The Yendi Municipality has 241 communities and out of these total Open Defecation Free communities are 145, and total Open Defecation (OD) communities are 96.

Alhaji Hammed Abubakari Yusuf, Yendi Municipal Chief Executive, said during his sessional address at the ordinary meeting of the Assembly held at Yendi.

He said the national target for achieving ODF is December, 2019 and the Yendi Municipal Assembly target for achieving ODF is November, 2019.

Alhaji Hammed called on the public to support the effort and spread the message on the need to construct household latrines to enable them attain the goal.

He said the Assembly obtained 98 percent at the just ended 2017 nationwide District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT) conducted from 29th to 30th July, 2019 at the premises of the Assembly.

Alhaji Hammed said this will allow the Assembly to access the needed funds to execute development projects for the Municipality.

Touching on revenue mobilization of the Assembly, he said, revenue performance of the Assembly over the years, especially 2017 and 2018 has gone down.

He said in the period, the Assembly collected GHC 511,498.06 for 2017 and GHC 521,204.75 for 2018 respectively instead of the GHC 818,991.81 in 2015 and GHC 1,168,489.79 in 2016 respectively.

Alhaji Hammed said as at June 2019 the Assembly has collected GHC 344,901.58 and this means more effort is needed to increase revenue for the development of the Municipality. 

He said with the "Planting for Food and Jobs" at the beginning of 2019 farming season a total of 34,760 mini bags of fertilizer, 920 kilos of rice, 166 kilos of maize and 225 kilos of soya beans were received and the fertilizer are being delivered to various dealers for distribution.

He said so far the Municipality has not recorded any smuggling of fertilizer in the Municipality because the adequate measures they have put in place to prevent it.

Alhaji Hammed said the Member of Parliament for Yendi constituency Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani has used share of his Common Fund to rehabilitate Kpalgubini Junior High School (JHS) Kinyonbank, Sakpagu, Banchini, and Pion Primary Schools.

He said with the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, government through Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) has awarded on contract the construction of a 12-unit classroom block and a 12-unit dormitory block to be constructed at the Yendi SHS. 

He said under 'One village, One Dam' initiative, 10 communities in the area were awarded the contract of 10 dams and only one of the dams at Nakpachei has been completed.

Mr Ibrahim Abu Zolge, the Presiding Member of the Assembly, expressed the gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo –Addo for providing the needed resources to perform funerals of the late Ya-Na Mahamadu Abdulai IV and late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II.

He said this has brought an end to the long and protracted chieftaincy conflict that has bedeviled Dagbon for almost 45 years and disorganized communities and claimed unknown number of lives and property.

He said also expressed gratitude to the Committee of the Eminent Chiefs for their sustained effort in resolving the conflict.