Sherigu; deprived yet well-endowed farming community
Sherigu is one of the many deprived yet well-endowed farming communities in the Bolgatanga municipality in the Upper East Region that has over the years suffered neglect from successive governments when it comes to the provision of basic social amenities.
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Some environmental officers at the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly say about 250 litter bins full of refuse are collected in the municipality daily, suggesting the need for the establishment of a waste recycling plant to address the situation.
According to some residents of Sherigu, however, the dumping of refuse in the area was not being managed to their expectation. They argued that the community should not be seen only as a dumping site for refuse but also as a safe haven for investment; hence the need for the establishment of the requisite infrastructure and basic social amenities to enable the community to contribute meaningfully to the country's economy.
For one thing, Sherigu is a community that has a lot of
The Bolgatanga Central Constituency in the 2016 election had about 48,714 valid votes cast in the parliamentary elections
Challenges
It is regrettable, however, to say that some residents believe that the commitment of this community towards the country's democratisation is not commensurate with the level of development the community receives. Therefore, members of the community have used various platforms to raise concerns about so many issues regarding the inability of duty-bearers to meet their aspirations, particularly the provision of basic social amenities such as potable water, roads, electricity, health facilities and educational infrastructure.
Electricity
For the Kumblingo Bolongo Electoral Area
Elizabeth Aniah, a student, explained that the lack of electricity was affecting pupils in various basic schools in the area because they were unable to learn or revise their notes at night.
The situation, she noted, had resulted in
Some residents of the community also claim they cannot bear the high cost of buying kerosene or fuel to power their generator to enable them to get electricity for their respective businesses.
As a result of the lack of electricity, the residents indicated that there had been rampant stealing during the night as some people sneaked into the forest reserve at night to cut trees.
Road
The poor road network in the community is equally a major source of worry to the people of Sherigu, including opinion leaders. A representative of the Chief of Sherigu, Mr Nsoh Apasinaba, wondered why the community had over the years been neglected when indeed there was a lot of potential in the area. A former Assembly Member for the Kumblingo Bolongo Electoral area, Mr Bernard Ayesigo, bemoaned the poor state of roads in the area which had not improved over the years; hence the reluctance of commercial vehicles, including taxicabs, to ply the Bolgatanga-Sherigu road except for the motor tricycles, popularly called the Mahama-Can-Do.
He noted that although he had been an assembly member for eight years
"In fact, during the rainy seasons, the roads become very slippery and most of the culverts have broken down," Mr Ayesigo further lamented.
A broadcast journalist who hails from the community and pleaded
A member of the community, Mr Anthony Asakisango, entreated the government "not to deny the people of Bolga-Sherigu their fair share of the national cake in the distribution of development projects".
He indicated that several calls for the rehabilitation of the Bolgatanga-Sherigu road had proved futile and in fact "we are very disappointed at the way things are going because we have been neglected for far too long".
Potential
In spite of all these challenges, it is worthy to note that the Sherigu community is endowed with a lot of
The community has offered sites for the
Aside from the airport project, the Sherigu community, through its chiefs, has released about 100 hectares for the construction of the regional referral hospital
During the visit of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on July 19,
MCE
When contacted, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Joseph Ameyuri, said anywhere the airport would be sited would serve the region well.
He indicated that a lot was going on behind the scenes and very soon the issues about roads and other challenges in the community would be addressed. He explained that he believed more in doing the work than talking.
Flashback
It will be recalled that in September 2016, scores of placard-bearing residents of Sherigu took to the streets to register their displeasure about what they described as "the lack of basic social amenities and the deplorable road network in the area".
They further expressed regret that for several years, successive governments had "neglected the community to the extent that there is no electricity, good roads and educational facilities". They threatened to boycott the 2016 general election but rescinded their decision based on some assurances they received from some duty-bearers. But now two years down the line, the challenges faced by this deprived community persist.
