Ashaiman Assembly express worry at alarming rate and involvement of children in games centres in the Municipality

By: Benjamin Xornam Glover, TEMA The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA)has expressed worry over the increasingly alarming rate at which game centers spring up in the municipality and the involvement of children in the exercise. Speaking at the first ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the assembly, the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Ibrahim Baidoo said the assembly has received a lot of concerns from stakeholders including parents on the activities of these games centers within the municipality. Mr. Baidoo said the situation was particularly worrying because increasingly, as many youngsters who should be in school were most of the time found at gaming centers stressing that the situation has been identified as a security concern in the area. He said to ameliorate the current situation, a number of steps have been taken. This include the closing down of all game centers that flout the order of the assembly debarring children below 18 years from using the facility. Security and Street lighting Mr Baidoo said the assembly was also taking measures to improve on the street lighting system within the municipality by installing street lights and the rehabilitation and maintenance of the faulty street lights in a bid to wade away criminals who hide under the cover of darkness to perpetuate their nefarious activities. He said the assembly in its resolve to control crime rate within the municipality will construct two new police stations at Middle East and Lebanon Zone 3 as well as the intensification of police and military patrols and visibility within the municipality. He said the assembly is also facilitating the establishment of Neighborhood Watch Committees in the Electoral Areas in partnership with the security agencies. The MCE further stated that with the ever growing population of Ashaiman, the assembly has finalized discussion with the Chief Justice to set up a Circuit Court in the municipality adding that the court will be temporarily be accommodated in the Assembly Hall while efforts are made to construction of a permanent court building. Finance Mr Baidoo disclosed that the total revenue generated as at December 31, 2013 in respect of Internally Generated Funds (IGF) amounted to GH¢ 1,823,641.59 representing 105 per cent of budgeted figure of GH¢ 1,744,417.42 He attributed the increases in the revenue to the computation of License and Property Rate being used in revenue mobilization coupled with the implementation of the 2013 Revenue Mobilization Strategy Action Plan as well as strong Monitoring and Evaluation of revenue collection. MP The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman and Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Alfred Agbesi gave an account of his stewardship in parliament and also briefed the assembly members on some pending bills in Parliament. These bills include the Property Right of Spouses Bill, Right to Information Bill, Intense Succession Bill and Companies Code Bill, Plant Breeders Bill among others. He explained these bills to the assembly and asked them to be abreast with them and made meaningful inputs into the process leading to their passage into law. Presiding Member The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Daniel Ekumah congratulated the MCE and expressed he will discharge his duties with passion just as he was doing when he was an assembly man to uplift the image of the Ashiaman Municipal Assembly.