I haven’t seen what you have done in 12 years – Offinsohene tells MP

Offinsohene Nana Wiafe Akenteng III has said he is unable to put a finger on one tangible thing that the Member of Parliament(MP) for the Offinso South Constituency, Ben Abdallah Banda has done in the constituency in the almost twelve years that he has been a legislator.

“I want the gentleman to understand some things, the truth is only one; because we don’t speak the truth in the country, even if things go amiss, we still pamper people, why!; it’s rather unfortunate. In a short time we will be going into the elections, as for me I don’t do politics, I’m the Offinsohene, but if you do the right thing, you will be commended, so if you are a leader, do things that would be commendable”, the respected chief said at a function organized by the MP.

He referred to the document presented by the MP that sought to project the work that he had done in the constituency so far and lamented that all of those projects, which included boreholes and classroom buildings were concentrated at Abofour, the hometown of Ben Abdallah Banda at the expense of the other twenty two communities in the constituency.

“We have followed the NPP for a very long time; when they were forming the National Liberation Movement (NLM), my uncle and myself were part, before the formation of the United Party (UP) in the Busia era; we have been voting for the NPP all this while; twelve years in Parliament, let us be truthful and say it as it is; what is going on in Offinso South as compared to Offinso North; nothing is going on here, the whole township is dark, the capital of the Offinso Traditional Area, why!, so if they have forgotten, I’m reminding them”, he fumed.

The MP had handed over assorted logistics to the Education Directorate, Health Directorate and the Ghana Police Service in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti region with his share of the MPs Common Fund at a well-attended durbar when the chief made the remarks.

Amongst the items were 3 motorbikes for the GES and 15000 exercise books to be distributed to schools, 3 motorbikes to the Ghana Police Service and an ambulance to the Abofour Health Centre to ease health delivery in its adjoining communities.

He also handed over a grader and an excavator provided by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to the Offinso Municipal Assembly for the upgrading and reshaping of feeder roads in the constituency.

The MP climaxed his donation with a sod cutting for the reconstruction of the Offinso New Town Market into a multipurpose storey structure.

But the revered chief said 12 years were too long for the MP to try to compensate his constituents with such petty donations when there is not much to show for his stewardship.

He said the Offinso people have continuously voted for the NPP but they cannot boast of anything that they have benefitted from their loyalty to the ruling party.

But in his response, Hon. Abdallah said he us resolute that, his constituents would vote for him for a fourth term should he emerge as the parliamentary candidate of the NPP in 2020.

He argues that, his party was in opposition for eight out of the twelve years that he has been MP and that explains why his people did not see any massive improvement under his tenure.

Ben Abdallah Banda is the Chairman of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee of Parliament.