Former President John Dramani Mahama has assured residents of Bawku in the Upper East Region to open investigations into extrajudicial killings perpetuated by troops maintaining law and order if he returns to power.
Mahama, who condemned the military brutalities, said his government would also see to the adequate compensation of families of victims of the killings.
Addressing party delegates in Bawku, as part of his two-day campaign tour of the region, Mahama called on all factions for an end to the raging conflict to enable peace-building.
Mahama said it was important peace is given a home in Bawku because the conflict was having debilitating effects on education, health care and commerce which the town is very well noted for.
He said, ” I wish to condemn the killing of innocent citizens by our military. The military is supposed to use the weapons to protect us, not to kill us. And so when we come (return to power), we will like to find out what caused the deaths of those people. And we must make sure their families are adequately compensated for the wrongful deaths.”
Mahama added, “But I appeal to all factions, Bawku and surrounding towns are very important commercial centres and they generate a lot of economic activity. When there’s insecurity, there’s no progress. If we didn’t have this security situation in Bawku and surrounding areas, you won’t believe what this place will be.”
He assured that his government when elected would prioritise the resolution of the conflict which was robbing Bawku of its brisk trading fortunes.
“When NDC comes, we will do everything to ensure there’s peace in Bawku. We have done it before and will do it again.”
Binduri
In the Binduri district, where he engaged a gathering of party delegates and supporters, the President and Presidential flagbearer hopeful of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), gave a strong indication that his next government will abolish the double-track system under the Free Senior High School policy.
He said the abolition is to afford students better conditions to study and also to save parents the financial burden of putting wards through the double-track system.
Mahama assured that his next government would complete classroom and dormitory projects in the various regions to enable schools to return to the single-track system.
“To our children go to school and you spend money to send them to school and within three-four weeks, they come back home. The children are also hungry in the schools because there is no food. So, NDC will come and make the Free SHS better.
We are going to come and finish the dormitory blocks we were building, the E-Blocks, classrooms so that we can create more space in secondary schools to accommodate our children.”
In the next term of the NDC, all our children are going to go to school at the same time when school reopens.”
Meanwhile, the NDC flagbearer hopeful is urging delegates to massively endorse his candidature in the 13 May residential primary.
He has also urged delegates to vote for their preferred candidates in the Parliamentary primary, devoid of attitudes that can breed disunity in the party after the internal election.
Mahama said his candidature brings a bevvy of interventions, including the hope to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Reporting by Senyalah Castro in the Upper East Region
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