DCE defrauds farmers

The District Chief Executive for Karaga , Hon Sulemana Hussein Issah has defrauded four poor farmers in the district of a total amount of sixty nine thousand Ghana cedis (GH ¢69000) under the pretext of helping them acquire tractors from the presidency. According to victims, the DCE contacted them and alleged that His Excellency President Mills had procured tractor specifically for sale to farmers in the Karaka District and that farmers interested could contact him for purchase.

The four unsuspecting and needy farmers then engaged the DCE in a meeting after which the he gave them his personal account number and that of his acquaintance Mr. Haruna Nantogma. The farmers then paid an amount of Twelve thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢12,000) into the personal account of the DCE on 23rd march 2011 at the Fidelity Bank in Tamale whiles the rest of the money paid into the personal account of his crony, Mr. Haruna Nantogma. “Because he used the President’s name, we believed in that statement and sold almost all our properties to buy the tractors” one of the victims in an interview told THE TIDEin a very frustrated mode.

The farmers were then promised that the tractors will be delivered one month after the payment, to their utter shock and dismay, the tractors have not been delivered for the past nine months ( 9 months) and all attempts to get back their monies have proved futile.

In their determination to get a refund, Hon. Sulemana Hussein Issah told them he had already paid the money to the Castle and that he was awaiting delivery of the tractors from the presidency.

The farmers lost patience after several months of failed promises from the DCE and therefore caused the arrest of his crony, Mr. Haruna Nantogma who was subsequently bailed with the assistance of the DCE and promised that they will be selling a house within three months to pay the money, ‘’it is seven months now and nothing is said of the sale of the house just like the refund of the monies”. They purported. The DCE, according to the victims is using his influence to frustrate their efforts at retrieving the money and interfering with police investigation, it has since lead them to reported the case to the chief of Karaga who then summoned all the parties involved to his palace where the DCE promised he was going to refund the monies to the poor farmers but that promise is yet to see the test of time as he has failed woefully to deliver on his promise. It is therefore very clear that, Hon Sulemana Hussein Issah and his crony have no intention of refunding the monies which unfortunately is making the four poor farmers poorer because they sold all their valuables including cattle, foodstuffs, grinding meals and motor bikes to raise that colossal amount of money. These farmers are therefore appealing to the president to pay back their money to the DCE to enable the DCE also refund the money to them since the DCE mentioned that he had paid the money to the presidency.

It will be recalled that, the same DCE, Sulemana Hussein Issah made a pronouncement sometime last year to the effect that the president had secured a large hectares of land from the chief of Karaga for block farming only for the office of the president to issue a disclaimer of that statement the next day. The same DCE is also accused by majority of the indigents of gross incompetence, high handedness and the exhibition of a high sense of indiscretion in his activities. His demeanor, actions and inactions tend to betray his status, personality and integrity as an honorable member of the society and the chief representative of the president in the district. Hon Sulemana Hussein Issah is said to be egoistic and that he gives contracts to his cronies who have no leanings to the districts to the detriment of hard working members of the party in the district.

It is also alleged that, he has assigned a driver of the district assembly to always pick his wife in a state vehicle to the market and back which is a clear act of abuse of office. He does not forge unity among the leadership and rank and file of the party which has created a lot of apathy and despondency in the district which obviously threatens the growth and fortunes of the NDC in the district.

The farmers are therefore counting on the president his Excellency John Evans Atta Mills to assist them get back their monies from the presidency to avert a demonstration by themselves, their families, friends and sympathizers against the DCE and the president, since the he has disclosed that he did not spend the money but rather paid it to the presidency.