Community elders halt building project

Hedzranawo (V/R), Jan. 29, GNA - Construction works on a one-storey project at Hedzranawo, a fishing community near Denu in the Ketu district has been halted through pressure from some elders of the town. They viewed its positioning as inimical to fetish shrines near it. The multi-million cedi community project being spearheaded by the assembly member of the area, through donor support was to serve as an arbitration and social centre for the people.

The elders and fetish priests contended that non-initiates in the town would watch activities in the shrine including the 'Yewe' cult from the overlooking storey building when completed.

A pavilion, being part of the design to provide a resting place has also therefore being discarded and the main structure roofed at the first floor level.

Mr. Yaw Agbolosoo, a former assembly member for the area dropped the hint at the weekend when he rendered accounts of his stewardship and handed over his authority to his successor before a capacity crowd at the community arena at Hedzranawo.

He claimed he has not seen the town's bank passbook since 2004 and asked the people to demand it from the elders.

An angry youth, which stormed the ceremony, accused him and some elders of the town of embezzling funds, but there was an apparent division between him and the elders who he was jointly accused with. The elders led by Mr. J.B. Dorkunor, secretary to the chief of the town also presented a separate account to the gathering. Mr. Dorkunor mentioned the names of seven elders of the town excluding Mr. Agbolosoo as having embezzled 13 million cedis of funds belonging to the area.

Mr. Yaw Dadzie, the new assembly member, receiving the accounts on behalf of the people announced a nine-member audit team made up of members of the community to authenticate the two accounts presented. The auditing team has three months to complete its work for the findings to be made public. Mr. Francis Gotah, a Civic Education Officer at the Ketu District Secretariat of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) assuaged the tension when he told the people not to retard the progress of the area by engaging in unnecessary rivalry but to unite instead.