The Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije has expressed disgust about riots being spearheaded by some people within the Ekumfi district assembly, the hometown of the late President John Evans Atta Mills and warned those behind to stop.
At the inaugural ceremony of the new assembly members at Ekumfi in the Central Region, Mr. Vanderpuije disclosed that the late President Mills made him who he is today and described him (late Mills) as a true statesman and one who served his country with dignity so there is the need for the people of Ekumfi to protect late Mills’ name in the history book of Ekumfi forever.
He observed that it’s a disgrace to the people of Ekumfi to disrespect the name of the late President Mills who has brought Ekumfi into the world map resulting in people travelling from afar to visit the hometown of the late President Mills.
Mr. Vanderpuye called for unity among the people in the area and tasked the assembly members of Ekumfi district to work as a team and family to bring development in the area to redeem the image of Ekumfi.
He reiterated that the decentralization programme has placed the functions and the powers of Central Government into the hands of the assemblies, citing that, “as assembly members you need to corporate and work as an integral system in the exercise of these powers and in the discharge of your functions.”
He called on assembly members to do all they can to explain policies for a better understanding of the participatory democracy that the country has adopted.
Mr. Vanderpuije again charged assembly members to be diligent, accountable and responsive to the needs of the people to enable them provide good and well managed educational, health, electricity, good sanitary services and also provide support for law enforcement agencies to enforce environmental cleanliness.
He urged assembly members to consider revenue generation as important function and stop the over-reliance on the District Assembly Common Fund and other Central Government releases.
Mr. Vanderpuije emphasized that the government will continue to play a major role of developing all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the country through the provision of logistics, staffing and office accommodation.
He added that the assembly needs to generate the needed revenue not only the recurrent expenditure but also for funding development projects that many assemblies have the potential to generate revenue for.
Mr. Vanderpuije, however, stressed on the need for serious attention on property rate collection and said with appropriate data, this could serve as basis for improved collection of rates.
“I doubt how many people in the assembly even know the number of property houses you have in the assembly,” he observed.
He stated that the nation’s major challenge is the unplanned and haphazard development currently going on in most assemblies with slums being developed in marshy areas and houses being built on waterways.
He cautioned the planning department, survey department and lands commission to abide by the rules and regulations of their profession concerning the allocation of plots to ensure that these plots are developed according to their designated land use in order to avoid the danger of flooding and the accompanying loss of lives and property as is experienced in parts of the country anytime it rains.
Meanwhile, the Presiding Member (PM) of Ekumfi district assembly, Ishmael Nana Asamoah has retained his position. He secured 30 out of the 36 votes cast to continue his work as PM for the district.
He pledged to continue with the assembly’s development agenda aimed at assisting every assembly member within the assembly to develop his or her electoral area.
Mr. Asamoah, therefore, called on the assembly members who voted for his retention for support to help achieve his aim to take the new district of Ekumfi to the highest level.
He expressed his appreciation to the assembly members for the confidence reposed in him and called on them to put aside their differences for the speedy development of the district.
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