Inauguration Of 2 Assemblies Suspended

The inauguration of the newly created Akyemmansa District in the Eastern Region and the Biakoye District in the Volta Region has been suspended, following the tension and controversy associated with their creation.

The controversy over the siting of the capital of the Akyemmansa District at Akyem Ofoase led to the suspension of its inauguration, which was to have taken place last Friday, while that for Biakoye was suspended following a court injunction restraining the holding of the function at Ahenkro.

The newly created districts of Upper Manya Krobo and Birim South, both in the Eastern Region, have successfully been inaugurated.

From Akyem Oda, Samuel Kyei-Boateng reports that the Oda Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ben Atadana, said he had a letter from the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, on February 28, 2008 indicating that the Ministry of Local Government had ordered the indefinite suspension of the inauguration of the Akyemmansa District.

He said copies of the letter were also sent to all assembly members in the new district.

According to ACP Atadana, to ensure that the people in the district complied with the directive, he went to Akyem Ofoase personally to see things for himself and realised that the ceremony did not really come on.

He said even though the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayirebi/Ofoase, Mr David Oppong-Kusi, and a large number of people attended a durbar organised for the ceremony, most of the assembly members were absent and there was no government official to perform the ceremony, since they had all been informed of the postponement.

The siting of the capital of the Akyemmansa District at Akyem Ofoase was opposed by the chiefs and people of Akyem Ayirebi.

When contacted on phone, the chief of Akyem Ayirebi, Obrempong Gyapire Agyekum, said apart from the official directive, he and some prominent citizens of the area had filed an injunction at the Oda High Court restraining the Ministry of Local Government from inaugurating the assembly until the right thing had been done.

The inauguration of the Birim South District attracted people from all walks of life, including prominent chiefs from the area.

The ceremony was performed by the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Ofosu Asamoah, on behalf of President Kufuor.
 
Other dignitaries who graced the occasion included the MP for Akyem Swedru and former Majority Leader, Mr Felix Owusu-Adjapong, and the DCE for the area, Mr Frank Kwame Busumtwi.

In the case of the Biakoye District, the people of the Worawora Traditional Area, who are part of the new district, were granted a court injunction to stop the inauguration, reports Emmanuel Modey.

The remaining four traditional areas, namely, Apesokubi, Tapa, Bowiri and Nkonya, have reportedly expressed their support for the creation of the new district.

They expressed their readiness to fight for its survival for the accelerated development of the area.

Announcing the injunction at a durbar of the chiefs and people, the Jasikan DCE, Mr Solomon Donkor, assured the people that the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development had given the assurance that the creation of the new district was still on.

At Asesewa, hundreds of people from all walks of life, including the acting Konor of Manya Krobo, Nene Sasraku, gathered to inaugurate the newly created Upper Manya Krobo District, reports A. Kofoya-Tetteh.

The event, which witnessed the largest gathering in the ancient marketing centre in recent times, was also attended by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, and Messrs David Sackitey Asare, Joseph Adu Tawia and Ebenezer Ofoe Caesar, the DCEs for Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo and Fanteakwa, respectively.

Inaugurating the new political entity, which was carved out of Manya Krobo, Mr Asiedu Affram, who read President Kufuor's message, said two decades of the district assembly system had facilitated the growth of local governance and reduced poverty in Ghana.

Mr Sackitey Asare, in his welcoming address, traced the history of the newly created district and said its inauguration would hasten the development of the area.

He thanked all those who helped to make the creation of the district a reality and called on the assembly members to help develop the communities, adding that the mother district would share its resources with the new district during the initial period for accelerated development.

Nene Sasraku, who chaired the function, expressed the appreciation of the traditional rulers to the government for the creation of the new district.