According to the President, the passionate demands for infrastructural development, maintenance of roads, provision of potable drinking water, electricity and other amenities by the chiefs and their people, could only be realized, when they themselves live in peace and allow the numerous good policies and programmes of the government see implementation.
President Mills made the appeal when addressing members of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs in Tamale as part of his four day official working visit to the region. Accompanied by the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Northern Regional Minister, National Executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ministers of State, Members of Parliament and District Chief Executives, President Mills said his government was bent on improving quality of lives of the people up north under the better Ghana agenda.
He disclosed that, the government had put in place several measures towards the development of the three Northern Regions, with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authourity (SADA) and the Northern Rural Growth Project (NRGP) as some of the major programme for the north.
The President announced that apart from great change the SADA seeks to bring in the lives of the people, the NDC government had secured foreign facility to develop the Easter Corridor roads, Fufulso-Damango-Sawla road, Buipe-Tamale road, Tamale-Salaga road and the Yendi-Bimbilla-Wulensi roads among others to open up the economic opportunities of the area.
President Mills therefore impressed upon the Chiefs to firmly control their subjects especially the youth to respect the laws of the land and also allow peace and unity to prevail so as to attract investors to the region.
He reminded them that, in spite of their diverse ethnic and political backgrounds, all people in the north and in Ghana were one people with one blood, one spirit and must therefore join forces to promote peaceful co-existence and development.
President Mills appealed to the Chiefs and especially the kingmakers to always ensure that the rightful persons acceptable by their gods and people were made to occupy the skins to avoid confrontations and other disputes.
According to him, the reason why he seek the mandate of Ghanaians was not because he wanted power or to become just a president, but to serve the people and see to their better transformation of their socio-economic standard”. “It is not about who becomes the President but who can better do the work or serve the people of Ghana, so Chiefs must also accept the responsibility and serve their people with the truth and in humility”.
He was however confident that with the level of work executed across the 10 regions of Ghana by his government, there was no way Ghanaians would not renew his mandate to serve for another four years and even hand over the baton to another NDC president.
However, the Northern Regional Minister, Moses Bukari Mabengba an eleven page prepared speech informed the Chiefs and people about the various projects undertaken by the government with the last two years ranging from schools, health facilities, feeder roads, rural electrification, water and sanitation, agriculture, job creation and human empowerment among others.
In the area of education, he said, the government with the last two years had undertaken a total of 360 educational projects at the cost of over GH¢42,503,110.63 in the northern region. The projects include dormitories, libraries, classrooms, dining halls, administration blocks, staff bungalows, ICT centres and furniture among others for Senior and Junior High Schools.
The Minister noted that the NDC government had also made significant strides in the health sector of the region by renovating and expanding the Tamale Teaching Hospital at a cost of 43.9 million euros, 64 pick-ups and 580 motorbikes provided for district health directorates, built 5 polyclinics at Zabzugu, Karaga, Janga, Chereponi and Kpandai at the cost of 7 million euros and a number of other health facilities including CHIPS compounds and classrooms for health training institutions at the cost of GH¢813,777.39.
On the other hand, the President of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, Nayiri Na Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga commended the President Mills’ government for seeing the need to continuing and completing projects left behind by the previous government.
The Nayiri Na however, blamed the Judicial Committee of the House inability to dispose chieftaincy cases brought before it, on the refusal of lawyers and counsels to both complainants and defendants to appeal before the Committee for hearing.
He also urged the government to resource the Houses of Chiefs to function effectively to ensure peace in the region. The House of Chiefs President however appealed to the government to assist the House to put up a guest house to accommodate chiefs who come from far places for sitting.
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