Jimli (N/R), April 19 GNA – Vice President Aliu Mahama started his four-day working visit to the Northern Region on Monday with a call on the chief and people to end the conflicts in their areas to pave way for development.
Addressing separate durbars at Jimili and Sang in the Yendi District, Vice President Aliu told the people that the Government and many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were desirous of assisting them to reduce drastically the poverty levels in their areas, however, he said no meaningful development could take place in an atmosphere of conflict.
Vice President Mahama said: “Your common enemy is poverty, therefore, you must unite and mobilize to confront it.” He said it was unacceptable for them to use politics to divide their ranks adding that the objective of politics should be to improve their well-being.
Political activity should, therefore, not cause hatred conflict and division among them but should be aimed at enhancing their standard of living.
The Vice President asked the people to prioritise education especially for their daughters since it would facilitate their advancement and help their societies to grow. He later addressed a du4bar at kpalbe in the east gonga district where he announced that they would have their fair share of the 1,000 tractors the Government had imported to modernize agriculture.
Alhaji Mahama urged the people to cultivate peace and pledged that their request for the provision of electricity, portable water, qualified teachers and other facilities would be provided in due course. The Vice President inaugurated nurses’ quarters constructed at Sang at a cost of 83.9 million cedis with Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) funds.
He also inspected work on the Tamale – Yendi road and urged the contractors to produce good quality work and be on time. Messrs A and N Ghanem, one of the contractors, have almost completed their 20-kilometre stretch road at a cost of 129.7 billion cedis whilst Taysec has completed 59 per cent of their 23-kilometre portion at a cost 24 .9 billion cedis.
Mr Emmanuel Preko, Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Highway Authority, described the work done so far as very good. The Vice President, who was given tumultuous welcome by a large crowd on his arrival in Tamale, is scheduled to visit Kpandai, Kpolo, Loloto, Salaga Kpanvo, Damango, Sawla and other towns during his visit. He would interact with the people to find out their concerns about governance and inaugurate a number of development projects. Mr Kwadjo Baah Wiredu, Minister of Education, youth and Sports; Dr Kwaku Afryie, Minister of Health and Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Minister of Works and Housing are accompanying the Vice President.
Source: GhanaWeb
