Hashmin Mohammed, Press Secretary to the Minister of Education, described Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, as the only politician from Dagbon, aside from former Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who has projected the region to the world.

According to Mohammed, Iddrisu has brought respect and recognition to Dagbon through his political career.

“Apart from former Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, no politician from Dagbon has risen in politics like Haruna Iddrisu. He has served as Communications Minister, Trade Minister, Labour Minister and Minority Leader, and has left his mark in all these roles,” he said.

He noted that Iddrisu had been promoting Dagbon since his university days, before becoming a Member of Parliament.

“Since Haruna Iddrisu’s days at university, Dagbon was already benefiting from his generosity, including extra classes for students and other projects,” he said.

Mohammed also said Iddrisu was the first politician in Dagbon to introduce regular weekend engagements with constituents at the constituency level.

“Before 1992, you could not easily access your MP. But after Haruna Iddrisu entered politics, he introduced regular engagements with constituents. Today, everybody knows where to find him on weekends,” he said.

Responding to claims that the Education Minister does not make himself available for interviews, Mr Mohammed said meeting constituents in person was an important form of accountability.

“No access is better than sitting in front of your constituents, telling them what you have done and how far you have gone in addressing the challenges they raised, and giving them a real opportunity to ask questions,” he said.