The Praiseworthy Performances of an Opposition MP: The Case of Hon. Alex Gabby Hotorwodze of Central Tongu Constituency- Episode 2

Gabby's Supports for Education in Central Tongu

Kofi Annan once said, “Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy, and sustainable human development.” Nelson Mandela also submitted, “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world. The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success….”

Seemingly, Hon. Hotorwodze or Gabby has bought into the foregoing assertions by Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela. This is because he has massively supported education in the Central Tongu Constituency. He began doing so even when he was not the MP.

Through Gabby’s incessant instrumentality, one additional BECE Centre was created in Central Tongu, bringing the number of Centres in the District to four (4). The MP supported enormously and expeditiously in meeting WAEC’s conditions for designating a place as an exam centre. The MP donated 100 mono desks to the newly created Exam Centre for Bakpa-Avedo and its environs. The creation of the new Exam Centre and the MP’s lobbying for posting of additional teachers to the District have among other things improved the overall BECE performance of the Central Tongu District from 15% in 2018 to 46% in 2019 (31 percentage points).

Hon. Hotorwodze also offered scholarships to over 300 students at various levels of education, not to talk of numerous others he helped to become teachers and health workers even before he became a Member of Parliament. The MP equally donated 100 dual desks each to Adidome SHS (ADISEC) and Mafi-Kumase SHS (MAKSTECH). In addition, ADISEC and the Mafi –Asiekpe Community received 100 bags of cement from the MP for developmental projects.

Gabby the opposition MP with fewer resources equally completed offices for the Headmaster and the Bursar at Mafi-Kumase SHS and paid a court fine of GHC5, 000.00 slapped on the School. This was because the School was unable to pay a supplier by a deadline given by the Court.

Supporting extracurricular activities in the education sector, Gabby supplied footballs, volleyballs, jerseys and several other sporting items to various schools in the Constituency. He believes that some of the schoolchildren may pursue the sporting career so their talents must be developed right from school.

Gabby’s Supports for Healthcare Delivery in Central Tongu

Health is one of the elements of the PREMEH (Political, Religious, Economic, Marriage/Family, Education and Health Institutions). Several empirical studies point to the fact that there is positive correlation between health and economic development. Health and economic development influence each other globally. In his bid to support quality healthcare delivery in the Central Tongu Constituency, Hon. Alex Gabby Hotorwodze provided various COVID-related personal protective equipment (PPEs) to both health facilities and communities as well as identifiable groups in society.

Gabby also donated delivery beds to support maternal healthcare delivery in Central Tongu. To me, this will contribute to reducing institutional mortality ratios thereby helping Ghana to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target relating to reducing maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100, 000 live births before or by 2030. The communities that benefited from Gabby’s donated delivery beds are Mafi-Dove, Mafi-Seva, Mafi-Avedo and Vume-Kpoviadzi.

The CHPS Compound at Mafi-Gidikpoe has also been completed but not yet equipped to start operations. Adidome- Zongo CHPS Compound was refurbished. The Adidome District Hospital also benefited from a patient monitor donated by Hon. Hotorwodze aside the fact that the MP also bought a standby generator or plant for the same Hospital and another one for the Mafi-Kumase Polyclinic.

Currently, the CHPS Compound the MP is building for Bakpa-Agortakpo has been roofed. There are many other healthcare infrastructural projects in the offing. In fact, the Central Tongu MP’s healthcare infrastructural projects are in tandem with one of the objects of the Ghana Health Service, which states, “increase access to improved health services.”

The MP also established and equipped a medical laboratory for Mafi-Dove Health Centre at the cost of GHC40, 000.00. In addition, the MP refurbished and expanded the Children’s Ward of Adidome Hospital to create space for mothers whose children are on admission to also lay their heads.

Gabby’s Other Supportive Endeavours in Central Tongu

Beyond the PREMEH, Gabby also takes matters of security, rural telephony and electrification seriously in Central Tongu.

Regarding electrification, Hon. Alex Gabby Hotorwodze had filed questions in Parliament in his first term regarding communities in his Constituency that were not connected to the National Electricity Grid. Consequently, communities such as Maklalokorfe, Avukorfe and Kpedzeglo -Tsame had electricity extended to them. Kpedzeglo -Tsame residents are left with meters to start benefiting from the electrical power. Still on electricity, the MP got support from the Ministry of Energy, following which some communities in Central Tongu benefited from improvement in the electricity power distribution network and intensification of the rural electrification. Notable among these communities are Mafi -Kumase, Mafi-Kpogede, Mafi-Akyemfo, Mafi –Yingor (Zongo), Mafi- Kutime, Mafi-Tsakpo, Mafi-Amegakorfe, Mafi-Dugame, Mafi-Devime, Mafi-Atitekpo, Mafi-Aklamador, Mafi- Dove and Bakpa New Town. All this happened in the MP’s first term (2017 -2020).

Hon. Hotorwodze equally carried out operation street lighting to improve security at night in the communities. In his first term, therefore, Gabby provided streetlights to 420 communities in Central Tongu. It was a matter of brighten the corner where you are. Adidome, the District Capital of Central Tongu, Bakpa New Town and Mafi-Kumase all benefited from the MP’s street-lighting agenda. The campuses of Adidome SHS and Mafi-Kumase SHS also benefited from the MP’s street lighting project.

Regarding rural telephony through the instrumentality of the Central Tongu MP (Hon. Gabby Hotorwodze), Mafi-Tsakpo, Mafi-Yingor (Zongo), Mafi-Srekpe, and Mafi-Fiekpe have their network boosters installed while Mafi -Anfoe, Mafi -Vogorme, Mafi-Gidikpoe are in the process of getting their boosters installed. I hope that more will be done in this regard in the next four years.

Conclusion

I think that despite the fact that Hon. Alex Gabby Hotorwodze is an opposition MP, he has done so well for his constituents in his first term mindful of the stark reality that opposition MPs do not easily get support from government to develop their constituencies.

The Central Tongu constituents have done well by electing him for a second term. In my considered opinion, a politician who is doing well developmentally for his people should be given enough time to continue. I hope the people of Central Tongu buy into this idea to keep Gabby in the seat until his party comes to power to enable him do more. Hon. Hotorwodze, ayekoo but should this article get to you, do not become complacent. Let the article rather energize you to do more for your people. So far, Gabby has complied with the sociological PREMEH in his first term by engaging in a neutral political agenda, supporting religious groups, economic activities, education, families and healthcare delivery in the Central Tongu Constituency. He supports even his constituents who belong to other political parties. He does so whether or not those people campaigned against him. He is Tongu-centric rather than partisan in approach.

~Asante Sana-~

Philip Afeti Korto

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