Peasants farmers in the Upper East Region have expressed their disappointment in the Regional Coordinating Council led by the Upper East Regional, Stephen Yakubu over the postponement of the 39th farmers’ day celebration. The national celebration scheduled for December 1, 2023 have been postponed to December 8, 2023 relative to the Upper East Region due to financial constraints.
Speaking exclusively to word news, the focal person for peasants farmers in the Upper East Region, Rev. John Akaribo expressed worries over the decision by the regional minister to postpone the national event organized to honor farmers in the region.
He questioned why the regional minister, Stephen Yakubu couldn’t organise such a national event design to honor farmers over financial constraints, rather had money to bus the farmers from far districts like Garu, Tempane, Fumbisi , Pusiga to the Bolgatanga jubilee pack just to award them with wellton boot.
“If there is no budget to celebrate farmers, how did you get money to bus farmers to Bolgatanga? why can’t they go to the farmers respective districts to award the farmers”?.
He added that the decision by the upper East regional minister to postpone the national event was an abuse of the national policy.
He also questioned why newly created regions are able to gather resources to celebrate farmers in their respective regions, but the Upper East Region, in its old age could not celebrate farmers.
“As long as it has been marked as a statutory holiday, Upper East Region should not be out of this because it’s a well thing. so Upper East region to say that they are not ready and they are postponing a national event is an abuse of the policy, for instance when it comes to celebration of Christmas, no revered father or pastor can tell his congregation that they are not ready to celebrate Christmas, so whether you are ready or not, they are celebrating Christmas. So I think something that has been planned for, you cannot get up and say you are not ready. I think it’s an arbitrary”.
Below is the full statement issued by the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council.
CELEBRATION OF THE 39TH EDITION OF THE NATIONAL FARMERS DAY (UPPER EAST REGIONAL CELEBRATION) At the Planning Committee Meeting for the 39th Edition of the National Farmers Day held on Friday, 24th November, 2023 and chaired by the Hon. Regional Minister, the committee arrived at the following: • That in view of the current financial challenges there is the need to centralise the celebration at one location. That the districts needed some time to reorganize themselves for the celebration since it was an innovation. In view of this, it has been decided to rescheduled the celebration from Friday 1 December, to Friday, December 8, 2023.
- Consequently, it has also been decided that the celebration would be marked at the Jubilee Park, Bolgatanga where all the districts would converge with their awards and awardees.
- In view of this, MDAs are hereby requested to furnish the Regional Planning Committee with the number of persons who would be participating at the regional level for budgeting purposes.
- We shall be grateful if these numbers could reach the RCC by close of day, Monday, 27 November, 2023.
Thank you.
ALHAJLABUBAKARI INUSAH CHIEF DIRECTOR/RCD
ALL MUNICIPAL/DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVES UPPER EAST REGION
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya.