Perhaps, the tour of the vice president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, to the Asunafo District in the Brong Ahafo Region Tuesday, this week, would be one of his tours he would never forget in his life, since he assumed the second highest office of the land.
The journey that was supposed to take about one hour lasted for almost three hours in the thickest forest of Asumura area.
The many hours spent in the thick forest by the vice president and his entourage arose because the whole convoy following him lost its way to Goaso, when he was returning from Tetekwao, after he had inspected a bridge under construction on the “Suee” river at the village, near the western border of the region.
The inspection of the bridge took place at about 8 pm, after Alhaji Mahama had addressed a durbar of chiefs and people of the Tetekwao village, who had been waiting for him for the whole day to show appreciation for the NPP Government for the construction of the bridge.
The whole episode began at 8:28 pm, when the convoy of the veep was returning to Sunyani after his duty tour to the Ahafo area. The vice president and his entourage took off from Tetekwao and headed towards Goaso, but could not find the way to Goaso, until 11:28 p,m when they managed to touch the main road of Kukuom.
On the way, the convoy, including the security, could not trace the local security officers leading them, due to heavy dust that covered the road.
At a point of the road, the vice president and his entourage came to a cross road, making them take a fatal decision. They took one of the roads, but had to abandon it, after about a kilometre drive. All the vehicles in the convoy had to make a u-turn to follow another road which was believed to be the road to Asumura.
On this road, it took the veep and his entourage almost one and half hours without reaching anywhere.
At a point, the vice president’s security realized that they were on the wrong road and therefore had to order the convoy to go back.
On the way back, they reached a town called Akrodie where this reporter went and knocked someone’s else’s door to ask for direction to Goaso.
The good Samaritan woke up from sleep to direct the vice president and his entourage towards the road to Goaso and within a short time they found their way to Goaso and finally to Sunyani.
It was on the main Kukuom road that the local security (police) from the region were seen waiting for the veep’s convoy.
The question is who should be blamed for this mishap that befell the vice president and his entourage? Is it the local police or the security from Accra, who would not allow any other person to talk to them or the Sunyani local police, who were supposed to lead the way and to know the whereabouts of the vice president, but was waiting somewhere else when the vice president was know where to be found ?
Earlier in the day the vice president had inspected the Sunyani-Atronie-Aherensua road currently under construction.
He commended the contractor, J. Adom Ltd, for the good work so far done, urging him to complete the job on schedule.
Replying, the managing director of the company, Mr. J. Adom, assured the vice president that he would finish it at the stipulated time.
The deputy Minister of Finance, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, told the towns along the road that if only it is the problem of money to complete the work, then there is no cause for alarm.
At Ntotroso, the vice president told the chiefs and people that the HIPC initiative has yielded about ?800 billion and these monies are used to build infrastructures, like schools, hospitals and roads, in the country.
Alhaji Aliu Mahama said even their political opponents, who were against the decision of the HIPC initiative, hade begun realize the importance of it and were fighting for the benefits to reach their areas.
He said the government was not an arm-chair government, which would sit at one place to rule the nation, but were interested in meeting the people who voted them into power to know first hand their difficulties.
Alhaji Aliu Mahama noted that all the promises that they made were gradually being fulfilled. He was optimistic that if Ghanaians gave them another four-year term they would able to transform the lean economy inherited from the NDC government for the better.
The vice president also inaugurated two mosques and a school for Acherensua Islamic School and Mehame respectively, constructed by the Red Crescent Society of Abu Dhabi, and supervised by the Islamic Council for Humanitarian Development and Services.
The Ntotrosohene, Nana Twereko Ampem III, commended the DCE for Asutifi, Hon. Nsiah Agyepong, for his good relations with the people of the area.
