Aspirant for the National Nasara Coordinator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Ali Suraj, has argued that the party’s Nasara wing needs more than campaign slogans and posters, stressing the importance of research-driven engagement.
He believes a Nasara Coordinator’s role is not to focus on campaign messaging or plastering posters across communities and households, but to drive impact and growth within those communities something that can only be achieved by first understanding the problems that need solving.
“You don’t just walk into every house Zongos have their own traditions. We must first identify what the people want before we can cater to their needs,” he said.
He explained the reasoning behind his emphasis on research, touching on structural factors such as education, religion, and population data.
“You need to know the number of people in the Zongos, the number of mosques, and Arabic schools. How many Arabic students passed their exams, and what opportunities are in place for them to enter university,” he said, underscoring the need for such data-driven planning.
His goal, he said, is to bridge the communication gap between the people and the Nasara leadership. As part of this vision, he intends to establish a committee in every Zongo community across the country.
These committees would identify community problems while communicating the NPP’s message to residents a step he says will help reshape the image and standing of the Zongos.
“What a Nasara Coordinator needs to do is change the mentality of the Zongos from the constituency level,” he said.