Deputy Minister in trouble for allegedly insulting Chiefs over road project

The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister Samuel Nuertey Ayertey has incurred the wrath of Chiefs in Oborpa and its surrounding communities in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality for allegedly insulting them for kicking against grading of a major road linking the Communities but in deplorable conditions.

The Chiefs stopped a grader brought on the road by the Deputy Minister to scrape the deplorable Oborpa to Klo Gyerkity road arguing that the Minister failed to explain the type of road construction the grader will be doing on the road considering that they are demanding proper rehabilitation and construction of four collapsed bridges on the road in a petition signed by 32 Dademantseme (sub-chiefs) in the farming Communities in the area and copied to the Minister, Kono of Manya Krobo, the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly, Police, Electoral Commission.

In the Petition, the Chiefs threatened that they will not allow any political activity including campaigning and voting on their lands if their roads are not fixed.

The Deputy Minister who is also the Parliamentary Candidate for the ruling NPP in Lower Manya Krobo Constituency allegedly insulted the chiefs for stoping the grading of the road.

This angered the Chiefs who threatened to deal with the Deputy Regional Minister and ruling New Patriotic Party if he fails to apologize to them.

The Deputy Regional Minister however sent a delegation led by the Municipal Chief Executive for Lower Manya Krobo Simon Kwaku who knelt before the Chiefs to apologize on his behalf.

According to the Dadamemantse of Oborpa Nene Agbertey Tetteh, they leniently fined the Deputy Regional Minister for his misconduct.

Oborpa junction to Klo Gyerkity road was a tarred road constructed by Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to connect Akosombo.

The road links about 50 farming Communities along the stretch but has deteriorated and become unmotorable as bridges on the road have collapsed making it difficult for farmers to transport their farm produce to market centers.

Chiefs and Residents in the Area have resolved not to allow political parties to campaign in the area if the roads are not fixed banning Political posters and erection of political billboards in the interim threatening to boycott the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.

The Deputy Minister is unavailable for an interview but his Aide tells Kasapa News the Minister did not insult the chiefs and that he was trying to explain the issues to them, adding that the delegation went there just to broker peace.