Politics of Monday, 22 October 2012

Source: GNA

VP Amissah-Arthur ends tour of the Upper East Region

Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah –Arthur at the weekend concluded a tour of the Upper East Region, glad for psyching up traditional rulers and the electorate to partner Government more to expand development in the area.

He reminded Ghanaians on the need to keep the peace of the nation and not to do anything that would bring the nation’s next December general elections into disrepute since resultant conflicts would negatively affect the nation’s socio-economic development.

He however said the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), on whose ticket he was partnering President John Dramani Mahama as running mate, has better development strategies, and urged the electorate to renew the mandate of the party to meet their aspirations adequately captured in Government’s Better Ghana programme.

Under the programme, which started under the late President John Evans Atta Mills, the NDC has been empowered by the majority of the electorate to deliver on job creation, transparency and accountability in governance, and creating opportunities for all.

While appealing to traditional and religious leaders to continue to pray for peaceful elections, Vice President Amissah-Arthur urged the enthusiasts and the faithful to come out and campaign massively to ensure a resounding one-touch victory to the party.

“Come out and vote massively for the NDC Flagbearer President John Dramani Mahama, who is Number One on the ballot paper and the NDC aspiring Members of Parliament on Election Day, December 7, 2012,”

Vice President Amissah-Arthur had paid a courtesy on the Paramount Chief of the Bolgatanga, Bolga Naba Nabi Martin Abilba, at his palace.

The Vice President praised traditional rulers and religious leaders for their wisdom and prayers for a successful conduct of the December polls.

“I have come to take inspiration from traditional rulers and religious leaders,” Vice President Amissah-Arthur said.

The tour, which had taken him to the Upper West Region for the first two days was to listen to the concerns of the chiefs and people and to afford the Vice President the opportunity to introduce himself since his assumption to that position in August 2012. He was the Governor of the Bank of Ghana.

He arrived from the Upper West Region, where he commissioned several completed projects started from within the last three years under the Mills Administration, to a reception of a large crowd at the palace at Nakon , his first point of call in the Upper East Region.

Banapeh Afagachie II, the Nakonper, who is the Paramount Chief of the Nakon Traditional Area, praised the NDC as a Government known for being a leader in the provision of development projects.

He advised politicians to be civil and avoid harsh words in the electioneering campaign.

He appealed to the Government to improve the road network in the area, provision of potable water and a police station, equipped with vehicles to stem the tide of highway robbery on the road from Tumu to Nakon.

At Chiana, the Paramount Chief, Chianapeh Thomas Ditundini Adiali, described the community as a stronghold of the NDC and praised the Government of the then Provisional National Defence Council, the forerunner of the NDC, for making the late Paramount Chief Pe Rowland Ayagyitam serve as Speaker of the Consultative Assembly that reviewed the draft 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

The people, wearing NDC paraphernalia in the colours of red, black, green and white, milled through the dark and listen to the Vice President announce Government’s interventions meant to improve on their lives.

Chianapeh Adiali appealed to the Government to improve the state of the roads, provide logistic support for the boarding school in the area, upgrading of the health centre there into a polytechnic, an ambulance and improvement in the water distribution system for irrigation farming.

The Vice President also interacted with the Chief of Chuchuliga, and the people and addressed members of the Tertiary Education Network of the NDC at the Navrongo campus of the University for Development Studies.

Vice President Amissah -Arthur continues with the last leg of the five-day tour to the Northern Region