Deputy Speaker of Parliament appeals for bus for RTU

Tamale, May 15, GNA - Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Alhaji Saddique Abubakar Boniface, Northern Regional Minister have appealed to the Iranian government to help Real Tamale United (RTU) Football Club to acquire a new bus to facilitate their movement to and from league centres to honour their matches. The two ministers made the appeal at a passing out ceremony of 625 skilled trained personnel of the Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD) Training centre in Tamale on Saturday.

The Islamic Republic of Iran under its Agricultural and Rural Development (ARD) program organized the occasion, which the 625 graduates made up of 300 girls and 325 boys received certificates and sewing machines, carpentry tools, beehives and electrical equipment at a cost of 1.5 billion cedis.

Alhaji Yakubu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Yendi said it was sad that RTU being the only Premiership Club in the Northern sector has not got the necessary support and was suffering with he problems of transportation and stressed the need for the Iranian Ambassador to try as much as possible to come to the aid of the Club.

The Deputy Speaker said he felt disturbed when the players and supporters of the Club appealed for a bus when he accompanied the Regional Minister, Alhaji Boniface to watch a match between RTU and AshGold last Sunday at the Kaladan Park.

Alhaji Boniface said RTU was the only team in the Premiership in the Northern sector to have qualified into the league since 1976 and have weathered the storm to stay in contention to this day.

He said RTU also produced the best footballer ever to emerge in Africa in the person of Abedi Ayew Pele as well as Abuga Pele, now a Member of Parliament and other noted players as Mohammed Choo, Mohammed Gargo Mumuni Gamel and others and therefore called for the needed assistance to help the Club to grow.

The Iranian Ambassador to Ghana, Ambassador Valiyollah Mohammedi in an interview with the GNA sports after the programme said he would team up with the Iranian Consulate in Ghana to see to areas of assisting the Club.