Sunyani (B/A), July 2, GNA - A-70-year-old former principal technical officer of the Cocoa Services Division of COCOBOD on Wednesday appealed to the government to create a ministry of pension affairs to specifically process documents concerning pension benefits. Mr. Daniel Kingsley Bossman made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council hosted a luncheon for some senior citizens to observe the Republic Day celebration in Sunyani.

He explained that the ministry created could be decentralized at both the regional and district levels so that, "the situation whereby one has to travel to Accra and queue would stop". Mr. Bossman expressed concern about the delay and anomalies characterized in the processing of documents for pension benefits, stressing that, such ministry could also work to address and minimize such anomalies.

He reiterated the importance for the government to honour and provide special allowances for retired citizens who worked in honesty and humility without blemish towards the development of the country. "The allowances given us are too meagre to depend on", Mr. Bossman said, and suggested to the government to establish land banks so that retired citizens who were still healthy could access free of charge and venture into agriculture.

Nana Sabi Yeboah, 84, a former supervisor at the Non-formal Education noted that natinal re-construction could not be possible if the citizenry were not healthy.

He urged the government to, as a matter of urgency addressed challenges facing the National Health Insurance Scheme to make it more vibrant in providing quality health care delivery for the people. Nana Yeboah told GNA the importance for the government to ensure that children of school-going age access affordable and quality education to enable them to grow to become responsible citizens to serve the state.

Earlier, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Regional Minister commended the retired workers for their immense contribution towards the growth and development of the country.

He told the senior citizens that, even though they had retired from active services, there was the need for them to share their experiences with others to promote the development of their respective services. Mr. Marfo reminded them that Brong-Ahafo was to celebrate its 50th anniversary and pleaded with all and sundry to contribute their quota to make the event a success.

In another development, the Regional branch of the Police Ladies Association (POLAS) organised a clean-up exercise in some parts of Sunyani to observe the Republic Day celebration. Led by DSP Faustina Asare, regional president of POLAS, the police women, numbering more than 300 swept some principal streets of the town, weeded some areas and desilted choked gutters. Some of their male counterparts, community protection assistants as well as some youth engaged in waste and sanitation management module of the national youth and employment programme later joined the association in the five-hour exercise.

They later converged at the Sunyani main lorry park where DCOP Seth Charles Oteng, Regional Commander addressed them and some taxi drivers. DCOP Oteng stressed the need to ensure proper environmental sanitation at all places and advised the drivers to educate passengers not to litter the streets. He reminded them that filth contributed to the outbreak of diseases and urged the organisers and the participants to continue with the exercise. DCOP Oteng appealed to the Sunyani Municipal Assembly to place enough litter bins at vantage points. 02 July 09