Tamale, Aug. 11, GNA - Residents in the Tamale Metropolis have expressed appreciation to President John Agyekum Kufuor for appointing Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface as minister responsible for Water Resources, Works and Housing and expressed hope that the minister would facilitate the completion of the Tamale water system. They said the expertise, wisdom and dynamism that Alhaji Boniface used in working out for the burial of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II when he was a minister of the region, should be brought to bare in finding lasting solution to the Tamale water problems to ensure that CAN 2008 became a success in the Region.

Speaking with the GNA in separate interviews at the weekend in Tamale, some of the residents said Alhaji Boniface used his humility to facilitate the peace process in Dagbon and development of the region, which residents in the region were now enjoying. They have, however, advised the new minister to dialogue with his predecessors, Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyeman and Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris to take far reaching measures to improve the overall water situation in the country.

Mr. Nyadia Sulemana, Senior Programmes Officer at the Regional Advisory Information Network Systems (RAINS) said the improvement and provision of water to all residents in the Metropolis and its environs was necessary due to the resurgence of the guinea worm in the region. He said though people in the Metropolis anticipated the reappointment of Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, the Northern Regional Minister to the sector to continue with where he left, "the president needed a commendation for appointing a son of the land into the ministry."

Mr. Bawa Nurudeen, Chief Executive Officer of Fadnu Foundation, a Tamale NGO said Alhaji Boniface would use his experience and influence for the contractors working on the Tamale water expansion project to speed up the work to end the perennial water problem. Madam Fati Alhassan, gender activist, said Alhaji Boniface was born with humility, which helps him to communicate well with people, irrespective of their ethnic, political and social backgrounds and expressed the hope that he would succeed in improving water and housing projects for workers in the Metropolis.

She said there was the need to educate residents on water usage so that they would change their attitude towards water wastage, adding that if the water system was improved children would have time to attend school instead of daily routine searching for water. Others advised the minister not to be complacent with his appointment and deviate from his duties and urged him to continue to offer same services that convinced the president to keep him in Cabinet. They called on the people of the region, irrespective of their political and ethnic affiliation to support him to succeed in his new appointment. 11 Aug 07