President Mills meets with Regent of Dagbon

Yendi (N/R), April 29, GNA - The Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuyana Abdul= ai Yakubu Andani, has expressed confidence in the efforts of the President, Professor John Atta Mills to finding justice to the people of the Dagbon Kingdom. At a durbar organized by the Dagbon Kingdom at the forecourt of the Gbewa Palace at Yendi in honour of the President on Thursday, Kampakuyana Abdulai Yakubu Andani told President Mills that 93I take courage in your renewed commitment to finding lasting solution to the Dagbon issue," addi= ng this had restored hope and peace among the people of Dagbon.

The Regent said the President's expression of disappointment and frustration at a recent Fast Track High Court's ruling that acquitted and discharged suspects standing trial for the March 2002 murder of Ya Na Yakub= u Andani II, Overlord of Dagbon, was an encouragement to the people of Dagbon that the government was committed walking the talk on the Dagbon issue. He, therefore, pledged his support to the President, and the governmen= t as it explored available legitimate avenues to finding justice to the peopl= e of Dagbon.

He also said the people of Dagbon were for peace and would continue to be guided by the dictates of the Rule of Law. Kampakuyana Abdulai Yakubu Andani also spoke about the development challenges of the area and welcomed the implementation of the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority, which he said would open up the area for development.

He said the Dagbon area is endowed with many resources and appealed to the President to implement interventions that would revive some collapsed industries in the area to offer jobs to the people and to stem the tide of the mass exodus of indigenes of the area to other parts of the country in search of greener pastures.

In his address, President Mills pleaded with the people of Dagbon for patience, unity and support in efforts at bringing justice to Dagbon. He assured all who felt discouraged and dispirited at the ruling of th= e court to have faith, saying the end was near. He said the Dagbon issue was not for only the people of Dagbon but it concerned all and called for a collective effort to resolving it. President Mills later held a closed-door meeting with the Regent in hi= s Palace. The President later proceeded to inspect a one-storey six units GETFun= d school project at Dagbon State Senior High School and cut sod for work to b= e begin on a six-unit classroom project at the Yendi Senior High. He also addressed durbars of chiefs and people of Zabzugu and Saboba i= n the Zabzugu, and Saboba districts respectively and inspected a hospital project and on-going dormitory block project at EP Senior High School and cut sod for a Community Development Project at Saboba.