DON'T INDULGE IN PARTISAN POLITICS (PAGE 23)

THE Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, has cautioned staff of the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) against any involvement in partisan politics.
At a maiden meeting with them in Bolgatanga, Mr Woyongo, while recognising the right of the staff to share in the views of any political party, warned that that should not be at the expense of the good of the council.
“You must always realise that as civil servants your primary duty is to serve the government of the day," he said.
Also present at the meeting were staff of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
Outlining his vision for the region, he identified the promotion of peace, unity and development as the pillars around which his administration would revolve and entreated the staff to support him in that endeavour.
He, therefore, called for punctuality, hard work and dedication to duty on the part of staff of the RCC in particular.
“I consider you as my immediate family. If I succeed, the credit will not come to me alone but the entire RCC,” he said.
Mr Woyongo, who has worked in the Civil Service for 38 years, 21 of which he spent in the region, said he had the issues of the region at his fingertips and appealed for co-operation and support from the staff of the RCC to effectively implement government policies.
He urged the staff to observe the basic rules of environmental cleanliness at their workplaces and also take good care of government property.
He also charged drivers at the RCC to ensure the regular maintenance of the vehicles entrusted to their care and refrain from drunkenness while on duty.
He bemoaned the fact that although the region had abundant natural resources such as granite, gold, clay deposits in the Talensi-Nabdam District and a large quantity of shea-nuts, none had been effectively exploited and promised to lead the region in attracting investors to the area.
“If we are able to develop these resources, we will be putting money in the pockets of the people and create several employment opportunities for them,” he said.
He announced that as part of plans towards the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the region, he intended creating a website to market the region’s resources to the international community with the aim of attracting foreign investors to create jobs in the region.
“That way, nobody will be encouraged to take a gun and fight at the least provocation. It will also lead to a reduction in the craze among the youth for migration to the south in search for menial jobs,” he added.
He also spoke about the establishment of the Savanna Agricultural Development Authority and the Shea-nut Development Board to market shea-nuts, which he described as the “cocoa of the north”.
Mr Samuel N'lary, the Chief Director at the RCC, urged the workers to support the new regional minister to achieve his vision for the region.