Baah-Wiredu cautions against "naked stealing"

Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on Tuesday cautioned local government administrators against "naked stealing" of public monies meant for development.

"Let us resolve to join the dedicated and practical steps being undertaken by the government to block the misuse of monies meant for zonal, urban and town councils," he told an extraordinary emergency conference of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) in Sunyani.

The conference, under the theme: "Strengthening the path of decentralisation for accelerated development, the role of local authorities" would elect a new executive committee.

Baah-Wiredu asked people who have been privileged to become leaders to learn to be circumspect in the way they handle public monies and never to forget that people have a lot of pressing concerns.

Billions of cedis have gone down the drain due to the blatant abuse of power by past local government officials, he said, and hinted that six District Chief Executives would soon be prosecuted for using monies allocated for development programme.

The Minister did not mention their names.