NDC Krachie East Executives addressing the press
The Krachie East Constituency Executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are calling on the Member of Parliament (MP) in the constituency Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato to acknowledge the works by his predecessor Hon. Wisdom Gidisu before the latter left office.
The party executives find it “intriguing” that the current “MP Hon. [ads1]Gyato’s claim that the “rural electrification project which is about to commence in the constituency is a project he [MP] initiated”. This, the executives noted that it is an “absolute falsehood”. Mr. Edem Gidisu, the NDC Krachie East Secretary disclosed this when he was addressing a news conference yesterday.
“We appreciate the government’s effort to continue this project which was started by the previous NDC government through the forma MP Hon Wisdom Gidisu. But we find it very intriguing that the current MP wants to claim the originality of this project without any recourse to his predecessor who did everything humanly possible within his might to initiate it”, the release stated.
“Hon. Wisdom Gidisu started the request in 2012 with a responds letter reference number KB100/255/08 from Ministry of Energy dated 12/04/2012. It says “we refer to your letter dated 16/03/2012 on your request to the Ministry of Energy to consider the extension of national electricity grid to selected communities in the Krachi East Constituency. The ministry intends to consider these communities under the upcoming electrification project to be undertaken by CHINA INTERNATIONAL WATER & ELECTRIC CORPORATION (CWE). We advise that you prioritize the communities to enable us strategize towards their implementation”, the statement added.
They are urging the governing NPP not to drag the NDC into petty politics which will cause them pounce on the NPP to disrupt their agenda.
Below is the full statement.
PRESS CONFERENCE TO SET THE RECORDS STRAIGHT BY THE CONSTITUENCY EXECUTIVES OF THE NATIONAL DEMPCRAATIC CONGRESS (NDC) IN THE KRACHI EAST CONSTITUENCY OF THE VOLTA REGION
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen and the press here present.
We the Krachi East Constituency Executives of the NDC are hereby meeting you to set the records which our friends in the NPP are trying hard in their possible best to twist. We are very grateful for honouring our invitation.
The MP; Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato, through his special aid- Mr. Awuah Frank, seeks to say that the rural electrification project which is about to commence in the constituency is a project he has initiated by him and him only. This is absolute falsehood.
FACTS ON THE PROJECT
The truth is that the forma Member of Parliament, Hon. Wisdom Gidisu started the request in 2012 with a responds letter reference number KB100/255/08 from Ministry of Energy dated 12/04/2012. It says “we refer to your letter dated 16/03/2012 on your request to the Ministry of Energy to consider the extension of national electricity grid to selected communities in the Krachi East Constituency. The ministry intends to consider these communities under the upcoming electrification project to be undertaken by CHINA INTERNATIONAL WATER & ELECTRIC CORPORATION (CWE). We advise that you prioritize the communities to enable us strategize towards their implementation”.
Upon this request, the communities were prioritized and submitted to the ministry accordingly. The contractor finally arrived in 2015 to carry out survey and demarcation works. Mr. Akpo Aryee Thompson, AKA Osofo was assigned by the KRACHI EAST DISTRICT assembly to take the contractor to the various communities for the exercise. The contractor had not finished before the NDC lost power in 2016.
To aid this project, the district assembly, in collaboration with the forma MP (who asked that the assembly used his common fund) hired budozer to construct roads to the various communities where roads did not exist to enable the easy implementation of the project. As we speak now, all of these roads have been opened up to the various communities waiting for the electrification project to commence.
Before we proceed, ladies and gentlemen of the media, may we ask the NPP these begging questions for answers.
- When did Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato applied for the Rural Electrification project?
- When did his contractor come to do community entry, survey and mapping in the Constituency?
- Why is his supposed contractor the same as that on Hon, Wisdom Gidisu’s responds letter from the Ministry of Energy?
We appreciate the government’s effort to continue this project which was started by the previous NDC government through the forma MP Hon Wisdom Gidisu. But we find it very intriguing that the current MP wants to claim the originality of this project without any recourse to his predecessor who did everything humanly possible within his might to initiate it.
There are always processes and procedures on which government projects go through until they are finally completed. It was this same contractor who started and completed the rural electrification project at both Nkwanta North Constituency and Nkwanta South Constituency of Which Yarega Number one and two located in the Krachi East Constituency were hooked up to the national grid under our tenure.
THE ODD CONDUCT OF THE HON. DCE, PATRICK CHATI JILIMA
The most interesting part for which we in the NDC need answers is the attitude of the District Chief Executive; Hon. Patrick Charty Jilima is the fact that he organized tags to go and disrupt the contractor at Katanga when he came to continue his unfinished contract, but later made a ‘u’ turn and alleged shamelessly that it was Akpo Aryee Thompson who went and stopped the contractor from working.
- Is it because Akpo Aryee Thompson was the one leading the contractor? He, the DCE and his hooligans even threatened to arrest him for leading the contractor. This act of his was nothing but share incompetence. This lawlessness must stop immediately.
- Did the DCE sit down in a minute to find out how Mr. Akpo Aryee Thopmson got to know the contractor before he works with him?
- Did he bother himself to find out how the special aid to the MP fits into the local government concept in Ghana, let alone giving directives to a contractor to come and see the DCE for directives?
- Is the Hon. DCE, per his demeanor, telling the good people of this District that he did not know of the existence of this project upon the assumption of office?
- Is it wrong for a person who is perceived to be an NDC to lead developmental projects in the district? What are the DCE and his hooligans hiding or afraid of?
- What offence has Akpo Aryee Thompson committed to warrant such an arrest as he (DCE) directed the Ghana Police Service? Or it is the case of some Ghanaians is more important than others, as it was well spelt out by one of their Ambassadors?
We however, challenge the DCE to go ahead and arrest the gentleman.
OTHER PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE
Ladies and Gentlemen, the forma MP Hon. Wisdom Gidisu has also on 31st October, 2012 requested for solar systems for other communities where the national grid could not be extended to. The Ministry of Energy has accepted and indicated its implementation. There are 27 communities most of which are the island communities are expected to benefit from this project also. We are hereby appealing to his Excellency the President as a matter of urgency to consider this project also as well as the free distribution of gas cylinders which were allocated to the constituency. Governance is continuum hence should please consider the reasons for these requests were made and continue those projects. We shall applaud him so much.
DISTRIBUTION OF ECG METERS IN THE CONSTITUENCY
Ladies and Gentlemen, the MP Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato should be truthful as he is not an MP for NPP people only. He just benefited from the initiatives of his predecessor Hon Wisdom Gidisu in the distribution of the electricity meters. The distribution which was supposed to be done before the 2016 elections delayed and he came in to take the credit without the acknowledgement of the efforts of his predecessor.
If anybody is in doubt, go check the date for this meters; request date and supposed distribution date for those meters.
We in the NDC acknowledge that the projects are for the good of our people and so do not bother whoever makes frantic effort in bringing them to the constituency. But the effort to portray forma MP Hon Wisdom Gidsu as evil and has not done anything is the matter. Anyway, Ladies and Gentlemen, whether he has done something or not the people are the best judge.
Let me quickly add another diabolic and dishonest comments our colleagues have been making; thus that forma MP Hon. Wisdom Gidisu used his common fund to buy drums and grinding mills for communities. This is factual and we are grateful they acknowledge that he did not embezzle the fund. However, to them the items bought were rather stupid and nonsense. We want our friends (Hon Michael Yaw Gyato and his NPP) to note that, no matter how irrelevant those things are to them, they were the things needed by the people and they actually requested for. The Hon Member listened to the needs and plights of his people and tried to resolve those within his capacity as an MP.
If they care to know, aside those items, forma MP Hon. Wisdom Gidisu also used his common funds to pay for the schools fees for students from Krachi East in the secondary schools wherever they found themselves. Krachi East students in the various universities were also not exempted.
Also the common fund was used to take care of the WASCE registration fees for students. We never did selective registration as it is the case today. The children of NPP members were being considered first before others.
Further, the former MP used his common funds for the following;
– prepared and supplied dual desks to all schools the constituency including community schools,
– Mono desks to the only two secondary schools then in the constituency, – bought computers for some health and education institutions,
– prepared beds and benches for all the health centres in the constituency,
– bought jerseys and balls for all the schools in the constituency, supplied exercise books to the schools in the constituency etc.
Ladies and Gentlemen all these interventions are on record and evident in the institutions and were undertaken with no iota of discrimination.
UNDELIVERED PROMISES OF HON. MICHAEL YAW GYATO
Ladies and Gentlemen, the then parliamentary candidate and now the Member of Parliament and the NPP party during the 2016 campaign, made the following promises to be delivered one year into office as the Member of Parliament.
- A District Hospital. Where is it?
- Construction of roads to various communities. Where are the roads?
- Supply of outboard motors to fisher folks to be paid on installment bases. Where are the outboard motors?
- Payment of compensation of the very people he demolished their buildings at lakeside for the current market site for which reason the victims have taken the Krachi East District Assembly to court. We are waiting.
- Supply of GSM networks to some communities within one year. Where are the networks?
- Aiding the teaming youth of the constituency who want to be recruited into the various security services in the country. Can he (Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato) boldly come out to tell us how many of the youth he has assisted into the various security services during the just ended recruitment exercise.
- He also assured the various Zongo communities of aiding ten (10) muslems to the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Of course, that has also not materialized.
Ladies and gentlemen, we want to tell the Hon Member of Parliament and his people that we in the NDC are interested in the development of the Krachi East Constituency no matter who is in power or whose is not in power, so they should concentrate and do whatever they can to resolve or fix all the challenges of the people in Krachi East as they have promised to do in a matter of one year upon assumption of office. We urge them not to drag us into petty politics for us to pounce on them to disrupt their agenda.
Thank you.