Nadowli (U/W), Jan. 9, GNA- Mr Sahanun Mogtari, Upper West Regional Minister on Thursday cautioned the media houses especially radio stations to be circumspect in their presentations and utterances since malicious write-ups could put them into trouble.

"In the last three years, the government was able to strike out the age-long criminal libel law which did not only suppress press freedom, but threw media men behind bars, but that does not mean they can publish anything without cross-checking."

Mr Mogtari, who was addressing the Nadowli District Assembly People's Assembly said although the liberation of the airwaves was to boost democratic governance, some of the presentations and write-ups were undesirable.

The Regional Minister who talked on a wide-range of issues in the region called on traditional rulers to seek to fill all the vacant paramount seats in the region to speed up development in the region. He enumerated land, chieftaincy and religious conflicts as the major factors militating against the development of the region and called on all stakeholders to co-operate to eliminate the canker. On the 2004 general elections, Mr Mogtari urged the people not to allow their political ambitions to override the development of the region.

"There is the need for us to urge everyone to uphold peace in the coming electioneering campaign and the general elections. We must not allow our desire in party politics to over-ride the need for peace at all times," he said.

The Regional Minister announced that beginning from this year, every district assembly would receive 630 million cedis annually for poverty reduction programmes for the next five years.

Mrs Pauline Ningkpeng, Nadowli District Chief Executive said the European Union (EU) and HIPC fund helped in the provision of health facilities, schools and water facilities and called on the people to embrace communal labour to support the programmes.

She said 300 women farmers received 150 million cedis from the Women Development Fund, which was distributed by the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs while 35 farmers were given 35 million cedis as poverty alleviation fund (PAF).

Mrs Ningkpeng commended all stakeholders in the region for assisting them in the provision of developmental projects for the past three years.