A total of 185 schools holding classes under trees in the Upper East Region have been provided with classroom infrastructure by the government since it held the reins of power.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, who disclosed this during the recent working visit to the region by members of the Council of State said this had become possible following a crash programme being embarked upon by the NDC government to provide educational infrastructure for schools.
Mr Woyongo said in addition to tackling the schools under trees, second cycle institutions in the region had benefitted from over 99 big projects comprising dormitories, classroom blocks, assembly halls, laboratories, as well as teachers’ accommodation facilities.
According to the regional minister, the increase in the capitation grant, expansion of the school feeding programme, distribution of free exercise books and uniforms to deprive pupils have undoubtedly increased school enrolment significantly.
He said additionally, a number of district education directorates and second cycle schools had also received pick-ups and buses to enhance supervision and administration of the schools.
The Upper East Regional Director of Education, Mr Paul Apanga, while acknowledging the government’s efforts at tackling the phenomenon of schools under tress, stated that with increasing interest in education, many more communities were establishing schools in remote villages and this called for the provision of additional infrastructure.
He also made a special appeal for the construction of a new dormitory block and a classroom facility for the Bolgatanga Senior High School to deal with the problem of congestion.
On water and sanitation, Mr Woyongo told the delegation that with the execution of the Better Ghana Agenda, the government was expanding the Bolgatanga, Bawku, and Navrongo water systems, while five small town and water supply systems had been completed with eight others almost at the level of completion.
He said apart from the expansion of the Vea Raw Water Treatment Plant being executed with a loan of $5 million, another 40 million euros had been secured for the construction of a water treatment plant at Tono to serve Navrongo, Paga, and Bolgatanga. All these, he said, when completed would increase the water coverage significantly in the country’s bid to meet the Millennium Development Goals for Water and Sanitation.
The Upper East Regional Minister also told the members of the council that the government had also secured a loan facility of over $100 million to provide 500 communities in the region with electricity.
Touching on the National Youth Employment Programmes, he said currently 14 modules were being operated with about 12,177 youth being engaged, adding that the Youth in Road Maintenance module was yet to be launched in the region. He, however, expressed the hope that once the scheme was rolled out many more youth would be engaged.
The Chairman of the Council of State, Prof. Kofi Awoonor, described the trip as an eye opening one which would go a long way to facilitate advisory role of the council.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Ndebugre doubts chances of NPP candidate for Zebilla(DG, Tuesday October 25, 2011)
A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr John Akparibo Ndebugre from the Zebilla constituency, has his doubts that the party's parliamentary candidate, Mr Frank Fuseini will win the seat for the NPP come December 2012.
According to him, the processes leading to the declaration of one person in this case, Mr Fuseini, as the parliamentary candidate for the constituency had not been transparent which had created a problem.
Speaking at a launch of a support group for the NPPs Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the former Member of Parliament for Zebilla said although he was ready to rally support for the presidential candidate, he could not do same for the parliamentary candidate.
Mr Ndebugre, who supported the NPP after be lost to Mr Cletus Avoka of the NDC in the last parliamentary election when as an independent candidate said: “Mr Fuseini is going to start whatever campaign he intends to wage with a deficit in image, since the opponent we are facing is formidable. It would appear that many of us are unaware of Mr Fuseini's association with the NPP.
Incidentally, Mr Fuseini was also a member of the PNC in the Zebilla constituency but has now defected to the NPP. He was endorsed unopposed by delegates at the party's constituency congress recently.
Mr Ndebugre stated that although some party members had questioned Mr Fuseini's qualification to contest the party's parliamentary primaries, no effort had been made at resolving the problem transparently and in accordance with the party's rules.
“Mr Fuseini was simply railroaded into that position. There cannot be any doubt that a lacklustre parliamentary campaign will impact negatively on the presidential vote in the constituency and this is what we must avoid at all cost,” he said.
“Ghana's politics of today is being modelled to promote honesty and fair play and it is neither honest nor fair to use smartness and other means to enter a race when you know in your heart of hearts that you do not qualify to participate in that race,” he added.
“For these reasons, and others, some of us do not and it appears cannot feel disposed to supporting Mr Frank Fuseini as the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Zebilla Constituency,” he emphasised.
Explaining the objectives of the launch of the Nana Addo for President (NAFOP) in Zebilla with himself as the patron, Mr Ndebugre noted that for the NPP to recapture power and continue with the development of Ghana, it needed to be re-organised and united.
He said it was the goal of the group to campaign vigorously to get a great number of votes for the NPP presidential candidate to ensure victory for the party.
He called on NPP members committed to this vision to hold themselves in readiness for the establishment of the necessary structures to support the project for it to succeed.
According to him, the processes leading to the declaration of one person in this case, Mr Fuseini, as the parliamentary candidate for the constituency had not been transparent which had created a problem.
Speaking at a launch of a support group for the NPPs Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the former Member of Parliament for Zebilla said although he was ready to rally support for the presidential candidate, he could not do same for the parliamentary candidate.
Mr Ndebugre, who supported the NPP after be lost to Mr Cletus Avoka of the NDC in the last parliamentary election when as an independent candidate said: “Mr Fuseini is going to start whatever campaign he intends to wage with a deficit in image, since the opponent we are facing is formidable. It would appear that many of us are unaware of Mr Fuseini's association with the NPP.
Incidentally, Mr Fuseini was also a member of the PNC in the Zebilla constituency but has now defected to the NPP. He was endorsed unopposed by delegates at the party's constituency congress recently.
Mr Ndebugre stated that although some party members had questioned Mr Fuseini's qualification to contest the party's parliamentary primaries, no effort had been made at resolving the problem transparently and in accordance with the party's rules.
“Mr Fuseini was simply railroaded into that position. There cannot be any doubt that a lacklustre parliamentary campaign will impact negatively on the presidential vote in the constituency and this is what we must avoid at all cost,” he said.
“Ghana's politics of today is being modelled to promote honesty and fair play and it is neither honest nor fair to use smartness and other means to enter a race when you know in your heart of hearts that you do not qualify to participate in that race,” he added.
“For these reasons, and others, some of us do not and it appears cannot feel disposed to supporting Mr Frank Fuseini as the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Zebilla Constituency,” he emphasised.
Explaining the objectives of the launch of the Nana Addo for President (NAFOP) in Zebilla with himself as the patron, Mr Ndebugre noted that for the NPP to recapture power and continue with the development of Ghana, it needed to be re-organised and united.
He said it was the goal of the group to campaign vigorously to get a great number of votes for the NPP presidential candidate to ensure victory for the party.
He called on NPP members committed to this vision to hold themselves in readiness for the establishment of the necessary structures to support the project for it to succeed.
Monday, 3 October 2011
I Didn't Receive $5m From Government - Nana Konadu(3rd October 2011 10:21:10 by Benjamin Glover)
Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has denied ever receiving $5million from the government on behalf of the 31st December Women’s Movement to run the Nsawam Fruits Cannery. She has also denied ever receiving financial assistance from the government to operate a chocolate factory.
According to her all these assertions by some people she failed to name in the current government, were part of a deliberate attempt to tarnish her image in her quest to secure the flagbearship of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking to a packed audience at the VAG Hall mostly dominated by women in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region as part of her “Thank You Tour,” Mrs Rawlings urged her followers to ignore such allegations, since she contended they were intended as a grand scheme to destroy her image and portray her as an ungrateful person.
“We have struggled to get the factory running on our own. Never has government come to our aid. So anybody who comes to tell you that I am collecting money from the government, it is not true,” she said.
“Five million for me? Even the founder himself, who is supposed to be taken care of as a former president, that has not even started, how much more me, the wife? So when they come, tell them to stop lying about our founder, stop lying about our party,” she urged, adding, “Those who are peddling lies about me are new in our party. They did not sleep in the bushes to form the party, they didn’t walk in the rains to form the party, they did not drink in the villages to form the party as we did, as you did, as I did.
They have come to join a party that is already growing and have become prosperous. They should come and join and learn in order to let the party grow instead of coming to destroy things for us,” she said.
She justified her nationwide tour to express appreciation to those who sacrificed their time and effort during her failed bid to become a flag bearer, stressing that it was only proper that she expressed appreciation to all who supported her.
She indicated that she would continue to mobilise the party at the grass roots in order to make the NDC a strong and formidable party.
Mrs Rawlings bemoaned the unemployment situation in the country, especially among the youth and called on the government to do something extra to give the youth, hope and life.
The former first lady also urged supporters of the party to take active part in the Biometric Registration when the Electoral Commission declares the exercise open later in the year.
A Deputy General Secretary of the NDC and spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Mr Kofi Adams condemned what he termed, attempts by some elements within the party to shift the NDC from the Social Democratic philosophy to that of Nkrumahism.
“What has changed suddenly that five days after winning elections, you have a member of this party in the person of Hannah Tetteh going to sit with the Americans to sit to turn the NDC into something else?” he said, in apparent reference to the contents of recently released leaked cables , Wikileaks.
“Those who think that they want to dismember NDC by their action must be taken out. This is a party that has values. We welcome new members, but we must show them we have a track record,” Mr Adams added
On the decision by Major Boakye Gyan, who has filed to contest for the Jaman South parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NDC, Mr Adams questioned how someone who six months ago described the NDC as an illegality, was being allowed to pick forms to contest as a parliamentary candidate.
According to her all these assertions by some people she failed to name in the current government, were part of a deliberate attempt to tarnish her image in her quest to secure the flagbearship of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking to a packed audience at the VAG Hall mostly dominated by women in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region as part of her “Thank You Tour,” Mrs Rawlings urged her followers to ignore such allegations, since she contended they were intended as a grand scheme to destroy her image and portray her as an ungrateful person.
“We have struggled to get the factory running on our own. Never has government come to our aid. So anybody who comes to tell you that I am collecting money from the government, it is not true,” she said.
“Five million for me? Even the founder himself, who is supposed to be taken care of as a former president, that has not even started, how much more me, the wife? So when they come, tell them to stop lying about our founder, stop lying about our party,” she urged, adding, “Those who are peddling lies about me are new in our party. They did not sleep in the bushes to form the party, they didn’t walk in the rains to form the party, they did not drink in the villages to form the party as we did, as you did, as I did.
They have come to join a party that is already growing and have become prosperous. They should come and join and learn in order to let the party grow instead of coming to destroy things for us,” she said.
She justified her nationwide tour to express appreciation to those who sacrificed their time and effort during her failed bid to become a flag bearer, stressing that it was only proper that she expressed appreciation to all who supported her.
She indicated that she would continue to mobilise the party at the grass roots in order to make the NDC a strong and formidable party.
Mrs Rawlings bemoaned the unemployment situation in the country, especially among the youth and called on the government to do something extra to give the youth, hope and life.
The former first lady also urged supporters of the party to take active part in the Biometric Registration when the Electoral Commission declares the exercise open later in the year.
A Deputy General Secretary of the NDC and spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Mr Kofi Adams condemned what he termed, attempts by some elements within the party to shift the NDC from the Social Democratic philosophy to that of Nkrumahism.
“What has changed suddenly that five days after winning elections, you have a member of this party in the person of Hannah Tetteh going to sit with the Americans to sit to turn the NDC into something else?” he said, in apparent reference to the contents of recently released leaked cables , Wikileaks.
“Those who think that they want to dismember NDC by their action must be taken out. This is a party that has values. We welcome new members, but we must show them we have a track record,” Mr Adams added
On the decision by Major Boakye Gyan, who has filed to contest for the Jaman South parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NDC, Mr Adams questioned how someone who six months ago described the NDC as an illegality, was being allowed to pick forms to contest as a parliamentary candidate.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Samari Gears Up To Unseat NDC In Garu-Tempane Constituency(30th September 2011 07:36:14 by Benjamin Glover)
The New Patriotic Party Parliamentary Candidate for Garu-Tempane in the Upper East Region, Mr Alhassan Samari, has urged electorates in the constituency to take a cue from what he terms the ruling National Democratic Congress’ failure in government and vote the party out of power.
Mr Samari, a former Upper East Regional Minister during the Kufuor Administration, said since the NDC assumed the reins of power, the country in general and the constituency in particular had not witnessed the “Better Ghana Agenda” promised Ghanaians and the people of Garu-Tempane.
He has, therefore, called on the electorates to vote for him as Member of Parliament and Nana Akufo-Addo as president.
The former regional minister who is making a second attempt to unseat the incumbent MP, Mr Dominic Azumah of the NDC, said this in an interview after he addressed a mammoth gathering of supporters in the constituency.
He opined that the voters were misled to vote for the NDC based on vile propaganda and urged the electorates to learn a lesson or two from the past mistakes and vote for the NPP in order to bring development to the area.
Mr Samari urged members of the party to eschew division and pull together as members of one family in order to unseat the NDC. “Party unity is key. In the past, we allowed our ranks to be divided and this cost us victory. The time has now come for us to forgive one another and rally behind the party to regain power,” he said.
He recounted a number of successes chalked up by the NPP in Garu-Tempane during his tenure as regional minister such as the carving of the Garu-Tempane District out of the Bawku Municipal Assembly, initial development of the Tempane Senior High School, the proposed Modern Market Complex for the district, extension of electricity, construction of roads and rehabilitation of the major steel bridge over the Tamale river, among many other projects.
Comparing the performance of the two parties, Mr Samari noted that the NPP did far more than the NDC was doing to improve the lives of the people and said it was about time the people voted out the NDC and gave the mandate to the NPP.
The Constituency Chairman, Mr Joseph Akudibilah, for his part, maintained that the NPP’s achievement in the district was unparalleled. “Even though we cherished a property owning democracy, we legislated the best pro-poor policies for the country since independence,” he said.
Mr Akudibilah, a former deputy minister for defence, said apart from building school infrastructure the district also benefited from subsidy on fertilisers for farmers, National Health Insurance Scheme, school feeding programme, among many others.
He said in contrast, the NDC government, instead of continuing from where the NPP left off, are failing and their regime had been characterised by “a myriad of excuses, vindictiveness, property grabbing, failed economic policies and lip services at bridging the development gap between the north and the south.”
He challenged the current MP for the area, Mr Dominic Azumah, to point out clearly what he had done for the area, having served in Parliament for four terms.
The Constituency Election Coordinator for the NPP, Mr Emmanuel Asore Avoka, highlighted the major achievements of Mr Samari when he was regional minster in the NPP era between 2005 and 2008. He said during that period, 54 classroom blocks, 20 KVIP’s, six clinics, eight market structures and 15 teachers’ quarters were constructed.
He added that exercise books, furniture and text books were distributed, electricity was extended to six communities, feeder roads were constructed, bridges were reconstructed while twenty boreholes and streetlights were provided to various communities.
In addition, he said a number persons where supported to pursue further education in the fields of nursing and teaching.
In the view of Mr Avoka, all these were verifiable records chalked up by the NPP. He, therefore, challenged the NDC and its functionaries in the district to tell the people what real achievements they had chalked up since coming to office.
While calling on the DCE to re-fix the faulty streetlights in the district to bring back smiles on the faces of the people of the area, Mr Avoka also called on the President to launch investigations into the circumstances under which the current DCE put up a private house close to his official residence within a year or two after his appointment.
The Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Joseph Kpemka Dindoick, who is also a former DCE for Garu-Tempane, accused the NDC for borrowing excessively without corresponding developments on the ground to account for the loans secured and urged the Ghanaians to vote out the NDC.
The Regional Organiser of the NPP, Mr Yaw Mort, reiterated the need for all members to eschew disunity and work together to bring the party back into power.
Mr Samari, a former Upper East Regional Minister during the Kufuor Administration, said since the NDC assumed the reins of power, the country in general and the constituency in particular had not witnessed the “Better Ghana Agenda” promised Ghanaians and the people of Garu-Tempane.
He has, therefore, called on the electorates to vote for him as Member of Parliament and Nana Akufo-Addo as president.
The former regional minister who is making a second attempt to unseat the incumbent MP, Mr Dominic Azumah of the NDC, said this in an interview after he addressed a mammoth gathering of supporters in the constituency.
He opined that the voters were misled to vote for the NDC based on vile propaganda and urged the electorates to learn a lesson or two from the past mistakes and vote for the NPP in order to bring development to the area.
Mr Samari urged members of the party to eschew division and pull together as members of one family in order to unseat the NDC. “Party unity is key. In the past, we allowed our ranks to be divided and this cost us victory. The time has now come for us to forgive one another and rally behind the party to regain power,” he said.
He recounted a number of successes chalked up by the NPP in Garu-Tempane during his tenure as regional minister such as the carving of the Garu-Tempane District out of the Bawku Municipal Assembly, initial development of the Tempane Senior High School, the proposed Modern Market Complex for the district, extension of electricity, construction of roads and rehabilitation of the major steel bridge over the Tamale river, among many other projects.
Comparing the performance of the two parties, Mr Samari noted that the NPP did far more than the NDC was doing to improve the lives of the people and said it was about time the people voted out the NDC and gave the mandate to the NPP.
The Constituency Chairman, Mr Joseph Akudibilah, for his part, maintained that the NPP’s achievement in the district was unparalleled. “Even though we cherished a property owning democracy, we legislated the best pro-poor policies for the country since independence,” he said.
Mr Akudibilah, a former deputy minister for defence, said apart from building school infrastructure the district also benefited from subsidy on fertilisers for farmers, National Health Insurance Scheme, school feeding programme, among many others.
He said in contrast, the NDC government, instead of continuing from where the NPP left off, are failing and their regime had been characterised by “a myriad of excuses, vindictiveness, property grabbing, failed economic policies and lip services at bridging the development gap between the north and the south.”
He challenged the current MP for the area, Mr Dominic Azumah, to point out clearly what he had done for the area, having served in Parliament for four terms.
The Constituency Election Coordinator for the NPP, Mr Emmanuel Asore Avoka, highlighted the major achievements of Mr Samari when he was regional minster in the NPP era between 2005 and 2008. He said during that period, 54 classroom blocks, 20 KVIP’s, six clinics, eight market structures and 15 teachers’ quarters were constructed.
He added that exercise books, furniture and text books were distributed, electricity was extended to six communities, feeder roads were constructed, bridges were reconstructed while twenty boreholes and streetlights were provided to various communities.
In addition, he said a number persons where supported to pursue further education in the fields of nursing and teaching.
In the view of Mr Avoka, all these were verifiable records chalked up by the NPP. He, therefore, challenged the NDC and its functionaries in the district to tell the people what real achievements they had chalked up since coming to office.
While calling on the DCE to re-fix the faulty streetlights in the district to bring back smiles on the faces of the people of the area, Mr Avoka also called on the President to launch investigations into the circumstances under which the current DCE put up a private house close to his official residence within a year or two after his appointment.
The Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Joseph Kpemka Dindoick, who is also a former DCE for Garu-Tempane, accused the NDC for borrowing excessively without corresponding developments on the ground to account for the loans secured and urged the Ghanaians to vote out the NDC.
The Regional Organiser of the NPP, Mr Yaw Mort, reiterated the need for all members to eschew disunity and work together to bring the party back into power.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
NDC Will Win - Mark Woyongo15th September 2011 07:39:54 by Benjamin Xornam Glover()
Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Owen Woyongo has stated that he hopes to ride on the back of the numerous developments projects initiated by the current National Democratic Congress, (NDC) in the Navrongo Central Constituency to wrestle the seat from the opposition NPP come Election 2012.
Speaking to journalists at Navrongo after picking his parliamentary candidacy nomination form and addressing delegates, Mr. Woyongo said since assuming the reins of power, the NDC have done a lot at improving the lot of the people in the area and it was only proper that the people reciprocate the gesture by endorsing his candidature for the parliamentary slot.
He cited the construction of an auditorium, classrooms and dormitory infrastructure for senior high schools across the region including schools in the constituency such as Notre Dame Senior High School, Navrongo Senior High School, improvement of roads network to link deprived communities, connecting many communities under the Rural Electrification Project and construction of more boreholes to provide potable water for the people as some of the development extended to the people.
Mr Woyongo who is making a second shot at the seat after missing out in the last elections said, “I am convinced that with the numerous development projects that we have brought to this region in general and Navrongo in particular, we can work together and come 2012, the NDC will be declared winners in the polls”.
He said unlike 2004 when the NDC secured about 6,000 votes, 2008 saw a massive rise to 13,000 votes. He commended the supporters of the party for working tirelessly to help the NDC improved on its fortunes and called on party members to campaign vigorously to ensure a sound victory for the party in the coming elections in order to unseat the incumbent MP, Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda of the NPP.
Speaking to journalists at Navrongo after picking his parliamentary candidacy nomination form and addressing delegates, Mr. Woyongo said since assuming the reins of power, the NDC have done a lot at improving the lot of the people in the area and it was only proper that the people reciprocate the gesture by endorsing his candidature for the parliamentary slot.
He cited the construction of an auditorium, classrooms and dormitory infrastructure for senior high schools across the region including schools in the constituency such as Notre Dame Senior High School, Navrongo Senior High School, improvement of roads network to link deprived communities, connecting many communities under the Rural Electrification Project and construction of more boreholes to provide potable water for the people as some of the development extended to the people.
Mr Woyongo who is making a second shot at the seat after missing out in the last elections said, “I am convinced that with the numerous development projects that we have brought to this region in general and Navrongo in particular, we can work together and come 2012, the NDC will be declared winners in the polls”.
He said unlike 2004 when the NDC secured about 6,000 votes, 2008 saw a massive rise to 13,000 votes. He commended the supporters of the party for working tirelessly to help the NDC improved on its fortunes and called on party members to campaign vigorously to ensure a sound victory for the party in the coming elections in order to unseat the incumbent MP, Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda of the NPP.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
PNC Members Endorse Apasera(8th September 2011 06:04:20 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)
Some members of the People's National Convention (P.N.C) in the Bolgatanga Central Constituency in the Upper East Region have initiated moves to have Mr David Apasera re-elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency.
Interacting with journalists, members of the PNC in the Kolaa Zone in the Bolgatanga Central Constituency recounted some achievements of the two-term former MP such as sponsoring needy, brilliant students to acquire higher education, the provision of market sheds and paying the premium of the National Health Insurance Scheme for the vulnerable, among others, and stressed the need to re-elect Mr Apasera to revive the fortunes of the party.
Mr Apasera was first elected MP in 2000 and was retained in the 2004 but lost the seat in 2008 elections to the NDC candidate, Mr Emmanuel Akolbire Opam-Brown.
The PNC is yet to open nominations for those interested in representing the party in parliament. But even before the opening of nominations, spokesperson for the group lobbying for Mr David Apasera, Mr Joseph Akangerige, believes re-electing the two-time MP bodes well for the development of the constituency.
Mr Akangerige, who is also the Kolaa Zonal Chairman said, “it will surprise you to note that people from the length and breadth of this constituency have come to realise the good works of Mr Apasera.
“There is therefore the need for every delegate to give him the nod to contest the Parliamentary election in 2012”.
“Delegates will agree with me that the weight of the PNC in the constituency for now lies on this gentleman. In order not to allow the PNC to be dormant in the Bolgatanga Constituency, we wish to urge each and every one of you to remain faithful, honest and committed to Mr Apasera whose performance in his first four year term had been judged by many today to outweigh his successor”, he said.
Interacting with journalists, members of the PNC in the Kolaa Zone in the Bolgatanga Central Constituency recounted some achievements of the two-term former MP such as sponsoring needy, brilliant students to acquire higher education, the provision of market sheds and paying the premium of the National Health Insurance Scheme for the vulnerable, among others, and stressed the need to re-elect Mr Apasera to revive the fortunes of the party.
Mr Apasera was first elected MP in 2000 and was retained in the 2004 but lost the seat in 2008 elections to the NDC candidate, Mr Emmanuel Akolbire Opam-Brown.
The PNC is yet to open nominations for those interested in representing the party in parliament. But even before the opening of nominations, spokesperson for the group lobbying for Mr David Apasera, Mr Joseph Akangerige, believes re-electing the two-time MP bodes well for the development of the constituency.
Mr Akangerige, who is also the Kolaa Zonal Chairman said, “it will surprise you to note that people from the length and breadth of this constituency have come to realise the good works of Mr Apasera.
“There is therefore the need for every delegate to give him the nod to contest the Parliamentary election in 2012”.
“Delegates will agree with me that the weight of the PNC in the constituency for now lies on this gentleman. In order not to allow the PNC to be dormant in the Bolgatanga Constituency, we wish to urge each and every one of you to remain faithful, honest and committed to Mr Apasera whose performance in his first four year term had been judged by many today to outweigh his successor”, he said.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Crack The Whip On Defaulters - PAC(1st September 2011 05:55:56 by Benjamin Xornam Glover)
The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament hearing audited reports on metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions have urged audit report implementation committees in the various districts to sanction all public officers who continue to misapply funds.
According to the committee, failure to do so will mean harming the public purse and bleeding the coffers of the state. The Chairman of the committee, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, expressed worries about the trend of misconduct on the part of officers of the assemblies and their failure to apply the rules to the letter.
“When government gives you money, it also gives you guidelines on how to spend it, it is therefore very important to be abreast of the rules and regulations to avoid such corrupt practices,” he said.
“As members of the audit implementation committee, when you fail to apply sanctions, you become liable to sanctions,” he warned.
Most of the report heard by the committee bordered on failures to recoup monies disbursed under the Poverty Alleviation Fund and lack of commitment by those currently in office to trace the addresses of those who benefited from such programmes to recover those monies.
“What is more worrying is that last year in Tamale during our hearings, the same observations were made and officers were tasked to work on it but here we are with the same story been repeated. It appears, assemblies are not taking audit reports seriously,” he added.
During the hearing, representatives of the Yendi Municipal Assembly for instance told the committee that persons who benefited from loans disbursed under the Poverty Alleviation Fund mistook it for gifts and therefore failed to repay the money owed the state.
They told the committee that although they had records of those who benefited; the assembly was finding it difficult to trace the addresses of those on the list, a response that did not go down well with members of the committee.
The committee members lashed the Yendi Municipal Assembly for failing to show enough commitment to protect government funds. They directed the assemblies to make use of the state agencies such as the Police and the CID to identify those who have defaulted and prosecute them.
In the case of Sisala East District, out of GH¢31,050 unrecovered loans only GH¢2, 700 had been paid and the chairman of the committee asked the district chief executive, Madam Alijata Sulemana, to extend her recent heroic act of solely arresting a vehicle carrying 700 bags of subsidised government fertiliser beingsmuggled into the Republic of Burkina Faso by a notorious smuggler in the district to recover unpaid loans from beneficiaries.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/page.php?news=15251
According to the committee, failure to do so will mean harming the public purse and bleeding the coffers of the state. The Chairman of the committee, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, expressed worries about the trend of misconduct on the part of officers of the assemblies and their failure to apply the rules to the letter.
“When government gives you money, it also gives you guidelines on how to spend it, it is therefore very important to be abreast of the rules and regulations to avoid such corrupt practices,” he said.
“As members of the audit implementation committee, when you fail to apply sanctions, you become liable to sanctions,” he warned.
Most of the report heard by the committee bordered on failures to recoup monies disbursed under the Poverty Alleviation Fund and lack of commitment by those currently in office to trace the addresses of those who benefited from such programmes to recover those monies.
“What is more worrying is that last year in Tamale during our hearings, the same observations were made and officers were tasked to work on it but here we are with the same story been repeated. It appears, assemblies are not taking audit reports seriously,” he added.
During the hearing, representatives of the Yendi Municipal Assembly for instance told the committee that persons who benefited from loans disbursed under the Poverty Alleviation Fund mistook it for gifts and therefore failed to repay the money owed the state.
They told the committee that although they had records of those who benefited; the assembly was finding it difficult to trace the addresses of those on the list, a response that did not go down well with members of the committee.
The committee members lashed the Yendi Municipal Assembly for failing to show enough commitment to protect government funds. They directed the assemblies to make use of the state agencies such as the Police and the CID to identify those who have defaulted and prosecute them.
In the case of Sisala East District, out of GH¢31,050 unrecovered loans only GH¢2, 700 had been paid and the chairman of the committee asked the district chief executive, Madam Alijata Sulemana, to extend her recent heroic act of solely arresting a vehicle carrying 700 bags of subsidised government fertiliser beingsmuggled into the Republic of Burkina Faso by a notorious smuggler in the district to recover unpaid loans from beneficiaries.
http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/page.php?news=15251
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