TANO SOUTH DISTRICT FIRE STATION INAUGURATED

An official inauguration of the Tano South District Command of the Ghana National Fire Service has taking place at Bechem, the district capital.

Picture left shows the chief fire officer inspecting a parade and picture right showing officers of the fire service seated at the function.

In his inaugural address, the Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said he was with joy to be part of the inaugural ceremony. He said knowing the vital role Fire Service play towards the protection of lives and property, he took it upon himself with the assistance of Nananom to establish a District Fire Station immediately after assuming office as District Chief Executive in 2009 and one important thing that was left with was the inauguration of the Fire Station and was therefore more than happy to be part of the inaugural ceremony.

                                       

Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba the Tano South District Chief Executive giving his inaugural speech

Hon. Anaba said, the District Assembly will collaborate with the Ghana National Fire Service to handle all cases of fire and emergencies within the District and beyond. He said his office is additionally liaising with the District Fire Command and Nananom to secure a land to construct a permanent fire station for the district and hinted that negotiations have been started with Nananom for the release of land for the Rural Fire Training School and hoped the National Headquarters of the service would approve of  it.

Hon. Anaba urged the personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service to intensify public education on the need for proper fire safety measures at homes and institutions especially fuel and gas filling stations to prevent fire outbreaks in the district and ensure that individuals and institutions who fail to comply with safety regulations are not spared, since it is about time the laws of the land are enforced by law enforcement agencies to save the nation of needless lost of lives and property and commended the District Fire Command for their diligent work ever since the establishments of the station.

In a speech, the Chief Fire Officer, Dr. Albert Brown Gaise said he was highly impressed to be part of the inaugural ceremony. He said, in as much as sectors contribute to development, risk and hazards become higher and for that matter, there is the need for people to adopt strategies to curb the risk and hazards confronting them.

                                   

The Chief Fire Officer, Dr. Albert Brown Gaise addressing the gathering

Dr. Gaise who used the occasion to educate the masses on fire said, fire is a good servant but sometimes become an enemy to people and hinted his administration would do all it can to resource the Ghana National Fire Service to enable them to fight fire during outbreaks and also enlighten the populace on fire prevention in all parts of the country.

Dr. Gaise called on Assemblies to enforce by-laws on fire and bushfires so that the people will comply with safety fire methods and called on various institutions to collaborate with the Fire Service to fight fire in the case of any outbreak and also appealed to heads of various Second Cycle Institutions to establish fire cadets in their schools.

The Nifahene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Awuah Boadi in his remarks expressed his profound gratitude to the Tano South District Assembly and the Ghana National Fire Service for making it possible for the inaugural ceremony to take place.

                                 

Nana Awuah Boadi ,the Nifahene of the Bechem Traditional Area giving his remarks

Nana Awuah Boadi on behalf of the Omanhene and the Bechem Traditional Council promised that the council would release a parcel of land for the construction of a permanent offices and a Rural Fire Training school for the Tano South District.

TANO SOUTH DISTRICT ASSEMBLY HOLDS FIRST ORDINARY MEETING

The first ordinary session of the sixth Assembly of the Tano South District Assembly has been held at Bechem.

The first ordinary meeting saw in attendance Assembly Members both old and new, Heads of various Government departments in the district, Nananom and a cross section of the general public.

Delivering his opening remark, the Presiding Member of the Assembly, Hon. Anthony Opoku warmly welcomed all present especially the new Assembly Members.

Hon. Opoku said he enjoyed working with the old Assembly Members during the past four years and said he expected that, the new Assembly Members would accord him the necessary attention and cooperation in order for them to deliver to their people what they expected from them.

Hon. Opoku said, General Assembly Meeting is an important component of the decentralization process which has practical application and relevance to governance and for that matter the development of the district.

He said whereas staff of the Central Administration at the Local Government level performs executive functions, honourable members must also ensure that, these executive functions are carried out with the high sense of urgency and within the ambit of prescribed regulations.

Hon. Opoku said Assembly Members by their unique position are expected to play a significant role in the local governance system and stressed that the sub-committees of the Assemblies have unique role to play and used the platform to appeal to all heads of department, Hon. DCE, and Hon. Assembly Members to develop a very good working relationship with each other devoid of acrimonious partisanship and deep seated mistrust, but based on consensus building which would lead to the collective achievement of results thereby improving the lives of their people.

Hon. Opoku congratulated the Member of Parliament of the constituency for the numerous projects she is undertaking in the district and equally welcomed her to the august house and hoped she would always make time to be present with them in their subsequent District Assembly Meetings and expressed his profound gratitude to the Hon. District Chief Executive, Nananom, District Co-ordinating Director and her deputies and heads of department for their continuous support to Hon. Members in the discharge of their duties and called on each and everyone to feel free and contribute constructively on issues to be discussed at the meeting.

In his sessional address at the meeting, the Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said he was highly privileged to address yet another session of the Assembly and used the occasion to welcome all to the meeting and congratulated Hon. Assembly Members for their successful election and also congratulated Hon. Presiding Member for his re-election.

Hon. Anaba expressed his profound appreciation and congratulated the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area, Nananom, Hon. Presiding Member, Hon. Member of Parliament, Hon. Assembly Members, Departmental Heads and all stakeholders for their continuous support and keen participation in activities of the Assembly which has brought the Assembly to this height.

Hon. Anaba said the Assembly has been guided with the sense of unity of purpose in it’s deliberations and appealed to Hon. Members to continue to work with collaborative spirit since it is crucial for the advancement of the district and said he was also delighted to state that the District is either first or among the first Districts that are able to organize the first ordinary meeting of the first session at this time.

Hon. Anaba said the Assembly in collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders designed and implemented some strategies which resulted in some improvement in revenue mobilization.

Hon. Anaba said the District has remained relatively calm and peaceful largely due to the hard work and diligence of the District Security Committees but mentioned that, however there have been isolated cases of stealing, chieftaincy and boundry disputes in the District.

The District Chief Executive announced that the government has awarded contract for the construction of Bechem Town Roads and work has started. He said the Governments’ community Senior High School which is being constructed by Mssrs SGL Investment Ltd at Derma is progressing steadily and prayed the Ghana Education Service would speed up processes for the school to start and also informed the house that the MP for the Constituency, Hon. Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw has procured 5000 cock crow literature books to be distributed soon to all Junoir High Scchools District wide and ten thousand exercise books to selected Schools in the Disstrict whiles the District Assembly and the Regional Directorate of Education has also provided fifty boxes of chalk and four-fifty free School uniforms to be distributed respectively.

Hon. Anaba commended Nananom, Honourable Assembly members and all for their regular participation in all the National Sanitation exercises conducted in the District since its inception and called on the Assembly members to sensitise their people on the need to always participate in the clean-up exercise whenever they are called upon. He said the Assembly has observed with great concern, the rate at which people indiscriminately put up structures without resort to any laid down plan for the District and humbly appealed to Nananom, Assembly members and all stakeholders to educate and caution people to desist from building in areas where they are not supposed to build and informed the House that the Assembly has undertaken a number of on-going infrastructural projects.

The Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, who was a special guest, in a speech, informed the House that since there was the need for development projects to be executed in Bechem the District Capital,he has given a parcel of land to the Assembly for its development project such as the light Industrial Area(Magazine) but what he has observed is that the land has been encroached by unauthorised people and called on the Assembly to take steps to clear these  people from the place. Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II called on the Assembly members to give their support and help to the revenue officers of the Assembly in the discharge of their duties so that they can get more revenue for the Assembly and finally called on all to give their maximum support and help in the celebration of the impending Adekyem Festival of the Chiefs and the people of Bechem Traditional Area