By Philip Tengzu/ Mohammed Balu
Tumu, (UW/R), Oct 12, GNA-Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President has assured the Tumu Traditional Council and its residents of government’s commitment to complete the Wa -Tumu-Chuchuliga Road in the Upper West region before 2024.
He said citizens’ access to good roads was a major priority to government and that government was working hard to provide the needed resources and planning including payment of contractors to help complete major roads in the country including the Wa -Tumu-Chuchuliga Road.
“I will find it difficult to come here if the roads are not done by 2024” he added.
The Vice President who made the commitment to Tumu as part of his tour to the five regions of the north to assess the major progress of work on government implemented projects in the area.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia , who paid a courtesy call to the Paramount Chief of the Tumu traditional area acknowledged the fact that some contractors on site had not received the needed money to commence and complete the roads but assured that the government was concerned about the issues and working hard to resolve them.
“The Wa -Tumu-Chuchuliga Road is the most important road in the Upper West region that needs to be done, and there are five contractors on the stretch, and I have just been briefed and it’s only one out of the five, who is on-site. I am told the problem is payment, we would need dedicated funding for the road, and it is a major issue for all of us.
“We are taking it seriously as we have a major input into trying to get these contractors paid for the roads to be done, it’s a major issue and we are going to try so that we improve the transport of our people”, he said.
Dr Bawumia, speaking on the recent security issues in the region, said government was forming additional Police Unit in Tumu and Gwollu with Vehicles and motorbikes to help enhance security, adding that “Nabulo will soon get a new Police station through the Municipal assembly.”
He said procurement for the provision of a new water system for the Sissala East municipality had also begun through the effort of the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku.
“Our concern in government is for the development of the people and our communities and since we have been in office our policies have been geared towards improving the lives and livelihood of the people .
“Our implemented policies like the Free Senior High School have increased access to education, particularly in the North. He said, “One of the biggest challenges in the North is the access to education and that is why the government implemented the Free Senior High school education to allow the people to benefit,” he said.
He said government was also paying attention to Technical and vocational education with the establishment of the Technical Education Service with investment in the state-of-the-art infrastructure, the retooling of infrastructure and equipment where St Clares Vocational Institute in Tumu had made technical education free.
Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton vi, the Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional area commended the government for the support it had given to the municipality so far.
He, however, drew the government’s attention to some of the growing challenges in the area adding that “there is a growing perception among my people that successive governments including your government had neglected them in terms of road infrastructure in both the region and the nation at large.
This perception became rife when recently there was news about the entire Sissala area left out of a €35 million EU funded 670 kilometres farm access roads in Upper West Region”.
He said the Sissala area was one of the largest farming areas in the region and therefore, urged government to as part of its promise before 2024 to prioritise the completion of the major road projects with the area including the only major trunk road linking Upper East and Upper West, which passes through the Sissala districts, that is the Bolgatanga-Tumu-Wa Road.
“The bad nature of the Tumu town roads continues to be an albatross on the neck of road users as nothing has been done yet to give the new Municipality its true status.
“As for the feeder roads linking our communities, the less said about them, the better” he said.
The Vice President was joined on the visit by the minister of interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, the Upper West regional minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih and other high-ranking members of the government.
GNA