David Allan Paintsil, Mankessim
6 July 2009
The Mfantseman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Henry Kweku Hayfron, on Saturday rounded up his two-day familiarization tour of five paramountcies in the Municipality.
The tour was to enable him introduce himself as MCE for the area to the chiefs and people, and also seek their opinions on pertinent development issues confronting the newly created Municipality.
He started his tour from Mankessim on Friday, where he paid a call on the Mankessim Traditional Council, presided over by Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI, and supported by his Queen, Nana Ama Amissah III.
At Mankessim, the Paramount Chief, Osagyefo Amanfo Edu, appealed to the MCE to help streamline revenue mobilization from the Mankessim Market and ensure that the Traditional Council had its fair share of revenue.
He also extended an invitation to President John Evans Atta Mills to their festival scheduled for September this year, adding that for the past 13 years, no President has visited Mankessim during its festival, owing to protracted chieftaincy dispute.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs. Ama Benyiwa Doe, assured him that she will work hard to bring down President Mills to the Borbor Fantse Festival.
Mr. Hayfron also pledged the assembly's support to the festival in order to make it a memorable one.
At Ekumfi Essuehyia, Nana Ipraim, Acting President of Ekumfi Traditional Council, called for a separate district for Mfantseman East Constituency to accelerate development because the Mfantseman District was too big.
He also called for the establishment of a new Senior High School in the area, as T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School was the only one serving the people in the traditional area.
Nana Ipraim also called for rehabilitation of roads in the area and the provision of potable water. He was concerned about the road from Essuehyia to Ebiram, the traditional capital, which he said, was in deplorable state.
The MCE said Ekumfi needed a 75,000 population size to be given district status, and called on the chief to educate citizens from the area to come home and register during the 2010 population census.
At Anomabo, Kantamanto Amoono XI, Paramount Chief of the Anomabo Traditional Area said despite the fact that the former government upgraded the Anomabo Senior High School, the school still needed facilities to befit the status of late Kwegyir Aggrey, a statesman, and appealed to the MCE to use his office to facilitate improvement of the school. He called for the provision of quality roads that lead to rural settings in his area.
On Saturday, Mr. Hayfron and his entourage, comprising the Mfantseman District Police Commander, DSP Emmanuel Odonkor, the Presiding Member (PM), Kofi Aikins, and the Acting NCCE director, Nana Baffoe, continued their tour to Yamoransa, where they stormed the Nkusukum Traditional Council.
While there, Nana Sekyi, Obaatan of Nkusukum Traditional Area, who spoke on behalf of Okesse Essandoh, paramount chief of Nkusukum, said the road leading to the palace and some portions of roads in the traditional area needed urgent attention.
He called for a fair share of oil revenue generated from the Saltpond Oil Field so that they can use the proceeds to support development. The chiefs also expressed concern about the poor state of roads in Mankessim, their market centre.
The Traditional Council also extended an invitation to President Mills to attend the annual Odambea Festival, scheduled for August this year.
The MCE finally stopped at Abeadze Dominase, where he paid a visit to the Abeadze Traditional Council presided over by Daasebre Kwebu Ewusie, President of Central Regional House of Chiefs and Member of Council of State.
Daasebre Ewusie urged all residents of the area to monitor the activities of the MCE and the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman West, Aquinas Tawiah Quansah and correct them when they go wrong so as to enhance development. The chiefs, one after the other, called for power supply, roads rehabilitations and provision of schools.
Mr. Hayfron told the press after the tour that he was satisfied with the kind of reception and advice given to him by the chiefs he visited. He said the interaction with chiefs had afforded him the chance to know what the people expected of him as MCE and promised to live up to expectation.
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