Alarmed by the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy in the area, Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Alemyarum, sometime around 2017, took stringent measures to curb the menace.
But these measures aimed at resolving a major problem confronting the area did not see the light of day as his subject strongly resisted them and the assembly which was supposed to enact bylaws to give them a legal stand left the chief to his faith.
“The assembly had been part of the engagements but they didn’t buy into it. The fact that they didn’t enact a bye-law to support it means they didn’t buy into it and I remember, at one of our engagements, one of the Assembly members clearly indicated that they Assembly Members couldn’t be part of it because if they’re involved, the people won’t vote for them. This was about 5,6 years back”.
Speaking in an interview on Breakfast Today on Tuesday, Naba Salifu Alemyarum recollected that as part of deliberations on possible solutions to reduce the menace, playing of stereophonic music at funerals in the area was identified as a major contributory factor to the increasing incidents of teenage pregnancy.
He explained that the playing of these sounds at funerals attracts young people especially teenagers who dance all-night long and engage in immoral sexual activities, resulting in many getting pregnant.
Aside from this, it also contributes to the falling standard of education in the area as most school-going children spent their bedtime at funeral grounds and thus, go to school exhausted and unable to concentrate in class, he noted.
“They even start spinning before the funeral is announced in the afternoon, they would play like that till late in night and till the following day and even when the body is buried, they would still continue to play for 3,4 days, 1 week and it’s always from morning to daybreak and the children are there, dancing and doing all what they want,” he said.
Adding, “And it does not only lead to teenage pregnancy but it also brings down the educational standard because when the children go to these funeral grounds and they play and dance all night, then the following morning, they go to school. When they get to class, they sleep. How will they cope up with the teaching and learning?”
Naba Salifu, therefore, decided to ban the blaring of music at funerals as part of measures to curb the menace and address poor performance of students in the area.
The decision was, however, met with strong resistance from his subjects. And when he turned to the assembly for a legal backing to pull through with enforcement, they left him to his fate.
Naba Salifu recalled that some of the Assembly Members told him bluntly that they could not be part of such a decision as they feared losing their posts.
Frustrated by the turn of events, the Bongo Naba rescinded the decision, allowing the trend to continue till date.
He said although he is still engaging and exploring various measures to curb the menace, he regretted taking such a decision.
“At a point I realized that I was only messing up myself so I had to stop. In fact, I really regretted proposing it and even effecting to a point. It was picking up but because I didn’t get the support, I had to relax”.
