Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, has alleged that the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, receives six million Ghana cedis (GHS6,000,000.00) monthly from the Finance Ministry to manage the Bawku conflict.
This, according to Ayariga, totals eighteen million Ghana cedis (GHS18,000,000.00) each quarter.
Speaking on Woezor TV on Saturday, August 3, Ayariga claimed that despite the significant funds allocated, there is no visible evidence of effective conflict management.
He challenged Minister Kan-Dapaah to address these allegations publicly.
“If it is not true, he should come out publicly and tell me that it is not true, and I will show him the records. Every quarter that this conflict has been ongoing, he receives 18 million Ghana cedis. This is scandalous, unfair, and inappropriate, and the people of Bawku should know this,” Ayariga asserted.
“The NPP government, through its National Security Minister, receives a cheque of 6 million Ghana cedis every month, 18 million every quarter from the Ministry of Finance in the name of solving their problems. But how have they solved that problem? The problem has not been solved,” he said.
Ayariga, who served as the Minister of Youth and Sports under the John Dramani Mahama administration, further explained that the ongoing conflict prevented his party’s presidential candidate from visiting Bawku during a regional tour. He noted that John Mahama had to bypass the town on the advice of security experts, which led to anger among the youth, who expressed their frustration by burning posters.
“Even yesterday, John Dramani Mahama could not drive through the town. We had to bypass the town because many of the youth wanted to follow him on the tour, and he could not drive through with them for fear that anything could happen,” Ayariga explained.
“The same way my uncle had difficulties attending the rally, and they demanded that John Mahama should come to them, yet the security situation was not promising. When we decided not to pass through the town, they were very bitter, and posters of mine and John Mahama were burnt. It is because of the security situation and the advice of security experts,” he said.
Ayariga emphasized the discrepancy between the large sums allocated and the lack of conflict resolution, stressing, “While all this is going on, the National Security Minister signs a cheque of 6 million Ghana cedis every month in the name of dealing with the Bawku security problem.”
Background
The Bawku area has been plagued by recurring chieftaincy disputes, characterized by violent clashes that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years. The conflict centers around the rightful ownership of the Bawku skin, known as na’am. In addition to the loss of lives, properties worth millions of Ghana cedis have been destroyed. As of April 2024, 10 more deaths had been recorded, and four local radio stations were shut down.
