According to the DCE, the East Gonja District was fully poised to implementing its development plans and programmes under the Better Ghana Agenda, hence the urgent need for the Assembly to put in place the necessary structures to serve as engine for the realization of the set agenda.
Addressing Chiefs, opinion leaders and the elected Unit Committee members at separate durbars at Makango, Salaga, Kpembe, Binjai, Kpariba and Abromase to inaugurate the Committee, Hon Mumuni explained to the members their roles and responsibilities as decision-making body of their local areas and to also serve as the voice of the people at the assembly level. The Inauguration of the Committees coincided with the East Gonja District sanitation day, a day set aside by the DCE and his officials in every first day of every month to woo residents and most especially school children to clean their environment.
The DCE reminded them to be disciplined, responsible, promote sanitation and also mobilize revenues for the assembly to boost development.
He noted that the members have two main responsibilities of encouraging their people to pay their taxes regularly and also ensuring proper sanitation.
Hon Mumuni maintained that, the District Assembly’s Common Fund from the Central Government was too meager to satisfy the development needs of the over five hundred and fifty (550) communities in the district and therefore encouraged the district revenue collectors and the various assembly members to intensify their revenue collection drive.
He assured that, 50% of every revenue that would be generated from the electoral area would go to the Committee to support their local development programmes and also takes care of the remunerations of the members.
The DCE therefore warned that “any Unit Committee that would downplay the assembly’s policies of mobilizing more revenues or ensuring clean environment would face serious sanction.
He hinted that the assembly had put in place measures to encourage traditional authorities to complement its revenue generational efforts, setting aside special royalties out of every revenue generated in their localities.
On the other hand, the DCE disclosed that the East Gonja District Assembly had also had plans to encourage the people to develop the spirit of tree planting to protect their communities from being destroyed by heavy storms and that the assembly was also setting aside a special budget towards the tree planting exercise especially in schools.
On his part, the Chief of Makango, Ewuntomah Issifa, who partook in the clean up exercise earlier in day led by the DCE commended him (the DCE) for initiative which sought to encourage the youth and the entire people of the district to keep clean environment at all times.
According to the Chief, the DCE irrespective of his busy schedules had been in constant touch with the people especially those in the deprived communities, citing the last year’s flooding season as example, where the DCE constantly visited the victims with his mere presence and some relief items.
The Chiefs further recounted that at some point, the DCE willingly vacated his official residence just to accommodate some health personnel and teachers who were also affected by the flood and were threatening to leave the district.
He noted the two years of Hon Mumuni’s administration had seen the elimination of schools in the communities in the Makango Divisional Area and construction of a health center to cater for the health needs of the people.
The Chief on that basis assured the DCE of his personal commitment towards ensuring a clean environment in the communities under his jurisdiction, play a lead role in the tree planting exercise and also assist the Unit Committee and revenue collectors to succeed in their operations.
However, at Salaga, the district capital, the East Gonja DCE, Alhassan Mumuni unveiled plans by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to construct a new ultra modern government hospital at Salaga this year, which is aimed at improving on the health needs of the people in the district.
That notwithstanding, government according to the DCE was considering the rehabilitation and expansion of the Salaga Water System, which had been a source of worry to the people over the year as well as the Tamale-Salaga- Makango road to boost economic and agricultural activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment