Jomoro Assembly cannot pay ex-gratia now - DCD

Payment of ex-gratia allowances to the immediate past Assembly Members of Jomoro in the Western Region has been suspended indefinitely, pending reimbursement of 40,000 Ghana Cedis the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum owes the Assembly.

The Jomoro District Coordinating Director (DCD), Mr Abudu Amadu, made this known at the Seventh Jomoro District Assembly meeting at Half Assini.

He was answering questions from some re-elected Assembly members on when their ex-gratia allowances would be paid by the Assembly.

According to him, the Assembly has no extra money to pay the ex-gratia allowance for past Assembly Member, unless the Assembly receives reimbursement of the 40,000.00 Ghana Cedis the Assembly has spent on behalf of the Ministry.

The amount was in respect of expenses on security personnel at the Osagyefo Power Barge at Effasu near Half-Assini, being made on behalf of the Ministry, he said.

Mr Amadu said upon assurance given by the then Energy Minister, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, the Assembly has been paying between Ghc579 and Ghc659 fortnightly on transport and Traveling Allowances of Police personnel from Half Assini to Effasu to provide security services to the Barge since Government took over from Balkan Energy in 2013 thereabout.

He did not mention the number of policemen sent to the barge weekly.

The DCD could not say whether the barge was providing electricity to the nation.

The DCD disclosed that so far the Ministry had paid the Assembly only GH¢10,000 on its expenses on the barge, adding that unless the outstanding debt was paid the Assembly could not do otherwise.

He said the former DCE, Mr Sylvester Nuomah Daddieh, wrote the Ministry on the need for the Ministry to pay the amount but that was not been done.

Mr Amadu therefore appealed to the Assembly members concerned to exercise maximum restraint as the Assembly will pay their Ex-gratia allowances as and when funds were available.

Mr Amadu said though the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) had in September this year directed all MMDAs to pay their respective former Assembly members Ex-gratia allowances from their Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) the Assembly cannot afford to do so now due to its present financial constraints.

He said MLGRD has pegged the Ex-gratia allowance at GH¢1,000 and GH¢1,500 and GH¢2,500 per Assembly member respectively of District, Municipal, and Metropolitan Assembly.

According to the DCD, the Jomoro District Assembly was expected to pay a total of GH¢50,000 ex-gratia allowance but could not do so now because it had exhausted almost the amount involved on the barge.