Ashaiman Residents Lock Out Director

ASHAIMAN FOR Change, a coalition of concerned assembly members, youth leaders, market women, businessmen and students, yesterday locked up the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly�s (ASHMA) Coordinating Director, Kofi Adjei Boafo, in his office. The aggrieved group reportedly stormed the offices of ASHMA and laid ambush at Mr Boafo�s office until he arrived for work around 10 am. Mr. Boafo, according to DAILY GUIDE�s source at the assembly, was immediately locked up when he entered his office to start the day�s work and was prevented from getting out for close to four hours. Pleas by certain top officials of ASHMA fell on deaf ears as the group, clad in red arm bands, refused to give in and positioned itself in front of Mr. Boafo�s office to ensure that he did not get out and no one got in. The group said its action was in protest of the Municipal Coordinating Director�s inability to properly coordinate the activities of some strategic departments within ASHMA and mentioned the Environmental Health, City Guard, Engineering, Revenue and Social Welfare as some of the strategic departments. It also alleged that the protest was aimed at ensuring that he stopped collecting kickbacks from contractors before awarding them jobs within the municipal. The group also accused Mr Boafo of taking over the job of the assembly�s procurement officer and reportedly bought a car engine that only lasted for only three months; this, it said, clearly indicated his incompetency and should not have been given the job of a Coordinating Director in the first place. A statement signed by Emmanuel K. Agboson, acting spokesperson for the group, stated that as leaders and citizens of the area, they could no longer cope with the stress of under-development, mismanagement of public funds and the non-enforcement of assembly by-laws. The group added that it was therefore appealing for a change of the Coordinating Director and non-performing departmental heads at ASHMA with immediate effect for better, progressive and radical development of the area. The statement mentioned that if by Friday, February15, 2013 the group did not see positive action taken and the necessary changes effected, it would use any available media house, embark on a week�s peaceful demonstration and a one week boycott of all assembly programmes and meetings to drive home their concerns. The group said it had started wearing red arm bands and collecting the signatures of aggrieved members. DAILY GUIDE�s attempt to speak with the Coordinating Director proved futile. This is not the first time an aggrieved group in the municipality is expressing its displeasure in that manner. Last year, some market women stormed an Ashaiman based radio station, Sena Radio, demanding the director�s head over what they alleged was the poor way of handling issues regarding their wellbeing. Another group also recently seized the area�s main bus terminal with an explanation that the day-to-day running of the place was not given to its preferred party man.