Minister says Upper East @ 50 celebration is legitimate

Accra, June 23, GNA- Mr Mark Woyongo, the Upper East Regional Minister, has said the 50th anniversary celebration of the Upper East Region was legitimate despite the split of the defunct Upper Region into Upper West and Upper East in 1983.

He said the then Upper Region was promulgated in July 1, 1960 and argued that since the emerged Upper East Region maintained Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper region, it was right for the celebration to be effected.

Mr Wayongo, who was addressing Parliament during question time, said the issue of celebrating the 50th anniversary came up at one of their meetings with the Municipal District Chief Executives and Regional Heads of departments.

"The celebration of the event was meant to showcase the region's s= ocio economic potentials with the view of attracting investors that will help th= e region which is considered the most deprived in the country," he said. He said he wrote to the Office of the President seeking permission to celebrate the event and was granted. Mr Wayongo said he consulted the Upper West Regional Parliamentary Caucus on the matter and they were to help reach out to people in Accra especially donors and prospective investors. The Upper East parliamentary caucus he noted supported the programme i= n diverse ways including financial contribution.

Asked whether he would be able to give cost details of the celebration= , he said he would prepare and present to the House a comprehensive expense including all that were received both in cash and kind to the House. The Upper West Region which was created in July 1, 1960 was split in 1983 into Upper East and Upper West regions with their capital as Bolgatang= a and Wa respectively.

The question which stood in the name of Mr Joseph Kofi Adda member for Navrongo Central wanted to know whether the celebration held at Bolgatanga dubbed 93Upper East @ 50" was a celebration to mark the creation of the Upper East as a region or the creation of the former Upper region which comprised the creation of Upper East and Upper West regions.