SCHOOL DESKS ABANDONED AT ZEBILLA (D/G Wednesday September 10, 2008. PAGE 21)

A NUMBER of dual desks meant for distribution to schools in some communities in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region have been left at the mercy of the weather at Zebilla.
Some of the pieces of the furniture have even started deteriorating.
According to the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Desmond Bugbilla, the desks were provided by the government for distribution to the schools but due to the devastating effect of last year's floods, some communities in the district had been cut off from the district capital as portions of the road had been rendered unmotorable.
The situation has hampered the easy transportation of the duel desks as, well as some electric poles meant for electrification of some communities.
Mr Bugbilla made this known when a Deputy Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Alhaji Ahmed Awudu Yirimeah, visited the area to assess progress of work on feeder roads under reconstruction after the last year's floods.
The reconstruction works being undertaken throughout the region under the Northern Floods Reconstruction Programme (NFRP) are being financed mostly by donor agencies such as the International Development Association and Agence Française De Development and the World Bank.
Mr Bugbilla said work on the road projects under the NFRP in the district was progressing at a slow pace and he blamed part of the problem on contractors, who, he said, had always cited lack of funds as an excuse for their inability to complete the various projects on time.
Responding to the concerns raised by the DCE, Alhaji Yirimeah dismissed the alleged assertion by the contractors and said "as far as the NFRP was concerned, there is money for the payment to any contractor that completes any project".
He urged the contractors to stop blaming the government for non-payment, but must move to the site and work towards the early completion of their projects.
During an inspection tour of the Kukurizua–Widnaba feeder road, it was observed that inadequate culverts on the Road to contain large volumes of water had led to the washing away of portions of the road.
Under the NFRP, four feeder roads in the Bawku West District were selected for spot improvement. They are the Kubore-Sapeliga, Kukuzua–Widnaba, Zebilla-Zabre and Zebilla-Teshie-Googo feeder roads.
The deputy minister later interacted with the chiefs of Sapeliga and Konkonsa to brief them about the numerous interventions put in place by the government and solicited their support to enable the government to retain power.