Shama DCE threatens to demolish NPP office

A letter issued by Shama District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Enoch Kojo Appiah, threatening to demolish a newly constructed constituency office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Inchaban, has sparked controversy.

The DCE was alleged to have issued a letter to the constituency executives of the NPP on March 10, this year, informing them of the Assembly’s intentions to demolish the party’s office, near the Inchaban Police barrier on the Takoradi-Cape Coast Highway because the executives failed to secure a building permit.

At a news conference held at Inchaban on Tuesday, Mr Joseph Amoah, Constituency Chairman of the NPP, insisted that the party notified the Assembly with the site-plan and drawings of the structure and, therefore, requested for a building permit but no response was received.

In view of this, he said, the facility was constructed in accordance with legislative instrument 1630, which stipulated that a developer is allowed to commence construction works after six months of petitioning the Assembly and no response is given.

The constituency chairman said the facility is a temporal one, which was single-handedly funded by a member of the party, Mr Ato Panford to facilitate the operations of the party.

He said the party therefore petitioned Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Western Regional Minister on the matter, who subsequently conveyed a meeting with all parties involved on March 12, with a view of finding an amicable settlement.

However, the constituency chairman said, the regional minister recommended that all concrete blocks in the structure should be replaced with wooden materials since the facility is a temporal shelter, which the party obliged, but is yet to comply.

Meanwhile, when the Ghana News Agency contacted Mr Appiah, he said at the meeting, the regional minister directed the financier of the structure, to undertake the recommended modifications within a week and report back to him.

He said this was to enable the technical team to inspect the facility to verify whether the recommendations had been complied with.

He said the deadline had elapsed and since then no report had been submitted to the regional minister or the Assembly with regards to the directives given.

Mr Appiah averred that since the matter is within the purview of the regional minister, he is waiting for the next line of action from his superiors before any action would be taken on the matter.

He called for unity among the political parties to move the nation forward, adding that, being in opposition does not make one an enemy, but insisted that the right thing must be done to promote development.