The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bongo, Akaseke Joseph Abaa, has expressed deep concern over the severe shortage of vehicles affecting both the Bongo Police Service and the District Assembly, warning that the situation poses serious security and administrative challenges.
Speaking on A1 Radio, Mr. Abaa stressed that the Bongo Police Service urgently requires reliable transport to patrol the district effectively, especially given its proximity to Burkina Faso and the growing threat of extremist activities such as Boko Haram. “We need our security personnel at every corner of Bongo. Unfortunately, they don’t have the vehicles to move around effectively,” he lamented.
According to him, the District Assembly is also struggling with the same challenge. Out of the few vehicles available, only two — one assigned to the DCE and another to the Coordinating Director — are functional.
Other essential vehicles, including a pick-up truck and a tipper truck purchased some years ago, are grounded at a mechanic’s shop. “Imagine an officer coming from Bolga to Bongo on a motorbike, then proceeding to Soe, Fiou, Zorko, and other areas. Bongo is wide, and it is a serious challenge,” Mr. Abaa explained.
He further disclosed that a vehicle that should have been handed over by his predecessor went missing entirely, only to be later traced and recovered in Accra with the help of security agencies. Following his confirmation into office, he traveled to the capital to retrieve it, ensuring at least one additional official vehicle for the district.
To address the situation, the DCE said the Assembly has engaged mechanics to restore the grounded vehicles. “They have brought us the list of parts needed, and hopefully, within a month, the pick-up and the tipper truck will be back on the road,” he assured.
Mr. Abaa also revealed that the Upper East Region has been excluded from a national initiative that provides pick-up vehicles to assemblies under the District Development Facility (DDF) programme. The Regional Dean of DCEs has since written to the Ministry of Local Government, requesting additional vehicles to support the assemblies.
He called for urgent intervention, stressing that without adequate transport, both security and development supervision in the Bongo District are at serious risk.
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