Some few days ago I mentioned that the true beneficiaries of the WNF should be the people of West Nile. Today I reiterate the sufferings they are going through which is unwillingly inflicted upon them by BAT.
On this forum we were informed of how many of our fathers, brothers, sisters etc who sold their tobacco have not yet been paid for more than a year. I bring to our members of the legal counsel this sad situation: *what can we do for them?* *Are the BAT officials also working without pay* ever since they bought tobacco from West Nile? If they receive their monthly pay promptly, why do they treat our people this way? I still repeat *not even the Vatican Bank runs on “Hail Mary’s”.* a) *We need to sue BAT* for the damage they are inflicting on our people. This makes them unable to pay school fees, provide basic necessities for their families. By taking BAT to court our people in the village will see that their children have studied and are working for their good. This is going to be a fight because of their financial muscle but it has to be done. Our people count on that money and they keep moving to BAT offices every time as if the money they waste will be compensated by BAT. b) I understand *each year BAT gives a grant* of about 20 or 25 million Ugandan shillings to our district councils. This is like buying the conscience of these councilors so that they don’t pinpoint their injustice to the farmers. What can this grant do apart from being shared by councilors thinking that it is a lot of money? Let’s get out of the mentality, like that of the old Lugbara where they could count up to 999 and they borrowed the word for thousand (elifu) from Swahili, million from English. *c) *Some 15 years ago or so, there was a Canadian researcher who wanted to find out why west nilers remained poor despite the growing of tobacco year in and year out. He ended up being killed with his research assistant (a young man from Ombaci area). *Up to when shall we make BAT to operate within a paradigm where they think that west nilers are “useless, hopeless” because they cannot raise their heads? * d) *Cant the tobacco growers not be paid through bank accounts* other than make them travel on lorries etc to Arua? This is the 21st Century where even computers are penetrating deep villages. *We still remember those who died in Terego* when the lorry in which they travelled overturned killing more than a dozen leaving over 80 wounded? If we can address this suffering situation, we shall have *prepared a ground for the workshop of listening from the very people what they think *could be done for the development of West Nile. We shall have *created an atmosphere of discussing with them an alternative of what to grow to get money *when they stop growing tobacco. I feel this is an urgent issue to be discussed. Ruffino EZAMA, mccj
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