Regional News of Monday, 17 July 2023

Source: Japhet Festus Gbede

Residents groan as assemblyman hijacks streetlights, leaving Have and Wuxor in darkness

A file photo A file photo

More parts of the Wuxor, Have, and Sremanu electoral area are falling under a blanket of darkness as the street lights appear to be collapsing in the nearly four years of Bright Badasu, the assemblyman of the area.

Badasu, who according to some residents received 15 street lights from the Member of Parliament of Akatsi South Constituency in February this year, and has refused to release the lights to the various communities for installation, leaving the communities in the dark and in the hands of criminal activities.

Kudzo Akpanya, speaking to the media indicated that he has done all that he could within his strength to retrieve the streetlights donated by the member of Parliament to the people of Have-fiakpokorpe and that of Sremanu, but his efforts were rendered fruitless by the assemblyman.

Interacting with the media on the subject, Japhet Festus Gbede indicated that streetlights are critical utilities in every community because of the immense benefits they provide
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For instance, apart from promoting security, they also enhance safety for drivers, riders, and pedestrians, so it is unreasonable for an assemblyman who has been given a streetlight freely without lobbying, to camp the lights in his room for no apparent reason for the past 5 months.

He also indicated that under the nearly 4-year tenure of Badasu, the streetlights in the electoral area are increasingly becoming ornamental in many parts of the area as they are either non-functional in the communities.

Expectedly, this trend of epileptic services has heightened the incidence of insecurity across the electoral spectrum, yet the assemblyman sits unconcerned over the subject.

He added that criminal elements within the electoral area are taking advantage of the poor illumination in these communities to steal their animals and belongings at night.

This development, Japhet said, has caused many to question the leadership of Badasu Bright.

He therefore warned that if the lights are not released to the respective communities in two weeks, the assemblyman will be sued in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Appealing to the government of Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and other benevolent organizations, he begged for the extension of electricity to Edzikorpe, Numagbey, Ewekorpe, and its environs.