Over the last couple of weeks after the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP's) land mark congress which culminated in the election of Nana Akufo-Addo as its flag bearer for the 2008 generation elections, credible information filtering into the offices of GO indicate that the party in consultation with Nana Akufo-Addo is considering picking a running mate from the Northern Region again. So far, Mr. Abubakar Saddique Boniface, the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing's, name has featured prominently in most prediscussions, as a person who has demonstrated competence in his capacity as a Minister and has developed a strong relationship with the electorate in the North. Picking of Mr. Boniface as the running mate for Nana Akufo-Addo, GO learnt, is to demonstrate the NPP government's unwavering commitment to move more development projects to the Northern Region as well as increase the votes margin of the party in 2008, especially in the Zongo communities. Other names which have come up in the course of discussions are that of the Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama and Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris among others. But deep throat sources at the party headquarters told GO that "Boniface is one person among the lot, who has massively won the heart of people in the Zongo communities in the country and the party is considering that factor seriously." According to our sources, the instrumental role played by Mr. Boniface in the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis, which culminated in a relatively peaceful situation in that town, also puts him ahead of other names that have come up in discussions. "In fact the Former Northern Regional Minister has set a standard and everyone can testify as far as this Dagbon chieftaincy crisis is concerned. He has been very influential and neutral between the two feuding gates, Abudu and Andani, of which we are very appreciative" one source said. Mr. Boniface, yet another source said, has set a standard so much so that even when the government decided to bring an equally competent and influential Minister to the North to solve the crisis, it took the person more months to study and catch up with the terrain in the Northern Region and the psychology of the people. Another source underscored that as a result of good works by the Minister, the Tamale Concerned Citizens Association (TCCA) and natives of Dagbon expressed grave displeasure at the President's decision to move him from the Northern Region to the Ministry of Employment, Youth and Manpower Development. The source intimated that the TCCA members, who described the moving of Mr. Boniface from one Ministry to another as "untimely and unfortunate", said though it was the prerogative of the President to make such changes in his government, he should have considered the important role being played by the former Northern Regional Minister in the peace building process in Dagbon. Mr. Saddique Boniface was born on 14th November, 1960 and he had his secondary education at Navrongo Secondary School and Tamale Secondary School. He then proceeded to study at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) Kumasi, Ghana. In 1985, he was awarded a degree in B.A. Social Science and Technology and later pursued various post graduate studies in the UK. These include M.A. International Economics at the University of Essex, UK in 1993, Certificate in International Banking at Midland Bank, UK in 1994 and finally MBA in Financial Management at the University of Exeter, UK in 1998. He was a member of the Gonja Youth Club and also held a number of positions. These include: Environmental Green Leaf Club (Salaga), past president and the Northern Student Union's (UST), past president (1984). Other positions he held are Special Assistant to Chief Director (Technical), Schedule Officer-in-charge of ECGD, Project Finance ,other Commercial Credits and Financial Institutions all at the Legal, Private Sector and Financial Institutions Division. The rest are Senior Economic Officer (Ministry of Finance), Deputy Minister Trade and Industries (In charge of industries), Deputy Minister (Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City), Minister (Northern Region) and finally Minister (Manpower, Youth and Employment). He served in various parliamentary committees namely Finance and Works and Housing, Finance and Roads and Transport and Foreign Affairs and Privileges Office of Profits. He has a few publications to his credit which include Rural Housing Problems in Ghana (A case study of Kpandai). The Role of Foreign Aid, in Structural Adjustment Programme (Ghana as case study) and A Review of UK Retail Banking Industry and Performance Evaluation of Three Retail Banks. He is married with three children, and can go along with a vast majority of Ghanaians as he speaks Hausa, Dagbani, Twi and Gonja. At the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment, his National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) has created jobs for some 100,000 youth, who would otherwise have been on the streets. Source: The Ghanaian Observer