The Eastern Regional arm of the opposition National Democratic Congress has responded to a statement made by the chief of Kwahu Tafo in Afram Plains, Nana Kwasi Opoku Mintah, suggesting that Former President John Mahama, while in office, travelled to the Afram Plains by helicopter.

In a statement issued and signed by the party’s Eastern Regional Secretary, Kevor Mark-Oliver, the NDC also accused the government of twisting the words of one of the chief in the region whose area President Nana Akufo-Addo visited, as part of his three-day working tour of the region.

The chief is quoted as having thanked the president for getting to them by road rather than by helicopter as previous presidents had done.

“Some presidents and governments, in times past, only came to visit Donkorkrom using helicopters”, and, as such, did not appreciate the difficulties the people go through.

“You have proven to be different and we pray that your government will come to our aid and construct these roads, which have been in a deplorable state for many years,” the Afram Plains chief said.

In reaction, the NDC’s statement said: “Even though the said chief made no mention of any particular previous government, it is important to mention that His Excellency, former president John Dramani Mahama’s last visit to Afram Plains was BY ROAD. President Mahama during his Accounting To The People Tour of the Region in March 2016, entered Afram Plains through Ekye Amanfrom after inspecting the Nkawkaw-Atibie Road, Abetifi District Hospital and commissioning the phase 1 of the Kwahu Water Project at Kotoso”.

Read the full statement below:

We have become aware of a write-up from the Government Communications Bureau circulated to journalists to be used as a syndicated story to portray the new Kwahu Tafo Chief, Nana Kwasi Minta, as having praised Nana Akufo-Addo for coming by road, unlike previous governments.

The Communications Bureau, in a haste to make political capital out of the statement, deliberately misrepresent the position of the Chief and the location of his chiefship.

He is erroneously referred to as “The Chief of Kwahu Tafo in Afram Plains”.

This grievous error cannot be allowed to pass in exchange of cheap political capital. For the records, there is no town or community in Afram Plains called Kwahu Tafo.

Even though the said chief made no mention of any particular previous government, it is important to mention that His Excellency, former president John Dramani Mahama’s last visit to Afram Plains was BY ROAD.

President Mahama, during his Accounting To The People Tour of the Region in March 2016, entered Afram Plains through Ekye Amanfrom after inspecting the Nkawkaw-Atibie Road, Abetifi District Hospital and commissioning the phase 1 of the Kwahu Water Project at Kotoso.

At Ekye Amanfrom, he explained to the people that the Ekye-Agordeke road had received his government’s attention and was going to be captured in the 2017 road projects. President Mahama traveled by road to commission two ferries at Agordeke in the Afram Plains North District.

It is important at this stage to remind the NPP that in 2016, they promised to construct the road under discussion and even add a bridge from Adawso to Ekye Amanfrom. What has become of that campaign promise almost two years into their administration?

The Akufo-Addo government is indebted to Afram Plains North and South to the tune of 4 million US Dollars in line with its “One Constituency-One Million Dollars” promise.

We ask, where is the money? And what can be showed for?

It is therefore not surprising for this clueless government to desperately claim to have built a warehouse in Afram Plains. This phantom warehouse may only exist on their minds since it cannot be physically shown.

This should be the focus of any development agent.

We can understand that some chiefs may patronise politicians to propitiate developmental favours but it is important that the records are set for him and others to be guided in their future comments.

We are not surprised Government is fascinated by this helicopter comment and has actually highlighted it as its highest point in the whole presidential tour of the Eastern Region since turnout of supporters was very disappointing, despite organising several buses to convey party folks to follow the president around and also, the president’s inability to visit certain constituencies for obvious reasons.

We, however, pray the President never uses a helicopter for any future tour of the region, even though he patronized it in his previous tours.

As has already been indicated, this is the third wasteful visit by the president to the region, a clear departure from the past, where leaders account for monumental projects on their Presidential tours. This one has been that of talk durbars and jamborees, with nothing to show; a mere waste of the tax payers’ money!

The people of Eastern Region as a whole and Afram Plains in particular deserves better than cheap talk and lies!!!

Signed

KEVOR, Mark-Oliver

Eastern Regional Secretary, NDC