Don't vilify previous administrators of premix fuel

Accra, Sept. 10, GNA - Mr Bismark Doku-Nettey, a former acting chairman of the Premix Committee, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the frequent allusion to mismanagement and embezzlement of revenue from premix fuel by past managers of the produce.

He challenged persons circulating such rumors to put an end to those derogatory statements or back their claims with legal action if they had any evidence.

In a statement to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Friday, in Accra, Mr Doku-Nettey said it had become the trend for some individuals to impute corruption to previous

managers of the premix fund any time they had to publicly address issues relating to the fuel.

"This is very distressing because during my tenure as acting chairman of the committee, which was under the supervision of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, from 1999 to 2001, we did our utmost best to ensure that that funds realized were put to good use for the benefit of all the members of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen," he said.

"We respected the regulations on the utilization of the funds and never embezzled any funds. As the second vice president of the Ghana National Association of Farmers and fishermen, I was instrumental in the efforts to get the government to reintroduce pre-mix fuel to fishermen and I became a committee member when it was subsequently re-launched in March 1995."

Detailing some of the achievements, Mr Doku-Nettey said, upon assumption of office in November 1998 as the acting chairman, over one billion old Ghana cedis was declared as the amount from the contributions of fishermen, in January 1999.

"Based on the directive of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the money was shared among the various identified groups on an agreed formula to support their projects and programmes," he explained.

"It is on record that the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council used part of their money to establish an office at the James Town Beach.

"The National Fisheries Association of Ghana renovated their office in Tema with their share of the money allocated, the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council invested their money in an Oil Marketing Company."

Mr Doku-Nettey said, the Sekondi Service Centre Union used their allocated fund to build an office in Sekondi, while the Chorkor-Woleamli, Chorkor Lanteman and Chorkor Gbese used their share to buy a plot of land at Gbegbeyisei for a community toilet.

He said when he had exited office on 23rd February 2001, the committee was expecting about six hundred million old cedis being outstanding receipts from an Oil Marketing Company.

"I think it is about time we consciously worked towards nurturing a healthy working environment within the fisheries sub-sector," he said.