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Obaatan of Nkusukum Traditional Council, Nana Benyi III, has taken a swipe at the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Mfantseman, Mr. Henry Kweku Hayfron, accusing him of inflating the cost of developmental projects in the area. According to the chief, the MCE has been economical with the truth, taking into consideration the cost of rehabilitation of the Mankessim Roundabout which was constructed by the former Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, before he left office in 2008. The Nkusukum Obaatan noted that the MCE claimed to have rehabilitated the roundabout at the cost of GH�127,871.00 (over 1.2 billion old cedis), inquiring what the actual cost of its construction was. He noted that the amount the MCE claimed to have spent on what he described as �common rehabilitation� of the roundabout which comprised a fountain and statues of the three heroes who founded the ancient town, Obonumankoma, Odapagyan and Oson could have been used for equally very important projects in the area. The chief made this known during a press conference he organised in the central regional town. Nana Benyi pointed out that the amount could be used to construct a befitting market for traders in Mankessim to prevent them from being exposed to the dangers of vehicles as they sit by the road side to sell on market days. He noted that the Mankessim market used to be the third largest market in West Africa after the Ibadan and Techiman markets. �But the market [Mankessim market] has totally dilapidated and authorities seemed to look on unconcerned,� the chief lamented. Obaatan explained that traders from Kasoa, Cape Coast and other places come to trade and sit in insanitary conditions at the old market which is around the roundabout. This, he stressed, was �very dangerous.� �Our drainage systems are very poor here in Mankessim and it becomes very worse when it rains in this area. The money could have been used to address these challenges because this roundabout and fountain is of no use to us as indigenes of Mankessim,� he indicated. Nana Benyi indicated that the statues of the three heroes in the roundabout could have been preserved at a museum built in the area to tell the story of Mankessim and serve as a tourist attraction in the area. He stated that the situation got really worrisome and some of the market women came to him to appeal to him to give them a land to use as market of which he did. According to him, in the wake of that the MCE took him to court accusing him of building a market when he was not supposed to. He also accused the MCE of meddling in chieftaincy and family disputes involving his family and called on President John Dramani Mahama to call him to order. He charged the president to investigate the actual cost of the rehabilitation of the roundabout in order not to cause financial loss to the state. The chief also inquired what the MCE uses the over 10 billion revenue the Mfantseman Assembly generates annually for. He used the occasion to appeal to investors to come and establish a tertiary institution in the area to help upgrade the skills of the youth in the area to enable them contribute their quota development of the town.