The Youth and Women in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region are threatening to boycott the 2024 general elections over delays in the completion of the government’s Agenda 111 district hospital in the area.
The project, which was awarded to T.K Waters Construction in April 2021, has been stalled for two years now, and community members fear that it may be completely abandoned.
They have called on the government to expedite action to complete the project as scheduled, or they will “incur their wrath.”
Community members have lamented that, while other beneficiary districts such as Bolga East, Garu, Tempane, and Kassena-Nankana West have their projects almost complete, efforts to get government officials to explain why the Nabdam project has stalled have been futile.
Addressing a joint press conference in Nangodi, spokesperson for the Nabdam committees of health and public relations and complaints, POGNAB Grace Bewong, commended the government for the project, but reiterated their decision to boycott the 2024 elections if the project is not completed as planned.
“The Chiefs and people of the Nabdam Traditional Area were very desirous of the project, and they negotiated with farmers and community members to volunteer by giving 100 acres of their farmlands for the project,” she said. “However, the project has now become a standstill. The District Health Committee and Public Relations and Complaint Committee have received complaints severally from the Chiefs and people demanding answers from duty bearers why other beneficiary districts have their projects almost completed while the contractor awarded with the contract in the Nabdam district has not finished even the foundation level.”
Bewong added that it seems the government does not consider the Nabdam District as one of its priority areas, and that the community members are “threatened that if it does not respond to their demands by ensuring that the project is completed, they will also advise themselves in the forthcoming general elections.”
Some community members in a Citi News interview said the stalled project has impacted negatively on their health needs, and they admonished the government to immediately get contractors on site or “incur their wrath.”
Fuastina Yenzei stated that, “We’re very worried because this contract started in 2021, and the way it has delayed we’re very sad. This hospital when completed will help us a lot, because we don’t have any hospital, and if we fall sick we have to travel all the way to Bolga regional hospital. So we want government to get us a contractor who is ready to complete this project. If this project doesn’t complete by next year’s elections in 2024, we will not vote.”
Another resident, Martin Lamisi, also added that, “Not that we’ll not vote, but maybe we’ll not vote the government into power anymore, because we’re expecting them to be working, and I know the government has done well for giving us the project, but maybe it is the contractor or whoever is responsible for the project to go on, which is not going on, and that’s our worry. We don’t want this project to be abandoned because it will affect healthcare delivery, so we’ll continue to cry until government addresses our concerns.”
Source: citinewsroom.com
