DCE hot for diverting fire tender

The District Chief Executive (DCE) and Parliamentary aspirant for Atwima Mponua, Stephen Yeboah, has come under intense pressure from residents of Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region over what they claim is his diversion of a fire tender meant for the people of the area.

The residents demonstrated on Tuesday morning against the DCE for allegedly ordering that the brand new fire tender given to the area by the government should be replaced with an old, nonfunctional fire tender in Obausi.

An Assembly Member in the district, Baba Yaro, speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM said: “Upon making enquiries into why the fire tender was replaced, we were told by the DCE that he ordered the replacement because there are no high rise buildings in area. But this is sad because fire disasters know no boundary; whether the building is high or low, and, so, why will they come for ours and replace it with a nonfunctional one. We can’t understand this, and, so, we are demonstrating against the DCE and the regional minister.”

Mr Yaro added that: “The Police have given us the permit to demonstrate and, so, we are embarking on it today (Tuesday October 25).”

Meanwhile, the DCE for the area, Mr Yeboah, said the pressure being mounted on him is politically motivated because his opponents had realised he would win the parliamentary seat in the December 7 polls.

He denied ordering the replacement of the fire tender, saying, “the DCE has no control over the fire tender, not even the regional minister. It is only the Chief Fire Officer who is mandated by law to direct the fire tenders to go to places where the need is greater”.

“They (residents) have the constitutional right to demonstrate but I know all these are politically motivated. After their demonstration, I will also address the press on the matter. I emphasise that the DCE does not control the fire tenders.”