My Northern Experience with Mr. Nimaali Kobilla.
Monday, March 28, 2022
Northern Heritage is pleased to have an interaction with Mr. Nimaali Kobilla. Our guest is a former staff of NADMO and currently a student of Public Policy and Management at the Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary.
He will be taking us through a ride of his experiences, aspirations & ideas for northern Ghana, as well as his perspective of the regions.
Shamuddeen:
Delving straight into our interaction. Kindly share a brief info about yourself?
Mr. Nimaali:
Well, my name is Nimaali Kobilla. I hail from Bawku, Natinga. I would describe myself as a lover of history, tradition, nature, a striving muslim and a proud Dagbamba. A Mamprudoo.
Shamuddeen:
kindly take us through your life journeys capturing education, experiences growing up, accomplishments and your sources of inspiration and support.
Mr. Nimaali:
My formative years obviously started in Bawku, my birthplace. I attended the Winamzua primary school until class two when I left to Presbyterian school which was regarded as one of the prestigious school in Bawku. I remember pestering my father to enroll me there because all my friends and cousin were in that school.
Getting in there was always going to be a difficult task for my father because the norm was to enroll only children of the Bawku Presby Hospital which was being run by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Luckily, I had an aunt who was a staff who made sure I got enrolled and it was getting into that school which taught me my first lesson on “privilege”, and I saw first-hand the start contrast between the two schools. I topped my class at the end of my final term in class two at Winamzua and came 32nd out 35 students my first term in class 3 at Presby. Both schools were government sponsored and whilst one was highly resourced, the other was hugely depraved.
At some point, I went to live with this aunt of mine in whom I affectionately called “Mmakpema” which directly translated means “senior Mother” in Mampruli. She lived in Garu and I think my stayed there made me develop my love for nature. I used to go fruit hunting in the rainy season and spent most of my time in the bush just being a kid. I loved it
My senior secondary school education was at Ghanasco in Tamale. A lot of children from Bawku for some reason all wanted to attend Ghanasco so we were a huge community in that school and I never felt alone.
After SSS, I went to Kumasi and attended the Global School of Aviation graduating with a diploma in Tourism Management and onto the Jayee University College for my undergraduate studies.
Now I am a student of MSc Public Policy and Management at the Corvinus University of Budapest in Hungary. My educational career has taught me one thing, “There is no hurry in life”
There came a time I had a very long break from school and working to sustain myself. I have been taught by people I sat in the same classroom with as classmates.
Shamuddeen:
Kindly share with members how those experiences shaped your personality and your perspectives about life and what to look out for?
Mr. Nimaali:
I have a very calm personality. As someone who is in tune with nature and somewhat spiritual, here is my take on life. Whatever happens, happens for a reason and our present actions determine our future. Also, people shouldn’t spend time over regrets. It is a waste of time. We can always make the best out of every situation.
Shamuddeen:
What do you aspire as a career, why your choice of career and where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Mr. Nimaali:
I remember having to answer this question when I was being interview by my current University. I know someday I will end in a classroom sharing my knowledge to the upcoming generation.
In the next 5 years, I see myself running a civil society organisation with a focus in the North of Ghana. Working with NADMO in Gambaga/Nalerigu has inspired me towards this career choice. Too much poverty and excuse me to say, “backwardness” is a stumbling block to the development of that region.
Shamuddeen:
Kindly share with members your fondest memories of northern Ghana, you can take us back to any point in your life?
Mr. Nimaali:
They are many. Some of my fondest memories I remember growing up in Northern Ghana (Bawku) is sitting on the back of my father’s bicycle riding to the farm. The days I spend jumping from one mango tree to the other on the farm.
The moments I enjoyed most was the evenings spent sitting in the compound of my grandfather’s house and being told stories of my tribe and family.
I remember the trips to Kpasenkpe and to overseas to visit my maternal grandfather, Wulugunaaba Sebiyam who never stopped sharing with us endless jokes. I remember questionning why I so many old women calling me their “husband” . My maternal grandfather was married to 25+ women.
All these moments I think instilled in me some sense of value family values. My father’s home and mother’s home all taught me one thing….”Be respectful to everyone no matter their status in life”. Sadly, conflict has deprived so many children from enjoying the Bawku that was so vibrant and hospitable to all.
Shamuddeen:
In your opinion what are the reasons behind the developmental gap between the south and north and how can we bridge that gap?
Mr. Nimaali:
I believe the first school to be built in Gold Coast Ghana was in the year 1841 in Cape Coast. The first school to be opened in the then Northern territories was in 1909 by Amadu Samba which I think was a trade school. The only colonial Government school was opened in the 1940s. A clear 100 years after our brothers and sisters in the south had their first school. This deliberate act by the colonial government set the tone for that developmental gap.
Even after that school was built, people still had to travel up south to be educated beyond the secondary school level. Only the Northern elite and a few determined poor could afford to make this trip. This again widened the gap.
Between 1951 to December 1954, the DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE of the NORTHERN TERRITORIES COUNCIL which constituted of notable members like Mumuni Bawumia, S.D. Dombo, Mumuni Dimbie, E.A. Mahama and Adam Amandi made recommendations of which included a RAILWAY to the North as part of negotiations towards independence and forwarded to the Prime Minister, Kwame Nkrumah for incorporation into the Government’s Five year Development Plan. After independence, those plans which were supposed to bridge the developmental gap between South and North never saw the light of day.
It is important to acknowledge that, despite all the efforts past and presents governments have done in recent time to bridge the gap, it is still not enough. They have had a 100 year head start.
Some of those reasons can also be blamed on us. There was a time our grandfathers believed sending their children to school was a punishment. Some said they are “Nabihi” refused to enrol their kids in school.
For us to bridge the gap, I believe we have to make sure Education is put at the forefront of everything we do. Everything else will fall in place.
Shamuddeen:
Does Northern Ghana exerts economic importance that can contribute to national development, which sectors can we capitalize on and can the regions attract investments from both public and private sources?
Mr. Nimaali:
We use to be known as the sole/majority producers/farmers of cash crops. Today, we struggle to “outfarm” our counterparts in the south.
However, what we do have in abundance and available everywhere in the Northern Regions is Shea and Cashew. There is a huge global demand for Shea and Cashew and we capitalise on that to contribute to national development.
Another sector we can capitalise on is Tourism. There are hundreds of potential tourist sites that can be developed. For example, each time I ride through the Gambaga escarpment, I can’t help but notice how it is a great place for paragliding activities.
Talking about tourism, I follow Mr William Haun who calls himself a Photographer and Student of Mamprugu. This is someone who is doing so well to promote that.
Shamuddeen:
What’s your perception of northern culture, traditions and unique way of life? Does it wield positive or negative influence on our ways of thinking?
Mr. Nimaali:
When someone mentions Northern Culture and Traditions, the first thing that comes to my mind is the sense of pride it instils in us. A whole lot of similarities in all the cultures and traditions of the North yet distinctively unique to each tribe.
There has been a lot of enlightenment and I can only think of the positive influence it has on me so much to the extend that one of my greatest fears is bringing forth offspring who would be lost on their tradition, language and culture.
Shamuddeen:
Can you please tell us something peculiar to your lifestyle that was as a result of the northern experience?
Mr. Nimaali:
I am proud of the “North” It is home. People who know can attest that I am someone who values the Northern tradition and cultures and I portray that in whatever I do. I remind myself where I come from in whatever I do and this I believe is as a result of the northern experience.
Shamuddeen:
Before we wrap-up our engagement, please your final words.
Mr. Nimaali:
My finals words goes to we the upcoming youth. When that door opens for you, pull someone along.
QUESTION FROM THE AUDIENCE
Mr Razak.
Am not sure but does the north still lead in those cash crops farming?
Mr. Nimaali:
We don’t. I think the only think we outgrow farmers in the south now is Rice and beans (Tuuya). And even with that, they are catching up.
Mr. Awal
Considering what Mr. William Haun is doing as a foreigner, but what is keeping us from investing in those places.
Mr. Nimaali:
I don’t regard Mr William as a foreigner. I see him as a son of the land. Haha. Anyway, what is stopping us from developing those places, I believe, is just the reluctance of our leaders of northern ghana to implement change.