Tuesday, November 26, 2013

TANO SOUTH DISTRICT ASSEMBLY HOLDS SECOND ORDINARY MEETING OF THE THIRD SESSION



The second ordinary session of the Tano South District Assembly has been held at Bechem the District capital.
                               

Hon. Dr. Hannah Bissiw and the Queenmother of Bechem at the meeting
In his welcome address, the Presiding Member of the assembly Hon. Anthony Opoku expressed his profound gratitude to the members for their massive turnout and told them that General Assembly meeting is an important component of the decentralization process which has practical application and relevance to local governance and for that matter the development of the District.
The Presiding Member stressed the need that whereas staff of the central administration at the local government level performs executive functions, assembly members must also ensure that these executive functions are carried out with the high sense of urgency within the ambit of prescribed regulations.
                    
                                  
The Presiding Member Hon. Anthony Opoku addressing Assembly Members
He said as Hon. Assembly members their oversight responsibility  involves monitoring the activities of the executive to ensure such activities are curried out legally, effectively, efficiently and in accordance to legislative intent which includes demanding accountability, value for money and most importantly adherence to laid down procedure among others which means as Assembly Members they need to be inquisitorial and probe minded and be reminded that they shall be judged by the same people who have mandated them  to take care of their welfare and development.
The Presiding Member drew the attention of the house that the elected member for Atekyem electoral area Hon. Comfort Pokua  Enninful has  absented herself for more than three consecutive ordinary meetings which contravenes  the Local Government act(Act 462) of 1993 and urged honourable members to take note and allow the rules to be applied.
Hon. Opoku announced to the house of the stealing of the motor bike belonging to Hon. Abu Dauda the Assembly member for Kubease electoral area in Derma. He said this brings to two the number of motorbikes stolen from Assembly members. He reminded members to wear helmets when riding their motorbikes, as role models, he said they are to lead by example. He said there are also reports of stray animals, a situation which is worrying and called on all to do their best to combat the problem in their respective area.
Hon. Anthony Opoku on behalf of the house used the occasion to congratulate Hon. Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Agric Hon. Dr. Hannah Louissa Bissiw for winning the 2012 Parliamentary seat for the constituency  and also expressed on behalf of the house their profound gratitude to the District Chief Executive, District Coordinating Director, and  all heads of department  for their continuous support to honourable  members   on the discharge of their duties    and called on  each and everyone at the meeting to feel free and contribute constructively on issues raised on the floor of the house.
The Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba in his address warmly welcomed all Hon. Members, Nananom, and Heads of Department gathered at  the 3rd ordinary meeting of the 2nd session of the house. He expressed his profound gratitude to Hon. Members, Nananom, Heads of Department, staff and many others for the various roles they played during his confirmation as District Chief Executive for the second  term in office and solicited their maximum support and cooperation  so that together they can bring about the much needed development in our area. He said we should remember that it is through unity and oneness that we can move the district forward and called on all to eschew partisan considerations on the floor of the house and discuss all matters in an open, frank, transparent and pragmatic manner so that they take decisions that will go a long way to improve the lot of our dear people.
                                       
Hon. DCE delivering his speech to the house
 Touching on the street naming and property addressing system, said a team has been set up to ensure that the exercise is completed on schedule. He said the exercise is not restricted to Bechem Township instead it covers the entire District and for that matter all communities in the District require the cooperation of Nananom, Assemblymembers, opinion leaders and everybody to ensure its success.
On illegal developments, the District Chief Executive said he has observed with dismay the number of  unauthorized structures sprigging up in our communities in the full glare of Nananom and Assemblymembers  and retaliated that it is our collective responsibility to control illegal developments in our communities.
Touching on revenue generation, the DCE said the assembly depends largely on revenue to embark on meaningful development projects in the district and revenue generation from internal sources is therefore a major responsibility of the assembly as we cannot over rely on transfers from the central government and other sources but said unfortunately the assembly is facing some challenges in its internal revenue generation. This unfortunate situation he said has a serious effect on our performance and service delivery.
On Education, the District Chief Executive said true to the Presidents campaign promise during the 2012  electioneering campaign period in establishing two hundred (200) senior high schools in the country, the Tano South District has been privileged to have been selected among the first (1st) 50 school to be built of which Derma Senior high school has been selected in the District.  He said the chief and people of Derma have already allocated a vast track of land for the project.
Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said in a bid to promote education in the district, the Assembly in its wisdom decided to provide financial assistance to the needy but brilliant students in the District. He said the scheme has been operational over the past few years and a number of challenges have cropped up which calls for immediate review in order to streamline the criteria for its implementation.
On the Adekyem Festival of the Bcehem Traditional Council, the Distinct Chief Executive said the second edition of the festival is slated for the 30th November 2013 and as such it would serve as a home coming of many of our people who are resident in other parts of the country and abroad and said people from all walks of life will come to the district during the festival period to witness the rich culture of our people. He said it is important to note that a number of dignitaries and high ranking government officials including His Excellency John Dramani Mahama have been invited to the grand durbar and called on honorable members   to organize their communities to keep their environment most especially Bechem and the surrounding communities clean.
On sports, the DCE told the house that with the bouncing back of Bechem United into  the premier league of which the mini stadium at the Bechem is their home ground efforts should be made for the Assembly to benefit from the gate proceeds of matched played at Bechem  since though the stadium is not completed the Assembly has invested heavily in its construction  and proposed that a committee is set up to take up this matter with Nananom, management of the Bechem United FC, the Regional Secretariat of the National Sport Council and the Presbyterian church – Bechem.
Hon. Anaba said since Traditional Council has adopted the club as its baby, the club has therefore become the spirit and embodiment of the district and as a good way of promoting the good course of the football club, Nananom have requested for financial support from the Assembly to procure a bus for the club.
On the farmers day celebration , the DCE informed the house the Friday, 6th December 2013 is farmers day and as such a committee has been set up the plan for the celebration and also informed the house that the security situation in the district has been relatively  peaceful but stressed that Christmas is just at the corner  and entreated all and sundry to be security alert and report all suspicious characters they  find in their communities to the security agencies and finally wished the house a fruitful deliberations.
The Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dr. Hannah Louissa Bissiw in a short speech thanked the house for their support during and after the 2012 election which won  her the parliamentary seat of the Tano South Constituency.
              
         The Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Dr. Hannah Louissa Bissiw addressing Hon. Assembly members

She said, with the elections over, it is about development for the area but not partisanship since she represents the interest of all the people of the constituency in parliament but not one interest group.
She said, she would wish a central development committee is initiated in the district and called for the cooperation of the all assemblymembers. Hon. Dr. Bissiw reminded the assemblymembers that it is not the title alone that has brought them here or vote to confirm a DCE but to initiate programmes and policies that will bring development to the people and look out for priority projects needed for their communities.
The minister assured that she would do all that it takes to ensure that the Bechem  Tachmantia road is tarred but warned that the  ministry of Agric would be embarking on a tour in some parts of the country to ensure that certain measures are put in place and warned that the much talked about  Bechem slaughter house be put in good shape to avoid the wrath of veterinary officials from the ministry should they visit the place in a visit to the District.
Present at the Assembly meeting were the Krontihene of Techimantia  Nana Ampong Kromantang and       the Queen Mother of Bechem  Nana Adwoa- Po Dwamena.

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