I am voting for Nana Addo and the NPP in 2016 elections because of their policy of One million Dollar For Each Constituency Every Year!. My reasons are explained below.
I am an elected Assembly member at the Bosomtwe District Assembly. My electoral area is called New Behenase Electoral Area. Technically, three communities are under my care. Behenase, New Behenase and New Kokobiriko. New Behenase and New Kokobiriko are jointly known as Abidjan Nkwanta, a community after Aputuogya and before Jachie on Atonsu- Kuntenase main road. Behenase is two killiometers away from Abidjan Nkwanta on Abidjan Nkwanta-Apinkra Road (Untarred Road of course!)
Abidjan Nkwanta has a population of over 3,500 and Behenase has a population of over 1,000.
My fellow Ghanaians, Abidjan Nkwanta has no single government Junior High School (JHS). I mean no JHS for students in a community of over 3,500 population. The least I say about Behenase the better. The community has no single school!
Because of the long distances children need to travel every day to other communities either by foot or by car to attend school, most of them become less interested in school and some students become drop outs and at the end they all become burden to the community and the nation at large.
Upon assumption of office, I took it upon myself to lobby the education directorate to seek approval to begin JHS at Abidjan Nkwanta. At long last, I secured it!
The Chief of this community has constructed a seven unit classroom block from his own pocket to the roofing level.
I approached him and he said he can give out this structure to the District Assembly for them to use as a public school with no cost. However, the means to roof it is not available so if the district is willing to roof it, he will hand the project over to the District Assembly.
Myself, the Chief, my Committee Secretary went to the District Assembly to have a meeting with the District Coordinating Director and the District Chief Executive (DCE). After a successful meeting and a consultation with the Education Directorate, they agreed to take over the project, roof at least one to three rooms for the JHS to begin! That was a refreshing news! Isn’t it? (Did not figure out I am dealing with crook NDC government).
The Chief and myself signed a letter to confirm the project is now the property of the District Assembly and not the chief anymore!
Engineers came to the building, took measurements and according to the information I had, did the appropriate estimate (costing) to the District Assembly.
We had little less than two months for school to reopen. I did all the appropriate follow ups on regular basis and anytime I go I am told they will come and do it before school reopens so I should not worry.
I patiently wait.
Two weeks to reopen, I have not seen anything yet. Hmm, what a danger! Things were getting out of hands. I lastly went to the DCE again a week to reopen and this is what she told me:
“Go and stand on the road and collect taxes from the trucks carrying sand passing through your community so you can get money and roof the building. The District Assembly has no money to roof it. Our account is zero balance, Common Fund is not in, so hon. go and collect taxes from the tipper trucks to roof the building. There is nothing we can do!”
I immediately lost all appetite! One week to reopen and this is what you are telling me after all the assurances?
The painful thing was, if the DCE has told me this earlier, I could have know how to mobilise the people and raise some money to roof at least one room and furnish it for the students to use for only JHS 1. The DCE has disappointed me! The District Assembly has disappointed me!
I said to myself, so a whole District Assembly cannot roof one single room and furnish it? Where is the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF)? Where is the District Development Fund(DDF)? Where is the Internal Generated Fund (IGF)? Where are the other other funds!? My goodness; Ghana!
My conclusion
If NPP’s policy of One Constituency One Million Dollar is in place, this mess would not have been created. Money will be available right at the Constituency to carry out urgent needs like this instead of the crook officials spending them in Accra!
As an Assembly Member, I see this policy to help me a lot because money will be available at the grassroots for us to use for developmental projects which are of urgent needs to our people. Most people do not vote in District Level elections because according to them they do not see Assembly Members doing any developmental project. This is a threat to our democracy! This policy (One constituency one million dollar every year) will curb that problem!
We do not need to rely on the Central Government and the DACF, DDF and IGF alone to do projects in our communities especially urgent ones (Remember, the NDC government do not make these statutory payments on time and some not at all).
Nana Addo has promised to make prompt payments of these statutes and with One Constituency One million Dollar every year, it will support the work I am doing as an Assembly Member.
This reason I am voting for Nana.
#Im4Nana. #Im4change. Nana bɛba. Change is coming.
#SirGABIForever
©Gabriel Asante
Department of History and Political Studies
KNUST-Kumasi
E-mail: [email protected]
Mobile: 0245 328155
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