Northern Regional Minister outlines priority areas, calls for stakeholder support

The Northern Regional Minister Hon. Alhassan Shaini Shaibu at his first address to the Northern Regional Coordinating Council since his assumption of office outlined areas that need attention.

He calls on stakeholders to play their various roles.

“My expectation is that I will be given all the needed support and cooperation as Regional Minister so that, together we can achieve the mandate of the Council. Our collective role will ensure the efficient and effective day-to-day administration and management of the Northern Region,” he said.

He congratulated the newly appointed MMDCEs, as well as called on the outgoing MMDCEs to bring to bear their knowledge and expertise to help their successors deliver on the mandate of the NPP Government for the good of the citizens and for the nation as a whole.

EDUCATION

Hon. Shaibu speaking on education, lamented the poor performance of public schools in the Northern Region and reiterated his commitment to rallying stakeholders behind him to overcome this menace so as to build a better future for future generations.

“I have in conjunction with the Regional Director of Education, draw programmes for a Regional Education review for us all to brainstorm on the issues as state and importantly strategize to address them,” he added.

PEACE AND SECURITY

Hon. Shaibu noted that since his assumption of office, Northern Region has enjoyed relative peace, thus giving credit to the security agencies for their dedication and commitment in ensuring the peace and security of the region and, the professional manner with which they tackle issues that have the tendencies to disrupt peace and security across the Region.

He called on the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Security Councils as well as our Traditional Authorities to continue to monitor all security situations that have the potential of creating security challenges so that we can nib them.

HEALTH AND SANITATION

Hon. Shaibu touted “Operation Clean Northern Region” as a major practical approach to raising public interest to clean and keep our environments free of dirt. However, he expressed disappointment and recounts that the desired patronage has not been achieved as there is a declining trend in the participation by MMDAs.

He therefore, implored the Council to propose measures and strategies that will help sustain the worthy course of ensuring a clean region to boost economic activities and also help attract both domestic and foreign investors.

ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN

The minister express worry over the non-adherence to law and order on our roads by road-users in relation to the usage of tricycles for domestic and commercial purposes by minors, riding and driving without putting on safety wears, usage of unlicensed vehicles and motorbikes and, without drivers’ licenses and faulty street lights on major roads within the metropolis.

He raised concerns about darkness on the various road network at night which serves as operating grounds for thieves and armed robbers.

The minister who in August this year, held a joint engagement with officials from the National Road Safety Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the various security services and other stakeholders on how to bring an end to the above-enumerated problems, had a unanimous agreement at the said meeting that, the general public should be sensitized on these issues through the various media outlets before the strict enforcement and arrest of offenders.

He therefore, announce that the intended exercise will start soon. “We have done a lot of education on it and will still do more to prepare the minds of our people before we start the action. The Coordinating Council must therefore make concerted efforts in collaborating and seeking the support of our Traditional Authorities, Opinion Leaders, Security Agencies and other various Stakeholders to ensure that activities outlined to tackle this menace in the region is successful.”

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

The minister appealed to Council Members and other stakeholders to abide by all the protocols that were issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to avoid contracting this deadly virus.

He added that stakeholders should endeavor to sensitize the public to be vigilant of the virus and try as much as possible to observe all safety protocols.

He noted that the country has received a supply of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines and therefore, advised all those who missed AstraZeneca to endeavor to utilize the opportunity presented the second time to get vaccinated.

TAMALE INTERCHANGE

On the issue of the Tamale Interchange, he said work is progressing steadily and efforts are being made to ensure timely completion for traffic congestion within the Metropolis to return to normalcy.

He urged residence and road users to bear with the inconveniences caused by the project to ensure successful completion.

He assured the Council and the good people of the Northern region that monitoring and evaluation of all government projects would be scaled up by the RCC to ensure that projects are executed to specifications as well as completed within schedule.

He urged all Hon. MMDCEs, Hon. Presiding Members and MMDCEs to maintain commitments in ensuring the effective and efficient utilization of government resources to the benefit of the people they serve.