Akyem-Awenare, March 25, GNA- The Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has described the newly-created Atiwa District as the "World Bank" of the NPP based on the trends of overwhelming electoral support the party consistently obtained in the past decade of elections. Alhaji Mahama made the observation at Akyem Awenare on Wednesday, when he cut the sod for the beginning of work on the second phase of the rehabilitation and tarring of the 12-kilometre Kwabeng-Banso road which is expected to cost over 10 billion cedis as part of his one-day working tour of the newly created Atiwa District.
The first phase of the project, a six-kilometre Kwabeng-Akyem Awenare road, was completed at the cost of over five billion cedis. As part of the tour, Alhaji Mahama also inaugurated a 200-million-cedi three-classroom block for the Anyinam Islamic Primary School, the 496-million- cedi hostel for the Kwabeng Anglican Secondary Technical School and the completed Self-Help Electrification Projects(SHEP)at Bomaah and Akyem Tumfa.
Addressing separate durbars, he stated that the number of development projects that the government had implemented in the area within the first three years of the President Kufuor administration was not enough, saying the people "deserved more to compensate you for the deprivation you have suffered over the years under various governments of the country because of your support for the UP tradition."
Alhaji Mahama assured the people that the Government of President Kufour had designed a systematic way to ensure that the Kwabeng-Banso road is rehabilitated further beyond Banso to the end of the district. He said once a new district had been created for the area, more money would be released for further development.
At Akyem-Tumfa, Vice President Mahama observed that the enthusiastic receptions that he and his entourage had been receiving from the people in the various communities during the tour was a clear demonstration to him that Ghanaians really appreciate the development that the Government had provided them within the three years that it had been in office.
"From what I have seen today, I can confidently say that the NPP is in-charge and when I go back to Accra, I am going to report to the President that the deal is done," he declared.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, described the NPP Gorvernment as "a development-oriented government that dreams only of how to develop the country."
He said the NPP government had come to "fight and kill poverty" in the country and called on the people to massively register in their numbers and even "carry those whose legs are broken" to the registration centres to register.
Barimah Kwaku Kyei III, Bansohene, called for the rehabilitation of the Kwabeng-Banso road to be extended to Kade to enable the people in the area to trade with their relations in the Kwaebibirim District.
He called for the establishment of a Senior Secondary School in the area because apart from the Kwabeng Anglican Secondary Technical School(SSS), there is no other second-cycle institution in the area.
Barimah Kyei said the area had been denied development projects under various governments because of their support for the UP tradition and called on the government to help develop the area so that in future, the youth of the area would always remember what they benefited under a UP government of their time.