Loggu, Sept 24, GNA - Mr George Hikah Benson, Upper West Regional Minister has begun a tour of communities in the Region, preaching peace to the people towards the December seven elections. His first visit took him to Loggu, Manwe, Goripie and Bulenga, all in the Wa East District where he meat with community members and told them that politics was all about development not about fighting another. He therefore asked the people to sustain the prevailing peace in the Region and work hard to reduce poverty that had plagued them for long.

"Poverty is real with us, and we should get ourselves prepared and use education to eradicate it", he said. "It is better for us to be poor and live in peace and harmony than for us to be poor and live in war", Mr. Benson added. Mr Benson said people in the Region would be denying themselves and the youth a better future should they allow politics to divide them or fight among themselves and destroy the available human resource. He appealed to members of political parties to remain united and cooperate with the chiefs in the communities to resolve disputes and misunderstandings amicably. Mr Benson used the occasion to inaugurate a GH¢9,000 school block at Loggu and called on the people to send their children to school. He urged them to take good care of the facility for their children to benefit from it. Mr Benson also told the people to patronise the National Health Insurance Scheme to access health care at affordable cost.

At Manwe, the Regional Minister inaugurated the rural electrification project for the people and urged them to pay their bills regularly.

The Wa East District Assembly spent GH¢63,000 to purchase 200 low tension poles for the project that would benefit, Manwe, Loggu, Goripie and Bulenga communities. Mr Benson also inaugurated a GH¢41,000 school block for Goripie community whose school children hitherto were having classes under trees.

Also at Bulenga, Mr Benson inaugurated a GH¢38,000 police station built with funds from the Wa East District Assembly. He said the security of the people was of great concern for the government and appealed to members of the community to cooperate with the police to stem the high incidence of armed robbery. The Bulenga-Naa, Chief Soadu Adamoah appealed to the government to create a new district from the Wa East District for rapid development of the area.

In all, the four communities that Mr Benson visited complained about the washing away of their dams and the deplorable conditions of roads in the District.