Zebilla (Upper East), 13 Jan. ’99 – The rank and file of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been urged to disregard misinformation by the opposition parties that the NDC would crumble when President Rawlings steps down. Mr Cletus Avoka, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, stressed this at a rally organised by the Bawku West constituency of the NDC at Zebilla at the weekend. The rally was to educate its members on current developments within the party and for Mr Avoka, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, to express his appreciation to the chiefs and people of the constituency for their unflinching support. Mr Avoka urged party members and those of the Progressive Alliance to close their ranks and work hard to win all the parliamentary seats in the region. He said the NDC government would not abandon its commitment to provide the rural people with potable water, improved health care facilities, good road networks, electricity and schools despite the constraints on the economy. Hajia Fati Seidu, Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, stressed the need for peace and unity among the people to enable the government to develop the area and called on parents to send their children to school. Earlier, Mr Avoka made a personal donation of two Phoenix bicycles, two cassette tape recorders, and a quantity of party T-shirts valued at over 1.5 million cedis to zonal branches of the party. The minister also presented a bicycle each to the Zebilla and Binaba police stations which were bought with a grant from the Indian High Commission to ease their transportation problems. He said the bicycles were also to enable the police to combat cattle rustling and other crimes in the area.
