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NDC communication Bureau of Sekyere Afram Plains Constituency in the Ashanti region has called on the District Chief Executive of the area,Mr.Joseph Owusu, popularly known as ‘Odenkyem’ to stop the deceptive distribution of one electoral area,one Veronica bucket mantra and use the COVID-19 fund allocated to the district wisely.
Mr.Mahmud Abdul Waliu Kabore, communication officer NDC,Sekyere Afram Plains constituency made it known that,Mr.Joseph Owusu is bragging with the distribution of the varonica bucket in the district as if he purchased them with his own fund but explained that the fund was created for the fight against the Coronavirus Pandemic that has hit the Nation.
According to Kabore,the DCE for the area appears to be bragging and brandishing his efforts to the people of Sekyere Afram Plains district as if he has contributed individually or personally to the fight against the spread of Corona virus.
This attempt to score cheap political points from the fight against COVID -19 according to Kabore is quite strange and unacceptable.
“In Yoruba they say, “if you are sent a slave’s errand, you act like a free born.”
Kabore affirmed that ,the government of Ghana last week, dished out an amount of GHc166,280.62 cedis to various districts in the country to help combat the novel coronavirus.
Revealing that, the said amount of cash has given automatic license to many of Mr. Joseph Owusu’s kind to push their own political agenda, while acting as if the money is coming from their personal pockets.
“In all honesty, the NDC debunk, such a wild notion disgracefully put up by the DCE of the area with every emphasis at our disposal.
In simple terms, “the king is naked “.He stressed.
“As he is well celebrated, the current Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Alex Adomako Mensah, is noted to have been extremely supportive of the constituency and the district. Yet he never dress himself in such borrowed robes.
Hon. Alex has, over the years, always committed a substantial amount of resources from his share of the MP’s Common Fund to support the District in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation and social lifelihood. But in the wake of COVID-19, the MP unlike usual, last week stormed the constituency to donate logistics worth GHC 10,000.00 to the health directorate towards the fight against the pandemic.
These include veronica buckets, alcohol based hand sanitizers, soap, tissue material amongst others. This gesture came from his own pocket.
Meanwhile, his political rival, the current DCE, Hon. Joseph Owusu, also in the course of last week, received the district’s share of the national cake when government released the said One Hundred and Sixty-six Thousand, Two Hundred and Eighty Ghana cedis, sixty-two pesewas (Ghc166,280.62), to the districts for the fight against the virus.
Since the release of the said amount, there has been dead silence from his end as DCE.
Instead, Mr. Owusu wants the whole world to believe the presentations he make are from his pocket which in actual sense is not true.
He’s on a reckless binge of displaying political glory that has been dead on arrival if only he looks closely.
While we commend Hon. Alex Adomako Mensah (MP) for his good works and kind gesture to the Sekyere Afram Plains District cum Constituency, we condemn the audacious political false identity showcased by Mr. Joseph Owusu in this trying times.
The agonizing and nail-biting aspect of it all is that, the people of the Sekyere Afram Plains district have been significantly shortchanged per what the leadership of the district has done so far vis-a-vis what the Hon. MP, Mr. Alex Adomako, has contributed even as he’s not the custodian of the said amount released from government.
Nothing much has been done in spite of the gargantuan sum of cash granted the area by government.
From our checks, about 15% of the covid-19 fund has been exhausted so far.
As a matter of fact, the Isolation Center promised has not been fulfilled yet. We understand that st. Vincent De Paul clinic has created one out of their own effort which is not equipped. We commend them for the initiative.
The question which is appealing for an answer is the rest of the money for covid-19 in Sekyere Afram Plains district?
Why can’t the DCE be honest and plain with the people of Sekyere Afram Plains on who is really doing the job instead of seeking irrelevant relevance with the government’s funds especially when the money is one that was bequeathed by the previous Mahama administration to Akuffo Addo?
It is accurate he’s part of the government, but the money does not come from him as an individual. We believe if the district augments its game and efforts a little bit by prudently, judiciously, and honestly disbursing the Covid 19 fund – and no one individual attempts to claim the glory – a meaningful fight against the disease would have been achieved in addition to what the Hon. MP, Alex Adomako Mensah is doing in the district.” He further noted.
Recommendations
“We daresay and recommend that with regards to the isolation centers, the district must not look far. Since President Akuffo Addo has now resorted in using Ex-president MAHAMA’S projects( ie. Bank of Ghana Hospital, Ridge Hospital, Anyaalolo buses etc) to fight the COVID-19, the DCE should as a matter of importance and urgency emulate his superior and make good use of structures which the previous government had built and could be considered for a temporary Isolation Center in the district.
Notable amongst such structures include the courtroom that has not been commissioned since its completion.
Again, more PPEs should be procured from the said fund and given to the health officers in the district.
The covid-19 funds should be released to the health directorate to lead the war and not politicians. The district health directorate is still wallowing in poverty whiles politicians are leading public education.
Furthermore,Let’s occupy the media to fan more, the embers of intensification of awareness creation and in different dialect since our district is a heterogeneous one.
He concluded that the DCE should not play the usual politics with the fight against COVID-19 and put all monies set for the fight to it’s best use, for this is a humanitarian crisis and needs a humanitarian approach in fighting it.
Source: Broadcastergh.com/Ayisah Foster
