MCE for Keta rejects allegations of premix fuel impropriety

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Keta, Emmanuel Gemegah, has rejected allegations of impropriety levelled against him by a youth group in the allocation of premix fuel to fisherfolk in the municipality.

He said the allegations were unfounded and do not represent the position of the entire youth of the municipality.

In a statement issued on June 20 and copied to the media, the MCE said the allegations by the said youth group were deliberate orchestrations by a few aggrieved and self seeking individuals who were financially sponsored by a gang of faceless persons whose nefarious and illegal activities, his administration sought to combat since assuming office.

"My resolve to ensure due diligence, value for money and social justice for all, has been a challenge for such faceless individuals in society hence their determination to tarnish my hard won reputation and that of the assembly - the falsehoods being peddled and put out in the public domain are just to hoodwink and incite the public against my person and the assembly", he said.

He described the the allegations as frivolous, hogwash, hollow, mischievous, lacking merit and only directed at personal hatred and self aggrandizement.

The MCE therefore urged the public to disregard such allegations in the interest of peaceful coexistence and the forward march of the Keta Municipality.

A group calling itself 'The Concerned Youth of Keta', in a recent press statement, alleged that the Keta MCE had arrogated the powers of the landing beach committees, which distributed the fuel, to himself and his cronies.

The group noted that the MCE was managing the sale of the consignment to fisherfolk without transparency and accountability.

According to the statement, committees that refused to comply with the MCE’s directives were made to suffer unwarranted consequences.

Citing Vodza and Adzido, two major fishing communities in the municipality to buttress their point, the group stated that the communities had been arbitrarily blacklisted by the MCE, and since June 2022, had not received a single consignment of the essential commodity.

The group said fish and fisheries were integral parts of the livelihood, culture and heritage of the people in all the coastal-fishing communities.

“The sector is also estimated to approximately employ 6 million people in the value chain in Ghana which translates into 20 per cent of the population,” it said.

The youth group lamented that despite the enormous importance of the industry, the local fish resources and management were suffering the combined effects of weak governance, abuse of power, lack of transparency, heavy exploitation and, in some cases, poor management practices in the marine ecosystems on the part of the officials in charge of the sector.

They, therefore, called for remedial actions to stop the MCE from his 'autocratic' leadership style towards the communities which was not only denying the people their due, but also tarnishing the image of the government of the day.