Sakote (UE), Nov 5, GNA - The chiefs and People of Kongo, Nangodi, and Sakoti in the Upper East Region have commended the government for introducing a number of pro-poor policies that had helped bring development to their communities.

The Paramount Chief of the Sakoti Traditional Area, Naba Sigri Bewong, the chiefs of Kongo and Nangodi, Naba Daniel Dok-Dong and Naba Kofi Bagnaba respectively, made the commendation when the running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr Mohamudu Bawumia paid courtesy calls on them on Tuesday.

The Chiefs mentioned the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Metro Mass Transport system, Capitation Grants, School Feeding Programme among others, and said those policies had helped ameliorate the suffering of the people in the area.

The Sakote Naba thanked the Government for listening to his appeal for electricity for the area and that work on the project had commenced. He also commended the government for the construction of roads in the area, especially the Sakote-Binaba road and appealed for the quick completion of the road to facilitate the movement of goods and services. Naba Bewong also appealed to Government to help construct a dam in the Sakote traditional area, since the only dam that was constructed during the erstwhile NDC administration had collapsed. He indicated that a lot of livestock, especially cattle died during the peak of the lean season as a result of the lack of drinking water. The paramount chief also commended the NPP leadership for making Dr Bawumia the party's vice-presidential candidate, and said the candidate was a young man endowed with capabilities that could be tapped for the total development of the nation.

He congratulated Dr. Bawumia on his selection as running mate, and urged him to emulate the good deeds of his late father, who contributed significantly to the development of the North and the nation as a whole. On the forthcoming election, the paramount chief indicated that he had been preaching messages of peace and holding meetings with the various political parties in his area to ensure that the forthcoming elections would be peaceful.

Dr Bawumia thanked the chiefs for welcoming him and asked for their support, saying the NPP Government would create more pro-poor policies including a Northern Development Fund, free secondary education, the establishment of a sheanut Industry, revamping of the meat factory in the Region, among others. Mr. Alhassan Samari, Upper East Regional Minister, told the paramount chief of the Sakote Traditional Area that a contract had been signed to create more dams in the Region, of which his traditional area was included. Dr. Bawumia and his entourage also visited the Paramount Chiefs of the Tongo and the Bongo Traditional Areas. Tong-rana Naba Sabalug-Nemalteng and Bo-Naba Baba Salifu Alemyarum respectively pledged their support for him. Dr Bawumia later held separate rallies at Pelungu and Pusu-Namongo, near Bolgatanga and later on addressed Students of the Kongo Senior High School at Kongo where he admonished the students to take their studies seriously to enable them to become responsible citizens.