Don�t Hide Potholes From President Mills

The Volta Regional Capital, which has been plagued by potholes for some months now, is beginning to see some road patching, courtesy President John Mills� visit to the town. The president is expected to open the maiden Regional Policy Fair which will be replicated in other regions by the end of next year. His visit, without a doubt, has sparked a lot of preparations in Ho, with the patching of potholes. The road stretch that is being patched the most is the one between the Ray Makosa Traffic Light through to the junction that leads to the Ho lorry station and the Central Market. Interestingly, the OLA Senior High School, the venue for the fair, lies on this stretch. When Daily Guide visited the area to observe what was happening, about 10 men were seen hurriedly working to get things done. Some taxi drivers told Daily Guide they were happy the potholes were being patched but questioned the hasty nature in which it was being done, wondering if it would last long. One of them who pleaded anonymity said, �All this is because of the president. We have been complaining for a long time but Kodobisa says there is no money, but now that the president is coming, there is money for the OLA road.� Others were hopeful the patching would not be a nine-day wonder as it would be replicated in other parts of the municipality whose roads are full of potholes. The Volta Regional chairman of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Kenwuud Nuworsu, has described as unfortunate, an attempt by the MCE, Isaac Kodobisa and the regional minister, Joseph Amenowode to hide the reality of the situation in the Ho Municipality from the president just to save their jobs. He could not fathom why the patching of potholes and other preparatory works would be rushed and shabbily done because the president was expected to visit Ho. He noted that the two had all the time in the world to put Ho in a better shape, yet they waited until the last minute. Mr. Nuworsu said this justified the concerns raised by the pro-NDC group which demonstrated against Amenowode and Kodobisah for poor development in the region, particularly Ho. It also confirmed the complaints by the chiefs and people of the region over the state of the region�s development in the past weeks. He said the people of Ho deserved a better road and not hastily-patched potholes, just to please the president. He therefore called on the president no to be deceived but rather go beyond the areas detailed for him by the Regional Co-ordinating Council and get to know the real situation on the ground. He also called on residents of Ho not to be deceived by patching of potholes, since it was a mere flash in the pan and evidence of the lack of commitment of the NDC in developing the region. When Isaac Kodobisah was contacted yesterday, his phones were off. Calls made to the Volta Regional chairman of the NDC, Kwesi Aboagye�s phone went unanswered, while the phone of the regional minister was out of coverage area.