Chiefs in Asante-Akim North Municipality want PM elected

Agogo (Ash), July 17, GNA - Some traditional rulers in the Asante-Akim North Municipality have expressed concern about the delay by the Municipal Assembly to elect a Presiding Member (PM), saying this was militating against socio-economic development.

They said the Assembly had on eight occasions failed to elect a PM and called for consensus-building amongst the members to help facilitate development to boost the social wellbeing of the people.

The traditional rulers made the call when Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister paid a courtesy call on them at their respective palaces, as part of his working visit to the area.

The Minister visited the Agogo Traditional Council, as well as the Konongo and Odumase Traditional Councils.

Nana Kwame Nti, Krontihene of the Agogo Traditional Area, identified sharp political differences amongst the members as the main reason for their inability to elect a PM, saying it was high time the assembly members buried their differences for the benefit of the people.

He lashed at some of the members for politicizing the decentralization concept and warned that this could be counter-productive to the sustainable growth of the area.

Nana Nti appealed to the government to endeavour to upgrade the Agogo-Kwahu stretch of road to boost commercial activities in the area.

Nana Karikari Appau, Adontehene of Konongo, indicated that ensuring the achievement of the country’s development goals was a shared responsibility and therefore it was the duty of the members to pursue the overall interest of the electorates.

Nana Yaa Koa, Queen of Odumase, decried how the police at Odumase lack the necessary basic logistics and resources, such as accommodation and a decent station to facilitate their work.

The police, she said, were for now accommodated in a rented dilapidated building and stressed that this was affecting their work negatively to the disadvantage of the residents.

Dr Agyemang-Mensah noted that government recognizes the crucial role traditional rulers played in the development agenda of the country and assured of government’s preparedness to involve them actively in the development process.

He said the Mills’ administration would work hard to address the needs of the people and called for support from stakeholders to ensure the success of development projects, programmes and initiatives.