Ghana Will Be a Paradise If... -Effah-Dartey

THE DEPUTY Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Capt (Rtd). Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, has said that should our constitution be upheld for 20 years without military interventions, the country would become a paradise.

He observed that the country was currently poor because of infamous military interventions, which came to overthrow constitutionally elected governments, which were leading the country very well.

"We were making a lot of head way as a country from 1957 until (the infamous military intervention and other subsequent leaving a lot of troubles for the country, to solve "Let me say that military interventions are forever buried and whoever want to become president should contest for it through democratic elections," he stated.

Mr. Nkrabeah Effah Dartey stated these at the 7th Quadrennial delegates conference of the Local Government Workers Union (LGWU) of TUC at Bunso.

Over 500 delegates from all over the country attended the Quadrennial conference, which was under the theme "Environmental sanitation and revenne mobilization challenges the role of Local Government Workers Union".

According to the deputy Local Government minister the country is poor because of the existing Local Government and therefore if the institutions in that sector are strengthen the country would develop very well.

This he explained that can be done by improving revenue mobilization by ensuring that the collectors are honest and transparent then enough revenue could be generated to take care of most of country's problems.

The deputy minister for local government and rural development further observed that the main solution to the country's environmental and sanitation problems is how Ghanaians would ensure self discipline or self hygiene in their daily lives.

He also advocated that the country should returned to the old days where town and council workers go round and summon citizens who create unsanitary conditions or live in dirty environment in the country as another step to solve environmental pollution around.

The secretary general of Trades Union Congress Mr. Akwasi Adu Amankwa called on government to help remove all bottlenecks such as corruption, proper salary structure fixing and non available of tools or resources to work with.

He noted that, when one looks around, he would find more workers not unionized than those who are unionized and stressed the need for the unions to consider the challenges facing them and resolve them so that they can grow.

In a welcome address, the east Akyem district chief executive Mr. Emmanuel Victor Asihene noted that in some areas environmental and sanitation officers are doing well by ensuring that the proper thing is done.

The DCE used the occasion to caution those officers who have setup small court in their offices where they try cases and collect money from offenders to stop. But rather have them prosecuted in the law court when they are charged.

Other speakers at the conference included the general secretary of IGWU Mr. Stephen Yaw Bonnah, the deputy minister of employment and manpower development Mr. Adjei Boye.