Kampakuya Naa Urges Local Government Service to Resource District Assemblies to Combat Youth Drug Abuse
The Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuya Naa Abukari Yakubu, has appealed to the Local Government Service (LGS) to prioritise the adequate resourcing of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern Region, particularly those in deprived communities, to accelerate grassroots development.
He also called for immediate, coordinated state-traditional interventions to curb rising youth drug abuse and trafficking, which he warned pose a severe threat to the peace and future of the region.
The Kampakuya Naa stated this at the Gbewa Palace in Yendi when the Head of the Local Government Service, Professor Lord Kwaku Mensah, paid him a courtesy call on Thursday. The visit formed part of Professor Mensah’s five-day working tour of the Northern Region.
Welcoming the delegation, the Regent described the visit as a vital demonstration of state-traditional partnership.
He stressed that the operational capacity of MMDAs to deliver essential social services, infrastructure, and local economic development hinges heavily on the timely provision of financial, human, and logistical resources.
“The capacity of our Assemblies to effectively respond to the development needs of our people depends largely on the availability of adequate resources. I urge your office to advocate strongly for Assemblies operating in deprived and hard-to-reach areas,” the Kampakuya Naa stated.
He further charged the Local Government Service to champion productive youth empowerment initiatives, noting that engaging young people in skill acquisition and employment is critical to insulating them from drug abuse and other social vices.
Responding, the Head of the Local Government Service, Professor Lord Kwaku Mensah, congratulated the Kampakuya Naa on his enskinment as Regent of Dagbon and commended his steadfast leadership in maintaining stability and promoting social cohesion in the area.
Professor Mensah explained that his working tour was designed to interact directly with management and staff across MMDAs in the region, assess field-level operational challenges, and reinforce standards of professionalism, human resource management, and administrative efficiency.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Local Government Service to working closely with traditional authorities to enhance decentralised governance and public service delivery at the local level.
On his part, the Acting Chief Director of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC), Mr Sumaila Ewuntomah Abudu, who led the delegation to the palace, expressed appreciation to the Kampakuya Naa for the warm reception.
He assured the Gbewa Palace of the NRCC’s continued collaboration with traditional rulers to advance the socio-economic agenda of the Northern Region.
The five-day working tour will see the Head of Service hold technical sessions with key stakeholders, administrative heads, and assembly staff across various districts to strengthen local government administration.
Salifu Yakubu Abdulai, ISD
