Northerners not violent people – President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday stated that the only way Northern Ghana could speed up its pace of development was through the firm establishment of peace and stability in the areas.

“I will therefore like to appeal to you chiefs, who are the custodians of the areas to maintain peace and stability that would bring development and encourage investors from the country and beyond to invest in the region to create more jobs,” he added.

President Mahama stated this when members of the Northern Region House of Chiefs called on him at the Flagstaff House, Kanda.

The chiefs were at the presidency to congratulate President Mahama for his victory in the 2012 general election and his subsequent coronation as the President of the Republic.

President Mahama said the perception that people in the Northern Region were violent and troublesome was unacceptable and there was the need for the chiefs to work hard to erase that notion, since people from northern region were decent and respectful.

The President who, was apparently denouncing chieftaincy conflicts in the region, advised them to channel their energies towards the enhancement of development projects, rather than engaging in fruitless ventures that could only bring misery and destruction.

“Government on our part will continue to provide development projects such as education and health facilities, and it is only when there is peace and stability that such projects could be executed to promote your rights and development agenda”, he added.

He said Savannah Accelerated Development Authority had already embarked on some massive projects, and government would continue to empower them to execute the projects to bring the masses out of abject poverty.

Nayiri Na Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, President of the Northern region House of Chiefs appealed to government to post teachers and health workers to the remote areas of the region, since their absence was impacting negatively on the development of the people.

He also appealed to government to work on their roads to enable them to evacuate food produce from the rural areas to marketing centres.

Source: GNA