The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama has assured the people of Yendi of massive infrastructural development if he is elected into power in the December polls.
Mr Mahama made the assurance when he paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Dagbon Royal Kingdom, Ya-Naa Abubakar Mahama at his palace on Thursday, 26 November 2020 as part of his campaign tour of the Northern Region.
He was unhappy that the NPP government has failed to continue the projects that were initiated by the NDC government before leaving office.
He said the NPP had come to be known as talking louder than they act, hence, abandoning those projects.
“NDC, we’re not strangers here. NDC is known in Yendi for development. When we were in office, we connected a lot of communities to the national grid, we built a lot of CHPS compounds, about 14 CHPS compounds. Since we left office four years ago, only one CHPS compound has been built in the Yendi District.
“My father the Overlord, you remember that we were working on the famous Eastern Corridor road and that is a road that is important to the kingdom of Dagbon because it opens up the route along the Eastern Corridor all the way to Tema in the Greater Accra region. Since we left office, that project has been abandoned for the last four years. A lot of young people were employed by the contractor and so they had work to do,” the former president said.
He intimated that under the ‘Big Push’, the Eastern Corridor road, among other infrastructural priorities, will be completed.
“Today that project has come to a standstill and the Eastern Corridor road has deteriorated beyond what it was in the past. We have a programme for it. We call it the Big Push.
“And I want to assure you that we’re going to invest $10 billion in social and economic infrastructure over the next five years and we have captured the Eastern Corridor road as one of the number one priorities for completion when a new NDC government comes into office,” he said.
Mr Mahama was hopeful that the NDC would win the December 7 general elections to demonstrate to the Royal Kingdom that, it is full of action than talking by providing for the needs of Yendi kingdom.
Minority leader and the Member of Parliament for Tamale South constituency, Haruna Iddrisu also assured that, under the presidency of Mr Mahama, “the letter and spirit of the Supreme Court ruling on Dagbon would be implemented to the latter in dignity and honour”.
“We know without fear of contradiction that some decisions you have taken as the Overlord of Dagbon, the state has let you down. I’m saying it. The state has let you down.
“John Dramani Mahama will not let you down from the 7th of January, he will partner you to keep the unity of Dagbon but he will not ever question the legitimacy and authority of your mandate and power of Ya-Naa and the Overlord of Dagbon,” he noted.
The Paramount Chief of the Dagbon Royal Kingdom, Ya-Naa Abubakar Mahama expressed his joy for the visit by the former President and wished him well.