Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister has urged Ghanaians to be apostles of peace during this year’s elections to guarantee development.

He therefore called on politicians, political party supporters, traditional rulers and religious leaders as well as other persons not to engage in any acts that would jeopardize the prevailing peace in the country.

“Ghanaians are one people and we must not allow politics to pitch us against each other as enemies. Everyone should be allowed to campaign freely and put across his or her ideas to the electorate to determine where to put their vote”, he said.

Alhaji Sulemana was speaking at this year’s "Paari Gbielle" Festival of the chiefs and people of the Tumu Traditional Area in Tumu on Saturday which was on the theme: “Promoting a peaceful 2012 general elections for national development: A collective responsibility”.

He advised the youth who he described as the most vulnerable not to allow themselves to be used for any acts that would mar the peace of the country.

He noted that poverty had been a major challenge to the effort of development and that government was fully committed to continue to increase policies and programmes that would help change the living conditions of the people.

Government was revamping the cotton and sheanut industries and as well modernizing agriculture to boost productivity and improve the incomes of the people.

Alhaji Sulemana announced that work was ongoing on the tarring of the Wa-Hain road and Navrongo-Banu road; the completion of these roads would help ease traveling between the two sister regions.

On education, Alhaji Sulemana said government was providing science laboratories, dinning halls, classroom blocks and dormitory blocks to senior high schools to improve the infrastructure levels and enhance teaching and learning.

He however bemoaned the poor results at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) and called for concerted action to address the situation.

“The responsibility is not only on government and education authorities but also on teachers, parents, pupils and the entire community”, he said.

The festival was characterized by praise singing, drumming and dancing, cultural display and red iron licking, musketry, and the famous of all the chewing of life dog and a goat.

Alhaji Sulemana later led a delegation, comprising Mr. Alexander Asum-Ahensah, a representative of President John Atta Mills at the Festival, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Executives and supporters to the Tumu Kuoro’s Palace to sympathise with the Kanton family on the death of Mary Jia Kanton, a former President of the Upper West Regional Branch of the 31st December Women's Movement and staunch supporter of the NDC.

Alhaji Sulemana appealed to the family to inform the President about the death of Mary Jia while details and other funeral arrangements were also made known to the NDC National Secretariat.