Open letter to Upper West Regional Minister Dr Hafiz Bin Salih

My warmest greetings to you Sir, and accept my deepest and most sincere congratulations on your reappointment as the substantive minister for the Upper West Region.

Your ascension into the high office of Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), indubitably, means you are the father of all the eleven Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the region. Thus, you are the father of all the inhabitants of the region - women, men, children, young and old.

A popular Upper West adage has it that, one who rules a line is unable to tell if it is straight or otherwise but an observer does, which further cushions that, behind successful rulers are wise counsels. As a concerned citizen and youth of the region, I write to add to the many voices and plans which are waving at your ears and sliding into your files, that the development of the region is our overriding objective in this your second term of office.

Sir, in the realization of this objective, I respectfully implore you to put your ears to ground and listen to the core needs of the people, and act accordingly. Your office should be welcoming and approachable by all and not only a few privileged ones.

Your hard work and selfless commitment to duty, as evident in your first term, leaves me with no doubt that this second term would see much more improvement in the discharge of your duties, considering the experiences you added on, to the realization of the very developmental aspirations of this region. Same is what I say about the few skirmishes encountered.

Hon. Regional Minister, in expressing my congratulatory message to you, I leave you with the following recommendations for your kind consideration:

1. With your influence and authority, ensure the timely completion of all government projects in the region.

2. Work closely with the MDAs to ensure equitable access to basic social amenities such as water, healthcare, roads and education in all communities.

3. Collaborate swiftly with all appropriate quarters to curtail all forms of social vices (theft, armed robbery, teenage pregnancies, childhood marriages, etc) committed by and against the youth; children, women and other vulnerable groups of people.

4. Ensure the creation of job opportunities for the youth to enable them live meaningfully and contribute responsibly to society.

5. Through strategic interventions, ensure the development of a skilled human resource base of the region.

It is my strong belief that, when these are considered, it will inure to the benefit of all and put the region at a better pedestal towards sustainable growth and development, in today's highly competitive global space.

Once again, I congratulate you Sir and wish you diligence in the discharge of your duties in your capacity as the Upper West Regional Minister. May this tenure be blessed with Allah's guidance.

Respectfully,

Your son,

Youth and Development Advocate,

Ibrahim Aminu.