By Caesar Abagali,
GNA
Nalerigu, (NR), July
22, GNA- President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Electoral
Commission (EC) to organise Referendum
this year for the creation of proposed six new regions.
The President
announced this at the weekend at Nalerigu during a durbar of chiefs and people
of the Mamprugu Traditional area as part of his three-day tour of the Northern
Region.
He said there were
substantial demand for the creation of new regions when he assumed office,
which he referred such demands to the Council of State to look into.
He mentioned the
proposed regions as Western North to be curved out of the Western region, Bono
East and Ahafo to be created out of the Brong Ahafo region, North East and
Savannah as well as the Oti region be separated from the Northern and the Volta
regions.
“Last Thursday
before I left Accra to begin the Northern tour, I wrote a letter to the
Electoral Commission (EC) asking them to
organise Referendum this year according to the recommendation of the Brobbey Commission
in the affected areas to determine whether the people really support the
creation of the proposed regions”, he said.
He hoped that the EC
would be able to organise the Referendum as soon as possible so that by
December this year the process of creating the proposed regions would be
completed.
The President,
however, indicated that before the regions would be created, 50 per cent of
eligible voters in the affected areas must turn out to vote, which 80 per cent
of the 50 per cent turn out must vote yes.
He said the creation
of new regions would improve the quality of governance in the country and would
bring governance closer to the people for socio-economic development.
Na Bohagu Mahami
Sheriga, the King of the Mamprugu Traditional Area commended the President for
the vision to create the North East Region, which would improve local
governance in the country.
He said the
government’s social intervention projects such as the planting for food and
Jobs, the one district, one dam, the free Senior High School programme among
others within the first year of the government was commendable.
He said the East
Mamprusi district had a lot iron ore deposits that must be explored through the
one district one factory policy to extract the minerals to give the country
more revenue.
Na Sheriga appealed
to President Akufo-Addo to also embark on infrastructural improvement
especially roads and educational projects for the area to befit its status.
The President also
made whistle stops at Bunkprugu, Yunyoo, Nankpanduri and Nabia where he assured
the people of his vision of transforming the country.
GNA