By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
The Sissala Youth Forum is entreating President John Mahama to appoint competent Sissala individuals to ministerial positions to ensure what it terms “meaningful representation”.
Making the appeal at a news conference in Tumu, the President of Sissala Youth Forum, Sidiki Mumuni, urged President Mahama to take immediate action to address the concerns of the youth.
He said, “We seek a meaningful representation of our people in government, not mere tokenism. The Sissala Youth have been patient with the government through this window of Ministerial appointments but our patience is wearing thin.”
Mr Mumuni told the news conference that: “We the youth of Sissala Land, are deeply disappointed and concerned about the lack of representation of our people in President John Dramani Mahama’s government”.
“Despite our trust in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to redeem itself by appointing competent Sissala individuals to ministerial positions, our hopes are dwindling”, he observed.
“As one of the three major ethnic groups in the Upper West Region, number one producers of quality maize and contributing massively to the agricultural fortunes of this country, we are perplexed as to why our people have been overlooked in the appointment of ministers,” Mr Mumuni noted.
He added, “the Sissala people have a significant presence in five out of the eleven constituencies in the region, [Upper West] making our exclusion from ministerial appointments all the more egregious.”
The President of the Forum indicated that other parties have recognised the value of Sissala representation, providing our people with eight years of ministerial appointments, yet we chose to support the NDC, only to be met with disappointment.
Mr Mumuni stated that apart from the meaningful representation, their demands are anchored on recognition of the contributions of the Sissala people as well as inclusive governance, which must ensure that the government reflects the diversity of the region, including the Sissala people.
The Deputy Secretary of Sissala Youth Forum, Shakuul Saani Chiraa, supported the President of the Forum to answer questions from the media.
