area have promised to stage a demonstration against political rallies and politicians who have constantly promised the community with sugar-coated words and run away after they have been entrusted with the political mandate,” they stated.
The Sakia community is the third largest in the Sissala East Municipality with an approximate population of about 9000 residents whose lives and businesses are shakened as a result of the absence of a functional telephone network.
The community surrounded by many communities including Nankpawie, Kong, Lilixia, Sakallu, Sentie, Jijen, Bandei, and Bakwala has a population of approximately 30,000 residents with non having access to telephone network.
Saani Kantongboku, Youth President of Sakia at a press conference said the continuous absence of telephone network connectivity in the community deprives them of the benefits of any digital economy dispensation while putting them at risk from potential terrorist attacks taking place in neighbouring countries.
“These amongst others have adverse effects on health, security, education, and socio-economic activities within Sakai,” he stated.
He added that nurses in the community often leave their facility almost every time to go to places where there is a network to check the validity of patients’ health insurance cards before treatment can commence.
The Youth President further lamented how some nurses and government officials posted to Sakai have refused to come because of the absence of a network.
Iddrisu Rabiatu, a businesswoman, also expressed worry over how the telephone network issue is making businesses retrogress, affecting women empowerment activities in the area.
She furthered that because the challenge is having a negative impact on the growth of their businesses, that has led to a developmental gap automatically created in the area and its environs.
She stated: “NGOs who seek to support women find it very difficult to communicate and people have to meet in bushes even at midnight to do transactions.”
Assemblyman for the area, Kantongboku Gbene Elijah, said several letters were written to remind authorities as well as doing follow-ups on the issue, but to no avail.
Describing the situation as a Cyber threat to the people of Sakai and the Hanviah clan at large, he said:
“Our students and staff can not access internet resources in schools. Our youth have densely migrated to the towns with adequate network. It’s really bad.”
“We shall abstain from 2024 polls if this situation is left unsolved,” he fumed.
By Ibrahim A. Wangara|3news.com|Ghana
