“The growth of the regional capital boils down to collective efforts by all and sundry. We can’t continue to be left behind. From sanitation to education and health ought to be worked on, and all of us must come together devoid of politics.”
Rex Asanga, the Municipal Chief Executive of Bolgatanga, said this when he launched the MCE’s Special Initiative Committee.
The committee will assist in determining the municipality’s urgent needs, formulating them, and packaging them for donor initiatives. Additionally, it will make use of social media and other channels of communication to solicit financing for the implementation of such recognizable projects.
Speaking about the committee’s work so far, the Chairman, Professor David Millar of Millar Institute of Transdisciplinary and Development Studies commended the MCE, Rex Asanga for the bold initiative.
“Let me comment the MCE. This is not because he is here with me. You would notice that during the christmas, some of the politicians went back to some of their communities and personally started giving out to those communities. That culture is not here in the North,” he said.
The culture of giving, according to Professor Millar is one that has to be adopted in Northern Ghana to aid development. The Chairman of the MCE’s Special Initiative touted the MP for North Tongu’s charitable deeds.
“That is the special quality I like about Ablakwa. He gives from his pocket. In fact, imagine an MP in opposition and the amount of giving he is doing. This is how votes should be won. It tells you that if that guy gets the opportunity, he may do more than that.”
“I am pleading with the Northern politicians. Forget about the notion that if you do it, they would say that you have money. Look back at where you came from and give the people help. That is all we are asking for,” he said.
As part of the Committee’s work, Professor Millar appealed for support to enable the committee to support schools in need of furniture.
Two schools in the municipality acquired furniture as a result of the project, showing that the committee’s effort is beginning to bear fruit.
The first initiative of the project saw the committee, together with the Bolgatanga MCE hand over about 27 pieces of dual desks to the Sumbrungu Primary and Junior High School and St Charles Special School, all in Bolgatanga.
At a short ceremony to hand over the furniture, Chairman of the committee, Professor David Millar said the gesture was part of the committee’s efforts to help address the furniture deficit in the municipality.
“The first thing he tasked us to do was to find some support for alleviating the problem of children lying on the floor or sitting on the floor and writing or reading, so this is the first effort of what we called collectively as Municipal Chief Executive Special Initiative.”
“This one is not from an assemblyman. We have to make it very clear because your colleagues in other schools when they hear this they will say assembly took their money and only came and supported you. This is from his pocket, from my pocket and from the pocket of two or three other people so today I am really happy we are able to do this,” he said.
Prof. Millar also disclosed that the 27 pieces of dual desks which were funded by individuals cost around Ghc4,000.00. The Bolgatanga MCE used the opportunity to appeal to the public to support the initiative. Mr. Asanga described it as unfortunate for students in the 21st century to be lying on the floor to study.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
