By William N-lanjerborr Jalulah
Women-no-helmet
woyongo in bawku
In the first part of this feature published on page 6 of the Monday, September 29, 2014 edition of this newspaper, I gave an overview of the focus of this write-up, and went further to examine health-related consequences of the ban on motorbike riding in the Upper East town of Bawku.
The ban came into force in 2011, after the National Security Council had identified motorbikes as the major means of transport which some unscrupulous residents use to perpetrate killings.
Assailants riding motorbikes, either target their victims, shoot and kill them, or shoot into buildings sporadically and aimlessly
The continuous ban on motorbike riding in the area has made it extremely difficult and expensive for people to move about in Bawku, and they have called for the lifting of it.
However, the National Security Council, the enforcer of the ban, insists the ban has drastically reduced crime, sporadic shootings and killings which had necessitated the placement of the ban.
In the previous feature, when I examined the health-related consequences of the ban as a result of the conflict, it was clear that hospitals and health centres are financially overburdened.
This, according to managers of these facilities, is due to the fact that they now use official vehicles for most of their programmes, and to transport staff to and from work, which is outrageously expensive.
In this second part of the report, which is supported by the Media Foundation for West Africa and STAR-Ghana, I look into the educational, crime-related and economic consequences.
EDUCATIONAL CONSEQUENCES
Just as the ban has affected healthcare delivery and accessibility negatively, so has it also affected education.
The Bawku Municipal Education Director, Mr. Benedict B. Yindol, reveals that the ban has seriously contributed to the falling standard of education in the municipality. According to him, supervision and monitoring have generally been affected, as Circuit Supervisors now find it extremely difficult to visit schools.
He explained that since it is now difficult for the supervisors to do their work, because they rely mainly of motorbikes, and the fact that the Education Directorate cannot provide accommodation for them, has led to poor recording keeping by teachers, absenteeism, lateness, refusal to prepare lesson notes and teaching and learning materials.
Mr. Yindol explained that he is now compelled to send more female CSs to the far off places, and only attaches one or two male CSs to them, because the females are allowed ride motorbikes.
Those few male CSs are also strategically chosen, based on nearness of their residences to their duty posts, such that they can ride bicycles or trek.
In cases where his office cannot adopt this strategy, official vehicles are used to convey the CSs to and from work. This, he laments, also puts a heavy financial toll on the service.
He appealed to the Bawku Municipal Assembly and the National Security allow CSs to use motorbikes in order to revive their monitory and supervisory roles.
CRIME RELATED CONSEQUENCES
Generally, the security agencies say the ban has drastically reduced the crime rate in Bawku following the ban in 2011. According to the Interior Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, during whose tenure of office as regional minister the ban was enforced, said calls for the ban to be lifted will not be considered, at least for now.
On his recent visit to Bawku, Mr. Woyongo said a decision would be taken on the ban when the security situation in the area improves, and urged, especially residents, to invest in education rather than weapons.
“We have been under pressure to lift the ban on motor riding in Bawku, but we can only do that on the advice of the security on the ground. Yesterday, I had a briefing with the military personnel in Tamale, and their advice is that we should not lift the ban [for] now,” he stated.
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
Speaking to market women and men at the main Bawku market, it was clear that the ban had affected their trading and income-generating activities. They say those of them who used to trade by travelling on motorbikes to villages with their wares, can no longer do so, because they are not allowed to use motorbikes.
Asibi Talata trades in men and women’s wares. She says those days, her husband, Saeed Adinchenaba, supported her by sending some of the wares on motorbike to surrounding communities to sell, but now, he can no longer do so.
A man I met in the market selling smocks gave his name as Hassan Mohammed Tibil. According to him, he was a dealer in motorbikes, but since the enforcement of the ban, he has been forced to abandon that and go into smock trading.
Though he claims his new trade is good, he feels the motorbike business was better, and wishes the ban could be lifted. He, however, thinks if only the lifting of the ban will lead to the dark days of killings, then it should not be lifted.
In my investigations, I observed that there were mixed feelings about the ban. While some think the continuous enforcement of the ban is retarding the economic progress of the area, and should, therefore, be lifted, others say since they do no longer witness frequent killings and sporadic shootings, then the ban should not be lifted.