Benjamin Essuman
Aide to Prof. Joshua Alabi, Benjamin Essuman, has alleged that the former President John Dramani Mahama collapsed the opposition party’s heroes fund which was set up by the late President John Evans Atta Mills to assist supporters and loyalists who have encountered misfortunes, incapacitations or other forms of deprivations in the course of their service to the party does not exist anymore.
According to him, it is only Prof Joshua Alabi who can revive it when he wins the party’s flagbearership contest.
In a post on his Facebook wall, Essuman wrote “Prof Mills set up heroes fund for our party. Osimesi collapsed it. Prof Alabi will revive it. Solution 2020 is coming.”
The Heroes Fund launched in 2011, was intended to cater for the needs of dependents of victims who lost their lives while working in the interest of the NDC as well as non-members of the party in similar situations.
General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia in an interview on Kasapa FM admitted that the Heroes fund could not be operational and sustained because members of the party failed to contribute towards it.
The Fund, registered as a non-governmental organization, was to be governed by a seven-member board of trustees chaired by Ambassador Victor Gbeho. Mr Kamal Noshie, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Mr Kwesi Attah, Mr Yaw Boamah, Ms Doris Aidoo and Mr Simon Mawusor would also serve as administrators of the fund.
These individuals were to formulate policies, raise funds from both local and international sources and see to its disbursement. The Board of Trustees were also expected to invest revenues accrued in profitable ventures.
“At a point, the members of the board of trustees were frustrated and resigned their position because there was no more any Heroes Fund to manage. I still believe it is a very important project we have to revisit, I’m sure when this reconstituted National Executive is done with our internal party election we’ll revisit the project. Some of the people who fought against the establishment of the fund are today contesting for positions in the party and are now calling for its re-establishment,” Asiedu Nketia said.
He, however, noted that “If we had supported the Fund to work in those days, it would have served a good purpose today. This should tell you that some of us our kind of politics is driven by foresight. When I moved for the establishment of the Heroes Fund eight years ago we never anticipated that our members would be so severely assaulted in a by-election at Ayawaso West Wuogon. The party has no insurance for its members, no retirement fund and so that’s why we need such a dedicated fund.”
