Residents of the Asokore Mampong electoral area have taken it hard at their assembly member Oheneba Kofi Nti for failing to improve security in the area.
Sharing their grievances at a town hall meeting, the residents lamented they are living in fear of rampant armed robbery, burglary and muggers who lurk around to snatch bags and phones.
“They’ve been snatching phones. Recently they robbed a baker and took all her money. The police should stop boozing and womanizing or else we will chase them out, an angry resident Bright Affreh fumed.
A community leader Agya Appiah narrated: “The robbers work in specific areas. An example is Denteso where the police does not patrol. They target Students with phones and bags.
“If you send children to cash out money from a vender, they attack them and snatch the money. Security is very low here.”
The community watchdog committee formed to complement the activities of the police have been rendered useless because of interference from traditional and political heads.
A volunteer told Ultimate News’ Salimatu Hawini, “I work as a watchdog volunteer. If you arrest someone; he will be left to go because he is the relative of a chief or opinion leader. We even receive threats.”
Responding to the complaints, the Assemblyman of the area, Honorable Oheneba Kofi Nti contended members of the community are reluctant to commit to a 20 cedis fee agreed to be paid monthly to aid the operations of the volunteers.
“We formed a 22 member watchdog team. A lot of them have left because we couldn’t pay them. The homeowners will not pay a 20 cedi levy to support the volunteers,” he pointed out.
He added that the youth were susceptible to such vices with a majority of them showing no enthusiasm and commitment towards work.
The town hall meeting spearheaded by the European Union funded by No Business As Usual Project was to hold assembly members accountable to their electorates a year and half after the last assembly elections.
Commending organizers of the Town Hall meeting to champion social accountability of the Asokore Mampong Municipal Assembly, the Director for the National Commission for Civic Education Matthew Agbenu, explained that such community engagements are needful to raise awareness on issues in the local communities.
“The law requires assembly members to meet with their electorates before and after assembly meetings but a lot of them do not do it. Apart from that there are so many duties of the citizen to their communities and these meetings are needed so that they work hand in hand,” Mr. Agbenu noted.
He, however, expressed his disappointments with the commitment of residents in attending such important gatherings.
Programs Manager of the No Business as Usual Project, Vincent Ohene-Ntow indicated that the social accountability forums were aimed at encouraging citizen involvement in the local governance of their communities.
He pointed out that the team will be visiting the fifteen electoral areas of the Asokore Mampong Municipality to have assemblies mount the dais to account for their stewardship to their electorates.
By: Salimatu Hawini.
