Over the past few months, one appointment I was eagerly awaiting was the appointment of the Northern Regional Minister to foresee the development of the region.

Northern Region is where I come from and because of that, I am always interested in the current affairs and happenings in the region.

It is no news that Northern Region has and continues to produce great people who have contributed their quota to this country’s development and as such whenever big names pop up from this region, it gives you a fair idea that they are destined for great things.

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu on his elevation as the Northern Regional Minister. It is a great opportunity for him to showcase his leadership skills in the bid to ensure progress of the region.

Mr. Shaibu is not a newbie in politics, as he previously served as campaign coordinator in 2007 for H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Former NPP Northern Regional Organizer and 2012 NPP parliamentary candidate for Mion. His predecessor, Hon. Salifu Saeed left him big shoes to fill up and I hope Mr. Shaibu will not heed to pressures from the party camp in Northern Region to do their bidding in steering the affairs of the region as this may lead to his downfall.

Since his assumption as Regional Minister in March 2021, I’ve been observing closely the current happenings in the region and how the new Regional Minister will solve them. One of these matters which has been of great interest to me is the indiscriminate sale of government property to party officials and faithful.

Over the past week, another issue that has gained my attention is the sale of the Tamale Timber Market to a private entity. The land which belongs to the forestry commission has been offered for sale to private developers while the operatives of the timber market have been given the notice to vacate the land.

This looks absurd because why would the Regional Lands Commission indiscriminately propose to sell a government land in such a manner that would affect the livelihoods of hundreds of people operating in this place.

I would like to use this platform to petition the Regional Minister, the Regional Lands Commissioner and all stakeholders involved to come to the aid of these individuals and reverse the sale of the land as well as a probe into the activities of the Regional Lands Commission.

Apart from this issue, numerous allegations have been made against government officials in the Northern Region for buying state-owned lands at a cheap price. This social canker is not actually the first of its kind, but we need to start from somewhere if we are going to put an end to this. I urge the CSOs as well as radio stations in the region to not be afraid and call out officials in the region who are involved in this act.

The careless nature of motorcyclists in tamale and the negative behaviours put up by teeming youth in the region should not be overlooked as well. Over the week, I watched an interview of one of the Regional Ministers on Peace FM where he promised to crack the whip on indiscipline motorists in his region.

I was not particularly moved by the whole interview because I felt most of these ministers come in with the full zeal to work but mid-way, they lose everything, but this past week has seen the minister trying to bring back order and sanity in his area of jurisdiction which made me impressed.

I urge the Northern Regional minister to follow suit and crack the whip on indiscipline motorists in the region. He should rise to the occasion and not be afraid of backlash and insults because we are going to be one hundred percent behind him.

The immediate past mayor of Tamale, Musah Superior had an agenda dubbed “the Tamale Project”, an initiative which was to bring sanity, discipline and peace in the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale.

I felt it was a laudable initiative, but he didn’t get the much-needed support he deserved from citizens of the Northern Region. It is my fervent prayer that the new Regional Minister will take up that task and continue the good work started by the former mayor.

The Regional Minister on his visit to the overlord of Dagbon, Ndan Ya Naa Abukari II made mention “we have seen peace for two years and I am here to sustain it, I am a Royal and it’s my duty to ensure that the image of the Kingdom is upheld and for this reason, I will work with the chiefs and opinion leaders in the region to make Dagbon even greater than it is today”.

I was particularly excited that Mr. Shaibu stands for peace because the northern region cannot afford to fall back in terms of development amongst its peers. Over the years, the RCC has dedicated so many resources, time, and effort in solving cases of chieftaincy dispute in various parts of the region.

I know it is the role of the government in ensuring peace but we as citizens of Dagbon should also do better, one can only imagine the development which would have happened in northern region if it was devoid of chieftaincy disputes over the past years. It is my expectation that Hon. Shaibu quickly resolves outstanding conflicts in liaison with the chiefs so that his tenure will not be based on settling disputes to the detriment of development in the region.

Indeed, I am of the hope that this new Regional Minister has a plan for the region and would not go about heaping praises upon himself when he has not done anything. The prayer is that Mr. Shaibu succeeds and makes Northern Region a beautiful place to live in and hope his impact is greatly felt, as the saying goes “leadership is about making others better because of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence”. In the meantime, I will be observing on the sidelines and offering constructive criticisms.