Don’t relocate Eastern University, Krobos appeal to President
The chiefs and people of the Manya and Yilo Krobo traditional areas in the Eastern Region have appealed to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and his government not to relocate the proposed Eastern University (to be located at Somanya in the Yilo Krobo Municipality) to another area as a result of a change in government.
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According to the people, though it was during the National Democratic Congress ( NDC) era that the idea was mooted and as a result a sod was cut by the former President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, in December 2016 for work to begin but because the party was out of power, nothing had started.
They insisted that any party in power must continue from where the other left off.
Town hall meeting
The people made the appeal at a town hall meeting held at Odumase Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality last Thursday.
The meeting was organised by the assembly, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Local Government and Rural Development with the aim of sensitising the general public to government projects and programmes for the municipality.
Mr James Kofi Tettey, a participant, alleged that there were rumours in the Krobo area that once the NDC was no more in power, the current government had planned to relocate the university to an Akan-related area as Krobos were in the minority in the Eastern Region.
He said if it was true, then the present government had not been fair to the Krobos.
He added that “if it is about party line, then we also deserve what is good because we voted massively for the party during the last election, an evidence of Mr Joseph Tetteh, who won the Upper Manya seat for the party.’’
Rebuttal
The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Chief Executive, (MCE), Mr Kweku Tetteh, debunked the rumour and said the government was rather eager to continue projects that were started by the previous government in order to account for value for money spent on those projects.
According to Mr Tetteh, the government has made all the necessary arrangements for work on the university to start by early next year. ‘“Anything negative about the university is just a mere rumour to score political points so let me say that everything is on course for it to take off,’’ he stressed.
One-district, One-factory Project
The people have also appealed to the government to consider the Krobo area for a cement factory because of the limestone deposit in the area.
They explained that though the mango and honey factories had been approved, those were seasonal but the cement factory would be sustainable and create jobs for the people of the area because of the limestone at Odugblase in the Krobo area where GHACEM currently gets its raw materials.
Assembly’s projects
The MCE mentioned a number of development projects including education, health, sanitation, agriculture, social protection, roads, electricity, local economic development and sports as being seriously considered in the assembly’s development agenda.
He, however, said the assembly was facing serious financial challenges as a result of the GH¢1.8 million debt inherited from the previous regime and explained that most of the educational projects completed by the previous government were not fully paid for and the contractors were always at the heels of the assembly demanding their money.
“We know that what they are demanding is genuine because they did the work and they have to be paid, but where to get the money immediately to service the inherited debt is the assembly’s headache now,’’ the MCE added.
Internally generated fund
The MCE said a sound local economy was built on the ability to generate enough revenue internally. In view of that, the assembly was making frantic efforts to improve its internally generated revenue. He said as from 2018, the assembly was going to be very serious with the collection of property rates, one of the major sources of revenue to the assembly and urged all owners to cooperate with them when the time was due.
‘’It is important that we all understand the role we play as far as the payment of taxes is concerned and I use this opportunity to humbly appeal to citizens of Lower Manya Krobo to honour their tax obligation in our own interest,’’ Mr Tetteh pleaded.