'LEADERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES MUST BE CIRCUMSPECT' (Page 13)

From A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Adukrom

THE Okeremanhene, Osudumgya Otutu Kono II, has made a passionate appeal to leaders of political parties to be circumspect in their electioneering campaign in order to sustain the prevailing peace in the country.
This, he said, would help remove all doubts about whichever party wins next year’s general election to make the results acceptable by all.
Nana Otutu Kono, who is also the chief of Adukrom, made the appeal when he addressed a colourful durbar at Adukrom on Saturday to celebrate the Odwira Festival of the chiefs and people of Okere.
The event, with the theme “Ghana @ 50: Ensuring Quality Education and Development in Adukrom, was attended by all the chiefs of Okere and dignitaries including the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Freddie Blay, the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Asiedu Afram, the MP for Okere, Mr B.D.K. Adu, and the District Chief Executive for Akuapem North, Mr Edward Adu Aboagye.
According to the Okeremanhene, now that some of the political parties had elected their flag bearers, it was the responsibility of the flag bearers to be circumspect in their electioneering campaigns and deliberations in order not to offend others so that the country would continue to enjoy the prevailing peace.
“Most of the political parties have elected their flagbearers and the electioneering campaign will soon start so it will be in the interest of the country for the political leaders to go about their electioneering campaigns in a civilised manner to make the results of the elections acceptable by all.”
Osumdugya Otutu Kono, who praised the government for providing a number of infrastructural amenities in the area such as schools, however called for more of such facilities such as street lights for Adukrom, boreholes for the villages, setting up of a court and the upgrading of the Nifa Senior High School to a model school.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Afram Asiedu, said the government was committed to human resource development of the the country and that was why it had focused on quality education with the provision of infrastructure, furniture and books and the introduction of special initiatives such as the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme and asked parents to take advantage of such initiatives to enrol their children in school.
He also said the government was promoting private sector development to accelerate socio-economic development and called on community leaders and the district assembly to mobilise resources to develop the Aasenema Waterfall and other tourist attractions in the area to attract tourists.
The Regional Minister, who told the gathering that his outfit would see how best to address the problems in the area, also gave the assurance that steps were being taken to resolve the boundary dispute between Okereman and Yilo Krobo.
Mr Joe Ghartey, who was the guest speaker, gave detailed account of the successes so far chalked up by the government, which, according to him, included drastic fall in inflation which had given value to the cedi, and deepened democracy that had raised the image of the country on the international scene and called for support for the government to enable it to continue with its good works.
Earlier, Mr B.D.K. Adu  had helped provide a number of social amenities in the area and paid the health insurance premium for 1,500 old people in the area said he had set up an education fund with seed money of GH¢3,000 to cater for the educational needs of students of poor parentage.