Gurugu (N/R), April 9, GNA - Mr Boniface Gambila, Upper East Regional Minister, has appealed to the Farafara Community in the Northern Region to live peacefully with the chiefs and landowners in their communities.

He urged them to accord them all the necessary respect and obey all that tradition and custom demanded, saying, "This should not be difficult for you because as Northerners, we have similar traditions and as such, we must pay homage to our landlords the same way we do back home".

Mr Gambila said this when he opened a nine-million-cedi wardroom, built by the Bonaboto (Farafara) Association for the Sheikina Clinic in Gurugu on Saturday.

Bonaboto, which is an association comprising citizens of Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo, literally means, "Go and look for and bring back home".

Dr David Abdulai established the Sheikinah Clinic 14 years ago to cater for the medical needs of the mentally ill and deprived in the communities, who had no one to take care of them. The Clinic depends on charity and free medical care given by Dr Abdulai and his wife.

Mr Gambila said as "Ambassadors of Farafara's, Bonaboto should exhibit the qualities of good neighbourliness" and also contribute to the development of the communities in which the live.

He also appealed to the landlords to provide the necessary leadership and enabling environment that would allow other tribes to live amongst them without any misunderstanding.

He appealed to the Bonaboto Association to educate their membership on the need to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable them access the benefits of the scheme and urged well to do members of the Association to help pay the premium for the less privileged members of their families.

Mr Gambila advised the Association to contribute to buy a tractor to undertake farming activities, which would enable them, raise funds to undertake more development projects for the benefit of their communities.

Mr Ben Anamoh, the Northern Region Branch Chairman of the Bonaboto Association appealed to district assemblies and other philanthropist to assist purchase drugs for the Sheikinah Clinic.

He said apart from carrying out development projects, the Association was also educating its members and the community on their civic responsibilities, as well as on HIV/AIDS, the Bird Flu and skills in entrepreneurship development.

Mr Anamoh commended Dr Abdulai for rendering selfless service to the marginalized and less privileged in society and called on other well-meaning people to emulate his example in the service of love. Dr Seidu Korkor, Northern Regional Deputy Director of GHS also commended his colleague, Dr Abdulai for his foresight in establishing the clinic and said there was the need to take certain measures to ensure its sustainability, when donor support for the facility ran out. He, therefore, appealed to individuals and organisations to come to the assistance of the Sheikinah Clinic and said one way the facility could also be supported was for people, who had their relatives as inmates there to register with the NHIS, so that they could benefit. Dr Abdulai said the establishment of the Clinic was a challenge to people to demonstrate the power of love to the less privileged in society, saying, "Human dignity is the precious gift of God, while wealth and status in society were variables that are perishable". He, therefore, appealed to society to learn to show a little love and respect for the less privileged.