IF there are any of President Mills’s ministers who are constantly under pressure, then the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, who until recently was also the acting Upper West Regional Minister, is certainly one of them.
He was elevated from the position of a deputy regional minister to that of a substantive minister about eight months ago, following the removal of the then minister, Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina.
He did not occupy a seat full of roses, but probably one with a lot of thorns. Several factors make the administration of the Northern Region very difficult and only the strong-hearted could succeed.
The region occupies one-third of the land mass in Ghana, with 20 districts. As of 2009, only 31 per cent of roads in the region were rated as good, while 22 per cent were considered poor. The rest are fairly usable.
The maintenance of security, however, appears to be the most noticeable challenge facing the region. The Northern Region has several ethnic groups that have largely co-habited peacefully, except for some few setbacks, particularly, in the eastern corridor of the region.
Intra-ethnic conflict has rather been the devil showing its ugly head in many endeavours. The battle to occupy the position of paramount chief among some ethnic groups in the region has also caused more harm than good.
Political violence has also been very rife, mostly perpetrated by youth of the various political parties.
Again, due to its cultural diversity, various people have their interests and how to harmonise these interests for the purpose of development has always been a difficult task for various administrators.
With these obvious setbacks, anyone who occupies the seat of minister for the Northern Region cannot be considered as a privileged person.
Therefore, when Mr Mabengba was elevated from deputy to substantive Northern Regional Minister, some observers began prying to know if he had the abilities to handle the region.
But less than a year into his leadership, Mr Mabengba is already receiving favourable assessments from residents of the region.
Among the issues he has been commended for is his handling of security, his human relations and attitude towards work.
When he assumed the position of minister, Mr Mabengba was greeted with several security challenges, some of which tended to undermine his administration.
The most popular is the famous Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo refugee saga, which took an international dimension when Togolese officials announced that some Ghanaians had fled the violent clashes to seek refuge in their part of the border between Northern Ghana and Togo.
This was supposedly the result of a chieftaincy dispute between some clans in the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo area. Though the figures were exaggerated, the fact still remained that there was a state of insecurity in the area.
Indeed, the minister did not look on helplessly. He, together with other members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and other partners, took some pragmatic measures to salvage the situation.
Immediately the clashes occurred, the REGSEC dispatched a team of security personnel to halt the violence and maintain peace, whiles efforts at resolution commenced.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) was also mobilised to make arrangements for relief items to be distributed to the displaced persons and all these yielded some positive results.
Apart from Bunkpurugu, there were also isolated incidents of violence in other parts, perpetrated chiefly by the youth. All these incidents were quickly addressed and calm restored.
Even the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, commended the minister for his handling of disturbances in Karaga, which was sparked by disagreements over the selection of a new DCE for the area.
Like other parts of the country, the Northern Region is still battling with several unresolved chieftaincy disputes, which pose a threat to peace and security. It is clear that these conflicts cannot be resolved within a short time or single-handedly.
What is significant however is that, the use of violence in resolving differences has gradually been on a decline for sometime now.
Whiles several peace initiatives continue for cases in Yendi, Bimbilla and Buipe, the minister and his partners also continue to dialogue with the parties to ensure that violence does not remain an option.
Even when very sensitive arrests were made in Yendi and Gusheigu, residents who were for and against those arrests used appropriate means to express their grievances and seek redress where necessary.
This marks a significant departure from the days when the youth took the law into their own hands and unleashed violence when they felt aggrieved.
Also, until recently, there were several violent incidents in the Tamale Metropolis which were largely traced to political intolerance, mainly between supporters of the two major parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Since the beginning of 2010, however, there have not been any of such disturbances, even though the voter’s registration exercise, which is usually characterised by such tensions, took place during the year.
These developments have led to the region enjoying relative peace, which Mr Mabengba is being commended for.
On his human relations, many residents have observed that Mr Mabengba has a hearty attitude that endears him to all those who come into contact with him.
He has won the hearts of party functionaries, members of the clergy, staff of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and heads of institutions.
Similarly, members of the inky fraternity also hail this minister due to the flourishing relationship he has established with them. Mr Francis Npong of The Enquirer newspaper confessed that he had not come across a regional minister as friendly and jovial as Mr Mabengba.
“He has this ability to make people feel at ease through humour and this creates an environment conducive for effective interaction,” he remarked.
Mr Mabengba has actually been commended for his sense of duty.
Various heads of institutions have observed that this minister does not miss meetings and scheduled public events even if he has to spend a whole day attending to such matters, depending on their importance. Due to this, he is always on the move.
The heads of institutions also claim that the minister is very responsive and makes efforts towards addressing the challenges facing the various institutions and departments in the region.
At a recent meeting of the RCC, the Northern Regional Director of Health, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, gave credence to Mr Mabengba’s industriousness.
He said following the refusal of doctors to serve in the region, Mr Mabengba collaborated with the Regional Health Directorate to host some newly posted young doctors who were in the region to serve their houseman-ship.
“This was very encouraging and would lead to the retention of some of them,” Dr Twumasi stated.
Aside hosting these doctors, Mr Mabengba is said to have made efforts towards providing accommodation for these doctors and other health professionals.
As if not enough work for him, the minister was some few months back given additional responsibilities. Apart from acting as District Chief Executive (DCE) for three districts, he was also asked to act as regional minister for the Upper West Region, following the removal of the minister, Mr Mahmoud Khalid.
He shuttled between Tamale and Wa until recently when a new minister was appointed for the Upper West region. One can only wish the Minister well!
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