Prioritise 'one million dollar per constituency' - Bawumia

Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged Members of Parliament (MPs) and District Chief Executives in the Tempane and Garu Districts of the Upper East Region to channel their “One Million Dollar per Constituency” to the provision of potable water.

He noted that the lack of potable water in most communities in the area was a concern to the government, saying “government is urging MPs and DCEs in the two Districts to prioritize the One Million Dollar per Constituency for 2020 to tackle this nagging problem.”

Dr Bawumia said potable water was the surest way to having healthy people, and everything must, therefore, be done to ensure its availability for the survival of the people, “I continue to encourage local authorities in this regard,” he added.

The Vice President said this in a speech read on his behalf by Alhaji Boniface Abubakari Sadiq, Minister of State at the Office of the Vice President and MP for Madina, at the 18th annual Danjuar festival of the Bimoba Chiefs and people in the two Districts held at Kpikpira.

The festival was on the theme, “Investing in Bimoba land; the role of government, Chiefs and stakeholders”.

It is celebrated yearly in remembrance of the origins of the people, thank God for a successful farming season, and seek divine intervention for better years ahead.

The celebration brought together the Chiefs of people of Kpikpira, Bawku, Bunkpurugu, Nakpanduri, Sankana among others to showcase the rich culture and tradition of the Bimoba people.

According to Dr Bawumia, the Bimoba communities in the Upper East and North East Regions were benefiting from over 15 dams under the “One Village, One Dam” initiative, “I am informed of very encouraging results from some of the dams. Videos in circulation show that these dams are serving their intended purpose.”

“The few that have structural and construction defects will be corrected as we strive to harvest water for dry season gardening and provide water for rural industries and animal consumption,” the Vice President said.

He assured the Chiefs and people of the area that government would do its best to ensure that they got their fair share of the national development package and noted that government could not do it all alone, but would need to collaborate with the private sector to transform sectors of the economy to benefit the people.

On his part, Naba Dazuur II, the Chief of Kpikpira Traditional area, appealed to government to speed up works on the Eastern Corridor roads to enhance investment in the Bimoba area because the long stretch of the road passed through Garu, Tempane, Nankpanduri and Yunyoo Districts.

He said the Bunkpurugu-Nankpanduri, Garu and Tempane Districts were rich in natural resources, and called on the government to revamp the Kwame Nkrumah Guesthouse in Nakpanduri.

He appealed for support from development partners of the District Assemblies, NGOs and businesses interested in investing in tourism to support para-gliding at the Nankpanduri Scarp and develop other areas of tourists interest such as the natural rock African map in Bunkpurugu, the Crocodile pond at Kpikpira and the wild fowls at Bempella.

Some Dignitaries at the festival included; Mr Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tempane Constituency who doubles as Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Solomon Namliit Boar, the North East Regional Minister and MP for Bunkpurugu Constituency.