Kyebi residents drank water with pigs, says NDC MP Yusif Sulemana

 

A major controversy has erupted in Parliament after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bole and Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana, alleged that residents of Kyebi in the Eastern Region once drank water from the same source as pigs.

The statement, made during a debate on the impact of illegal mining (galamsey), has triggered sharp criticism, calls for retraction, and a strong public response from Kyebi youth invoking historical records to counter the claim.

The remark occurred on Friday when Yusif Sulemana was responding to issues raised in Parliament concerning the worsening state of the water bodies due to illegal mining activities.

In attempting to emphasize what he described as interventions by President John Dramani Mahama in his first term, he stated categorically that before Mahama’s administration acted, “the people of Kyebi were drinking water with pigs.”

His comment immediately caused agitation on the floor, prompting Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, to rise on a point of order.

Frank Annoh-Dompreh described the statement as “unfounded, offensive and disrespectful,” insisting that such serious allegations must be backed by evidence.

He argued that if the Deputy Minister could not substantiate his claims, he must withdraw the comment and apologize to the people of Kyebi and the entire Eastern Region.

“He made a definite statement. If he wants to stand by it, then he must provide evidence. Otherwise, the comment must be withdrawn and expunged from the records,” Annoh-Dompreh stressed.

The 1st Deputy Speaker subsequently ordered that the remark be removed from the official Parliamentary Hansard.

During the same debate, Frank Annoh-Dompreh also renewed his call for weekly Parliamentary briefings on the galamsey crisis, arguing that the situation has grown so dire that Parliament must receive consistent updates.

He said only continuous reporting and transparency from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the security agencies, and the Minerals Commission would ensure accountability and meaningful progress in the fight against illegal mining.

Outside Parliament, the Deputy Minister’s comments sparked an uproar in Kyebi, where youth groups and opinion leaders mobilized to “set the record straight.”

In a strongly worded statement, the youth described the MP’s claim as “false, malicious, and a deliberate distortion of history meant to score political points.”

They insisted that no period in Kyebi’s history supports the assertion that residents drank from water sources shared with animals.

According to them, Kyebi has had a functional water treatment system since 1971, constructed under the Busia administration.

In 2014, the Mahama government expanded the existing facility to increase capacity—it did not replace contaminated or shared water sources, as the MP suggested.

The youth argued that a simple review of historical records would have prevented the Deputy Minister from making what they called “an embarrassing and uninformed statement.”

They further challenged Sulemana to consult the Ghana Statistical Service’s Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index.

According to them, a sectoral analysis would reveal that his own constituency faces some of the worst developmental challenges in the country, making his claim about Kyebi even more unfounded.

To reinforce their point, they outlined a timeline of water infrastructure projects in the Akyem Abuakwa enclave.

They noted that former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2008 initiated the Koforidua Water Supply System through a mixed credit facility with KBC Bank, benefiting communities including Old Tafo, New Tafo, Kukurantumi, Suhyen, Jumapo, and Anyinasin.

Later, in 2011, the Atta Mills administration expanded the project using a credit facility from Unicredit of Austria to include Kyebi, Apedwa, and surrounding areas.

They emphasized that former President Mahama never presented any water supply project for Kyebi to Parliament.

The youth concluded that the Deputy Minister’s remarks were not only false but also disrespectful to the Okyenhene, the people of Akyem Abuakwa, and former President Akufo-Addo, who hails from Kyebi.

They maintained that such falsehoods weaken national unity and degrade the quality of political debate