Members of the youth advocacy group Friends of Prosper have publicly challenged local leaders to prioritise community needs over personal interests, announcing plans to file a Right to Information (RTI) request as an early warning to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly.
Speaking on the Bluewaves Breakfast Show, Isaac Ayariga and Peter Ayamga of Friends of Prosper said power in the hands of Upper East leaders has failed to deliver tangible benefits for residents. They blamed greed and self-interest, arguing that too many officeholders put themselves and their immediate families first instead of the people they were elected or appointed to serve.
“The tragedy isn’t a lack of authority, leaders already have what they need to act,” the group’s representatives stressed. “It’s that greed and self-interest have taken over.”
Friends of Prosper was formed by concerned young people who refused to watch the constituency “crash.” Their core principle is simple: no one is above scrutiny, regardless of position. The group operates an internal WhatsApp platform that includes the Member of Parliament and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE). Members are free to criticise leadership directly and without insults. The approach gives leaders a chance to explain themselves privately before issues are taken to the airwaves and the wider public.
Ayariga and Ayamga said this internal process is often undermined by community members who rush to defend indefensible actions by those in authority and attack critics. They described the pattern as self-sabotage that blocks genuine development.
As a concrete next step, the group intends to file an RTI request to clearly separate projects belonging to the MCE from those of the MP. They argued that the two offices currently appear to shield each other, when one fails to deliver, staff from the other quickly reassign credit or blame, leaving citizens unable to hold anyone specifically responsible.
The human cost of inaction is visible on the ground. The degraded Zuarungu-Bolga road and the Kulaa bridge have become so dangerous that some residents avoid the route entirely, especially the sick. Ayariga contrasted the situation with what a public spirited contractor could achieve by investing in the community, noting that “society can sacrifice for you when you sacrifice for it.”
Even areas close to town, such as Sherigu, lack basic amenities. Children walk to school without proper classrooms. Communities like Sumbrungu, which hosts Bolgatanga Technical University, still suffer from inadequate communal infrastructure.
The group did acknowledge one success: the Mahama Care health intervention. They said it has been a genuine lifeline, citing at least five people they know personally who received life-saving cancer treatment they could not otherwise have afforded.
Pressed on overall performance, Ayariga and Ayamga offered a mixed verdict. They noted some visible progress, three or four new schools and ongoing health facility construction , but said citizens remain confused about who is responsible for what. That confusion, they argued, reinforces the need for clearer accountability through tools such as the planned RTI request.
In closing, the youth leaders said the older generation has grown weary and disengaged. The responsibility to fight for the community’s interests, they insisted, now rests with the youth.
Friends of Prosper’s public statements mark a growing push by young people in Bolgatanga Central for transparency and results from those in power.
By Gayheart Abraham
Source:Mybluwavesonline.com/Maurice Duncan/Bolgatanga
