¢20m For North East Region Is Insufficient—Yidana Zakaria

The spokesperson for the Nayiri, Yidana Zakaria argues that the President’s ¢20 million seed money to address developmental challenges in the newly created North East region is a drop in the ocean.

He says although choosing Nalerigu as the region’s capital gives them great joy, the fund allocated to them is inadequate to solve the many problems that confront the region.

“When you drop a pebble in an ocean, you will not make any significant improvement in the quantum of water in that ocean so to the extent that the North East region is one of the most deprived in the country where education is nothing to write home about, health delivery is a big challenge, road networks are nothing good to talk about

“In the midst of all these challenges, one can understand that ¢20 million, though an appreciable amount, to the extent that people have their expectations, the money cannot address those needs,” he said in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday announced the selection of Nalerigu as the regional capital for North East.

He also announced Damongo as the capital for the newly created Savannah region.

President Akufo-Addo made these announcements at the Jubilee House in Accra during a ceremony to present the Constitutional Instruments (C.I 116) to give effect to the creation of the North East and Savannah regions.

The two regions, together with – Oti, Bono East, Ahafo and Western North – were created following a successful referendum last year.

But while the president prepares to hold another ceremony on Wednesday , February 13 to complete the creation of the Bono East and Ahafo regions and the Western North and Oti regions on February 15, the Nayiri and his people are not entirely impressed with the money they have been allocated.

“I have said on many platforms that if you were to put together all the common funds for all the six new regions for two years, you will not get ¢20 million so to get that amount at one go will give us a head start.

“But it is just to let people know that they need to be measured in their expectations,” the spokesperson added.

—Myjoyonline