Mr. Stephen Sumani Nayina, the Northern Regional Minister, has appealed to new Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief executives to guard against corrupt practices in their transactions to win the confidence of the people and maintain their own self-respect.
He told them to be abreast with statutes like the Public Procurement Act (Act 663), the Financial Administration Act (Act 654) and the Internal Audit Agency Act (Act 658). "You must also study the various sections and provisions designed to enhance probity and accountability in your management practices".
Mr. Nayina said this when he swore into office 17 out of the 20 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief executives in the Northern Region at Tamale on Tuesday.
Gushiegu, Savelugu/Nanton and Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District Assemblies failed to confirm the DCEs.
Mr. Nayina appealed to the Chief Executives to establish cordial relationship with the chiefs to ensure a harmonious development of their assemblies.
"This is very crucial if you are to succeed in galvanizing the support and energies of the people in your area into productive ventures".
Mr. Nayina said: "As Chief Executives, you are supposed to lead the assembly in its development efforts by using all the available human and material resources to implement planned programmes".
"Resources should also be used effectively and efficiently to create wealth and reduce poverty in the communities", he said.
The Regional Minister told them to foster cordial relations with other representatives of the people, especially Members of Parliament and traditional authorities.
Alhaji Haruna Abdulai Friday, the Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked President John Atta Mills for nominating them to the high office of Chief Executives and promised that they would live up to expectation in the discharge of their duties.
He said religious leaders in the Metropolis had promised to come together to pray for peace and work hard to ensure a lasting peace in the area.