Bolgatanga, Dec. 21, GNA - Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the weekend asked Ghanaians not to take the prevailing freedom under President Kufuor's administration for granted. He said they must endeavour to retain it by voting overwhelmingly for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Presidential Candidate of New Patriotic Party (NPP), in the December 28 run-off.

"Compared to those days when people lived in fear and were afraid to express their feelings freely, we have enjoyed total liberty, peace and stability during the past eight years, and that is more than anything else," he added.

Alhaji Mahama made the call when addressing a meeting of chiefs from Bolgatanga, Nangodi, Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) traditional areas in Bolgatanga, as part of a two-day working visit to the Upper East Region.

He said the eight-year period of NPP rule had also brought unprecedented prosperity during which all parts of the nation, including the Upper East Region, had witnessed a massive infrastructural development and significant improvements in education, health, agriculture and poverty-reduction.

On education, Alhaji Mahama said government had constructed not less than 50 school buildings in every district nationwide since 2001, thereby reducing the incidence of children having to walk long distances to attend school.

Vice President Alhaji Mahama said under the government's "model school" programme, facilities in Bolgatanga, Bawku, Navrongo, Zebilla and Sandema Senior High Schools had been expanded to bring those institutions at par with the best schools in the southern part of the country such as Mfantsipim and Achimota.

He said Government was upgrading Bolgatanga Regional Hospital to the status of a first-class referral centre, and Parliament recently approved a 12-million-dollar loan facility towards the project. "The introduction of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and free health care for pregnant women had also come as a great relief and boosted the health status of the ordinary Ghanaian." "Introduction of the Metro Mass Transport Service, School Feeding Programme, Capitation Grant, and free bus ride for school children has been hailed as effective poverty-reduction initiatives," Alhaji Aliu said.

He announced that Government intended to establish modern and bigger markets at Bolgatanga, Bawku, Navrongo, Bongo, and Sandema to give those places a face-lift, while Parliament had approved a 100-million-dollar credit facility to revamp agriculture in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.

Alhaji Mahama said these and other projects or programmes introduced by Government were not politically-motivated, but to cushion the people against hardship.

"I know that some people are saying they don't eat schools and roads, but if they are a bit patient we all shall begin to reap the benefits of these initiatives in the not too distant future," he added.

Alhaji Mahama said Government's development agenda for the northern sector, and the entire nation had not been completed and the only way they could ensure continuity of the agenda was to persuade the people in their communities to vote massively for the NPP during the December 28 Presidential run-off.

Naba Sigri Bewong, Paramount Chief of Sakote Traditional Area, who spoke on behalf of the chiefs, expressed appreciation to Alhaji Aliu for the meeting and sharing ideas with them. "All of us are witnesses to the developments under the NPP Government during the past eight years, and we are very grateful for that," he said.

Naba Bewong said they would reflect over the Vice President's message, and act appropriately. Five Paramount Chiefs and 28 Divisional Chiefs from the BONABOTO area attended the meeting.