He said although the region enjoyed relative peace in 2021 largely as a result of the dedication and hard work of the security agencies, there was the need to promote peaceful coexistence among the residents.

He expressed the commitment of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to continue to work with all the metropolitan, municipal and district security councils and traditional authorities to address any insecurity in the region.

Addressing heads of department of the various government agencies at an end-of-year meeting in Tamale last Thursday, Alhaji Shaibu commended the various security agencies for the professional manner in which they tackled issues that had the tendency to disrupt peace and security.

Organised by the REGSEC, the meeting held with metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) and heads of department of the various state agencies aimed to network and take stock of successes chalked up in 2021.

Road safety campaign

Alhaji Shaibu acknowledged the commitment and hard work of officials of the National Road Safety Authority, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the various security services and other stakeholders who collaborated to embark on a road safety campaign in the region last year.

"The exercise resulted in the registration of a large number of vehicles and motorbikes and also increased the use of crash helmets among motorists in the region," he noted.

While commending presiding members, assembly members, traditional rulers, political parties and opinion leaders for the diverse roles they played to ensure the successful confirmation of the President's nominees for the various assemblies, the regional minister entreated all the MMDCEs to reciprocate the confidence reposed in them by using their knowledge and expertise to accelerate the development of their various districts.

Revenue mobilisation

For his part, the Chief Director of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, Alhaji Alhassan Issahaku, charged MMDAs to be innovative and use digitised revenue mobilisation systems at the local levels to enhance revenue mobilisation to prevent leakages.

He also admonished them to ensure the effective and efficient utilisation of government resources for the benefit of the people.