Residents angry as award for a poor farmer's daughter is swapped

The residents of Yendi in the Northern Region are unhappy about what they say is a deliberate move to give an award meant for a daughter of a poor farmer to a different male candidate.

According to Kumasi-based Ultimate FM, the first year student of the Tamale Senior High School, Miss Yakubu Hasanatu completed Abartey Junior High School and scored seven ones.

She was nominated with 20 others in the region for the 2018 annual president’s award. They all went through a thorough interview session by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

After the interview, Miss Yakubu Hasanatu was declared the overall winner by the panel. This was communicated to her parents as well.

However, a few days to the date of the award, authorities of the regional education service surprisingly replaced her with a different candidate, Abubakari H. Yussif, who had five ones.

The father of the girl, 45-year-old farmer, Yakubu Salifu said he believes his daughter was cheated because of his poor financial standing.

The residents in Yendi have vowed to help Yakubu Salifu petition the President so his daughter is not replaced with someone who got a lesser grade.

The Yendi Municipal Assembly has also petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo, to ensure that the award went to the deserving student.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Ahmed Abubakari, who signed the petition insisted Miss Hasanatu should be given the award and not Abubakari Yussif.

“It is against this backdrop that, I have tendered in this petition on her behalf for your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana to intervene for the right thing to be done, for justice and fairness to prevail in this matter, please,” the MCE requested in the petition.

He told Starr News in a later interview that he was demanding the selection committee to look into the case and ensure justice.

“Because I heard the information late, so all I needed to do is to put out the petition so that the authorities can crosscheck with the selection committee, whether what we are saying is true or not,” he said, adding “I’m looking for justice to prevail and nothing else.