The Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale, Sule Salifu, has admonished the media to educate the people of Tamale about their obligations to pay taxes for development to thrive in the northern regional capital.
The Mayor stated politicians and opinion leaders in the area must allow the assembly to work, asserting that, “they are our fathers, sometimes they will call and you have no option than to listen to them.”
In view of this, Mr. Sule Salifu noted the media must begin to conscientize the public that without taxes the assembly cannot do any major activity.
The Tamale Chief Executive made the plea when he addressed Journalists in Tamale last Friday (December 30, 2022) after a friendly between the Mayor 11 and Media 11 at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium.
Highlighting on the progress of work to fix the street lighting problems in the metropolis, Mr. Sule announced a contract will soon be awarded to replace all major street lights.
“There is this complaint in town about our street lighting system, it’s a security threat, so I had a meeting METSEC (Metropolitan Security Council) and we wrote to the Regional Security Council to talk to the Ministry if National Security so that they could help us because the cables underground is the problem and we have no capacity to change it.”
He said the cables were installed back in 2008 prior to the African Cup of Nation hosted in Ghana and expected to be changed after every 10 years.
“…In fact, the REGSEC letter went and the National Security Ministry wrote to the Ministry of Energy and Chinese company was invited to visit Tamale, so all our major street lights were covered and I believe that very soon the contract would be awarded” he explained.
The Mayor said the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has also made an intervention and the situation will very soon be a thing of the past.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sule Salifu seized the opportunity to advise the media uphold the principle of professional Journalism to promote growth and development but not dwell solely on negativity.
The Mayor indicated he will soon organize a press briefing to account his stewardship to the people after one year since he assumed office.
The Northern Regional Chairman of Ghana Journalists Association, Mr. Yakubu Abdul Majeed in his remarks commended the Tamale Mayor for operating an open door policy to strengthen ties with the media.
“I will urge and plead that you open your heart and accommodate all the ‘nonsense’; that makes you a successful leader. If you want to react to everything that you hear it will distract you, so please continue to be a father for all in Tamale and we [Journalists] will continue to support” he added.
