Vice President Aliu Mahama has arrived in Bolgatanga to begin a three-day working visit of the Upper East Region. During a courtesy call on the Bolga-Naba, Martin Abilba III, the Vice President said the visit was in line with Government's policy of keeping in touch with the people at the grassroots.

He said in addition to interacting with the chiefs and people of the Region to know their concerns, the visit would also enable him to acquaint himself with various development projects being carried out in the area.

The Bolga-Naba commended the Vice President and his team for making time to visit the region in spite of their heavy work schedules, and said it was a gesture he and his people really appreciated.

He appealed to the Vice President to use his good offices to ensure the commencement of work on the Bolgatanga Airport project that was begun in 1990, but was abandoned for no known reason. Vice President Mahama later inspected the Bolgatanga old market, which is being reconstructed jointly by the World Bank, European Union (EU) and the Bolgatanga District Assembly.

The Vice President also inspected ongoing work at the Bolgatanga Central Lorry Park, the last of the World Bank's Urban-Three Projects in the Region, and urged the contractors engaged on the project to ensure they completed the work on schedule.

Vice President Mahama urged students to eschew all acts of indiscipline and to obey and respect their elders. He identified poverty as the greatest enemy of the people in the three Northern Regions, and challenged students in the region to go all out to fight it through the pursuit of high education.