Deputy Minister freezes MP's Common Fund

Odumase (E/R), Jan. 14, GNA - Mr Gustav Narh Dometey, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, has ordered the Manya Krobo District Assembly not to release the MP for Lower Manya, Mr Micheal Nyawonu's share of the Common Fund to him until he submit the names of beneficiaries of a tractor he bought with the Fund to the Assembly.

Mr Dometey gave the order at the Third People's Assembly for the Manya Krobo District at Odumase, on Tuesday.

The order followed a report that the MP had refused to respond to several letters from the Assembly demanding the names of the beneficiaries to enable the Assembly to charge the cost against them. Mr Dometey said Ghana Telecom would extend telephone facilities to the District as soon as power was made available for the facility. He explained that the Upper Manya area had all the requirements for the creation of a new district except the "poor" population of the area, which now stood at 74,000.

Mr Dometey said records indicated that ten years ago, the area had 73,000 people and for the population to increase by only 1,000 over ten years was an indication that people in the area did not take the last census seriously.

He appealed to the communities to always participate in any form of enumeration, including the registration of voters and future census. The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, said the National Health Insurance Scheme was not a promise to offer free medical service in the country but rather "it is mainly about the mode of payment for health service."

He said those who had made up their mind that they would be receiving free medical service under the scheme would be disappointed. The District Chief Executive, Mr Andrews Teye, expressed regret that although it had been established that Akuse belonged to the Manya Krobo District, "some people in government are refusing to put their feet down to state it," adding that, as a result revenue, which the Volta River Authority (VRA) should pay to the Assembly was being kept. The accounts, he said, was waiting for the final determination of the ownership of the Akuse Lands between the Dangbe West District Assembly and the Manya Krobo District before the amount could be disbursed.

At a similar forum at Somanya in the Yilo Krobo District, the District Chief Executive, Sub-Lt Christian Tettey (rtd), said the Yilo and Manya Krobo District Assemblies were putting their resources together for the establishment of a mini-sugar factory in the area. He said the Assembly would undertake landscaping and construction of a hotel at the Boti Waterfalls site this year.

Nana Ohene Ntow, a Government Spokesman on Finance, said the Government would soon sign an agreement with the Spanish government for a 100-million dollar loan for the rehabilitation of water systems in many parts of the country.