Mahama Pays Promised Cash To Volta Chiefs After Expos�

Following series of expos�s by Today on the refusal of the Mahama administration to honour a cash-promise of GHC5,000 to the chiefs and queen mothers of Mepe Traditional Council, the paper can confirm that the money has finally been paid. Credible information available to the paper indicates that President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, October 1, ordered the payment of the money to the Mepe Traditional Council in the Volta region. A cheque of GHC5,000.00 was presented by the District Finance Officer of the North Tongu District Assembly on behalf of the District Chief Executive (DCE,) Madam Delphi Fafa Agbayi, to the Sub-Divisional Chief of Mepe Dzagbaku Clan, Togbe Azagba IV, and the former Organising Secretary of Mepe Development Association (MDA,) Mr. Vicent Anane last Wednesday. The paper was reliably informed that the presentation was done at the office of North Tongu District Assembly at Battor near the headquarters of Aveyime Rice Project. But receiving the cheque, the chiefs and people of Mepe described the fulfillment of the promise as �long overdue.� The payment was from the collective contributions from the North Tongu Members of Parliament (MPs) Common Fund after the president had conferred with them and with the approval and certification of the North Tongu district chief executive, the district co-coordinator and the financial officer, Today gathered. The paper also learnt that the chiefs and people of Mepe questioned why the MPs had to use their Common Fund to honour a promise made by President Mahama through the then Volta Regional Minister, now the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo. Considering the source of the promise, the chiefs argued that the money should have come from the president and not from the MPs� Common Fund. �If the MPs Common Fund is being used to honour such promises made by the presidency then which money would be used to execute social and infrastructural projects in the districts,� the chiefs angrily quizzed. President Mahama, sources close to the Council hinted Today, ordered Madam Agbayi to pay government�s promised cash, purposely to prevent the chiefs and queen mothers of Mepe to rescind their decision to march to the seat of government�Flagstaff House. Today in its Friday, September 26, 2014 edition reported the intended move by the chiefs, queen mothers and some executive members of MDA to meet President Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House in Accra. In the said story, the paper stated that the move was part of efforts by the Mepe chiefs to brief President Mahama on how Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo had not fulfilled a cash-promise of GH�5000 he made on behalf of the central government to chiefs and people of Mepe. The promise was made when Mr. Afotey-Agbo joined the chiefs and people of Mepe Traditional Area to celebrate their annual Afenorto festival. During the event, Mr. Afotey-Agbo, who was flanked by a deputy Education Minister in-charge of Tertiary Education, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, and former District Chief Executive (DCE) of North Tongu District Assembly, Mr. Bubben Dzinadu, promised to donate an amount of GH�5,000 to Mepe Traditional Area. The money, according to him, was to assist Mepe in its social and infrastructural development projects. Mr. Afotey-Agbo at the said event told the chiefs that his outfit would deposit the money at the Regional Coordinating Council in Ho where they could go for it. But one year on, Mr. Afotey-Agbo, the Mepe chiefs said, turned a deaf ear on their continuous pleas on him to redeem the promised cash. His continuous refusal, Today reported, accounted for the decision of the chiefs and members of MDA to pay a courtesy call on President Dramani Mahama to inform him of the development. However, six days after Today�s expose,� President Dramani Mahama was said to have ordered Mr. Afotey-Agbo through the North Tongu district chief executive to pay the money to the chiefs of Mepe so as to forestall any further embarrassments from the chiefs and of people Mepe.