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| Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II |
As I surfed through the website to abreast myself with happenings in Savannah region and Ghana as a whole, I ran into a banner headline “Buipewura Jinapor II inspects self-initiated developmental projects in Buipe Senior High School”. I was amazed at the sight of this headline and after reading its content, I realised there are more of such ongoing projects in Buipe as he gave an indication to visit some other projects sites in the coming days.
I took it upon myself to visit the said areas where these projects are located and decided to come out with this piece to encourage Jira Jinapor II to continue to serve his people in good faith.
The write up will cover six (6) thematic areas which include Peace and Unity, Education, Sports, Recreation and Culture, Employment Opportunities, Agriculture and Recognitions.
PEACE AND UNITY.
In 2008, a google search for the name “Buipe” returned stories of insecurity. A chieftaincy struggle led to the negative image of Buipe which resulted to the deployment of police and military personnel to Buipe to maintain peace and order.
The government and other peace building institutions including the Gonja Traditional Council immediately intervened to find a lasting solution to the problem by engaging the factions involved. After many years of engagement, Jira Jinapor II showed leadership by smoking a peace pipe with his brothers from the other side of the faction. A decision many peace builders across the world applauded.
To me, Jira Jinapor II fit into the description of crisis theory which says that” great but visionary leaders are spotted in times of crisis; the leader's decision, his demeanor, his approach to Communication and ability to rally popular support around unpopular decision are the very traits that ultimately define every leader in the time of crisis”. Indeed, his decision and demeanor defined his leadership style to his people.
The 2014 Damba celebration of Jira Jinapor II which had the theme “peace, Reconciliation and Togetherness among the people of Buipe” saw the full involvement and participation of chiefs, stakeholders and people of Buipe coming together for the first time after the struggle to rally behind Jira Jinapor II.
In a speech read on his behalf by Dr Ahmed Jinapor, the spokesperson of Jira Jinapor II, he used the occasion to emphasize his irrevocable commitment to sustaining the peace that exists in Buipe and asked the good people of Buipe to join in the emblem. Since then, the good people of Buipe have heeded to the call of Jira Jinapor II and continue to live happily in peace and Unity.
EDUCATION
Education is the basic building block of every society and remains the best investment countries can make to build prosperous, healthy and equitable societies. For Jira Jinapor II, education should be seen as the passport to the future which can be used to change the scope and shape of Buipe and Gonjaland as a whole.
For this singular reason, Jira Jinapor II put in place measures to make education accessible to all children of school going age in Buipe and its environs by :
Establishing an Educational fund to cater for brilliant but needy students. Renovated the oldest school in Buipe township-Buipe D/A Primary school.Constructed a dormitory block for girls at Buipe Technical Institute. Ongoing construction of teachers’ accommodation for staff of Buipe Senior High School.Provision of Educational materials for students in Buipe township.
Ongoing renovation of a dormitory block named after Chief Jinapor II at Buipe Technical Institute. Some selected senior High Schools in Savannah region will benefit from his recent visit to U.S.A in the area of what each school prefers.
SPORTS, RECREATION AND CULTURE.
Apart from helping to develop mental health and physical fitness of the body, Jira Jinapor II has recognized the role sports and culture play in bringing people together to foster peace and national cohesion.
Hence the inclusion of football activities in his annual Damba festival celebration where teams from Buipe, Debre, Yapei, Kusawgu, Sankpala, Kurawura and Porto compete for his maiden trophy.I took some few minutes of my time to watch one of the matches as part of his 15th anniversary celebrations at Borowase park and was shocked to see the young men and women who thronged at the park to see the beautiful football skills exhibited by the players.
No wonder Jira Jinapor II made a special appeal to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon Samuel Abdulai Jinapor for the construction of astro turf for the people of Buipe during Budafest 2022. As l write, the astro turf is 95% complete and expected to be used as the durbar grounds for the 15th anniversary celebrations of his reign as the chief of Buipe on 7th October, 2023.
As an altruistic person, Jira Jinapor II is much concern about the aspirations and values of his youth and will do everything humanly possible to carry them along in his transformation agenda. This he did by expanding the Chichanko Community Center where youth activities such as weddings, passing out ceremonies, meetings and training programs are held.
On cultural heritage, the celebrations of Buipe Damba (BUDAFEST) is always unique and classical. BUDAFEST presents an opportunity to showcase the rich culture of Buipe /Gonja to the world and plan for development. BUDAFEST allure people from all walks of life due to the side attraction attached to the festival. As an aficionado of entertainment himself, Jira Jinapor II will design series of activities geared towards attracting the youth to embrace such an important cultural event.
No wonder he is sometimes referred to as the philosophical chief.
I had the privileged of visiting the only mausoleum built by Jira Jinapor II in Buipe to house the sacred regalia( sandals, staffs & images) of demised Yagbonwuras from Yagbonwura Mahama Dagbonga(1912-1937) to Yagbonwura Tutumba Bore Essa I (2010-2023).This initiative is aimed at preserving our traditions for the younger generations to learn.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
As part of efforts to reduce the unemployment rate in Buipe Traditional Area, Jira Jinapor II was very instrumental in the establishment of Buipe cattle market kraal where many young guys are employed to generate revenue for the District Assembly while others make huge strides in cattle business.
Jira Jinapor II also established a credit union to maximizing the economic benefits of the people of Buipe and its environs where young men and women are employed to keep body and soul together. Same can be mentioned in his transport company where a lot of drivers are employed. Other areas where people are employed under his tutelage and influence are, Forestry Commission, Savacem Ltd, and Prison service where he is a member of the Prisons Council.
AGRICULTURE.
In order to ensure food security and to reduce poverty in his traditional area, Jira Jinapor II did not turn deaf ear to the agriculture sector. On several platforms, he called on investors to take the advantage of the vast land in Savannah region to venture into agriculture and also appealed to Ghana Education service to reintroduce the concept of school garden system to help students learn the practical aspect of agriculture and to produce vegetables for consumption. As part of his 15th anniversary celebration of his reign as the chief of Buipe Traditional Area, he has released a seed capital of one million Ghana cedis to support and execute projects in agriculture, educational and health in Buipe Traditional Area
He instituted a bye-law to ensure that farmers in his traditional area are free from the menace of Fulani cattle farmers.
Other support areas include financial support for market women dealing with grains, the formation of Buipe and Savannah Regional Farmers Association with its head depot in Buipe, Buipe Market Cattle Association and his involvement and participation of government tree planting exercise to mitigate the impact of climate change.
HONOUR AND RECOGNITION.
Humans have a natural psychological need for respect. The acknowledgement of one’s effort and a job well done create a sense of fulfillment, achievement, belongings and encouragement to greater heights.
The efforts of Jira Jinapor II to serve his people and to raise the bar of the Gonja kingdom is not only recognized here in Ghana but the world in general. In his recent visit to USA, Jira Jinapor II was presented with two recitations from YANKASA- Muslims Association of US in recognitions of his outstanding work in the development of cordial relations between Ghana and Ghanaians in Diaspora and one from the president of Borough of Bronx in New York for the promotion of culture in Africa.
Similarly, a wholly owned Ghanaian airline, Goldstar Air honoured Jira Jinapor II by naming one of its aircraft after chief Jinapor in recognition of his sterling leadership as a traditional ruler for promoting custom and tradition of the chiefs and people of Gonja land to the wider world.
Again, the History students of Ndewura Jakpa Senior High Technical School also presented a citation to Jira Jinapor II in recognition of his leadership role in bringing development to Gonjaland and the promotion of culture of the Gonja kingdom. Indeed the transformational initiative of Jira Jinapor II to his people can be linked to president Gorbachev of Russia who introduced massive restructuring of the political and economic system to the Soviet Union to end stagnation. Russia saw massive transformation under his “perestroika” agenda. Buipe is expanding and transforming steadily under Jira Jinapor II as the chief of Buipe. He has succeeded in lifting the bar of the Gonja kingdom high.
Jira, you are a perfect gift of God to your people, a great mentor and an inspirer and seed of opportunities for young people hoping to pursue leadership. It’s my hope and prayer that our chiefs emulate this great gesture.
As you celebrate your 15th anniversary celebrations of your reign as the chief of Buipe, l wish you Allah’s guidance and protection.
