GOVERNMENT HAS ABANDONED RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT INITIATIVE – Mahama Ayariga
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has alleged that the current government, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has abandoned the Rural Electrification Project which was initiated by the NDC government to connect rural communities in the country to the national grid.
The lawmaker was speaking at the 30th Annual Samanpiid Festival in Bawku of the Upper East Region cautioned that, “Abandonment of this laudable project will certainly confirm government’s insensitivity to the rural folks,” He said.
The Samanpiid Festival is celebrated by the people of Bawku and communities under the Kusaug Kingdom annually to thank the ancestors for bumper harvest and peaceful coexistence.
Mr. Ayariga, who took his turn to address a mammoth crowd at the occasion, said electricity is essential to the life of every Ghanaian, and called on the Ministry of Energy and government to revive the Rural Electrification Project to enable many communities in the country get access to it.
According to him, the significant contribution of energy to the socio-economic development of the nation could not be underestimated, and that the rural setting also needed the electricity commodity for both domestic and commercial purposes.
The Legislator also used the occasion to remind government of the snail-paced construction of the Bolga-Bawku-Pulmakon road, challenging government to provide enough funding for the contractor to hasten the construction of the commercial road which has remained perilous and serves as a death-trap for nearly a decade.
The delay in the execution of the 150 Kilometer road project which started by the previous government, he said, was very worrisome and a major concern to travellers and businessmen and women.
Mr. Ayariga also appealed to government to intervene in the acute water challenge affecting the people of Bawku. Emphasising that many communities in the Municipality travel miles for protable drinking water, while the ‘weak’ competed with reptiles for water in the wells.
On the NPP numerous promises made to Ghanaians in the run-up to the 2016 elections, Mr. Ayariga indicated the NDC would continue to be a responsible opposition by keeping government on its right toes.
He charged government to materialize its pledge of implementing some pro-poor policies, including the ‘one village, one dam’ project, ‘one constituency, one million dollar project’, ‘planting for food and jobs policy’, among others to tackle the youth unemployment canker in the country.
The MP for the Garu Constituency, Albert Akuka Alalzuuga, commended the Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka and the Bawku Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee for their resolve to maintaining peace in the area, pledging that all five MPs from the Kusaug Kingdom would be committed to support sustain lasting peace in the area.
Meanwhile, MPs who hail from the Kusaug Kingdom donated an amount of five-thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc5000) to the Bawku Naba Education Endowment Fund.
Beachfmonline.com/Ghana
