General News of Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Source: primenewsghana.com
2017-10-03
Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, O B Amoah
Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr OB Amoah has distanced the ministry from the supposed collection of ?5,000 towards the President’s 3-days visit to the Northern region.
According to him, the collection of such monies was not sanctioned by the presidency.
His comment comes after a leaked letter sent by the Regional Co-ordinating Council had asked Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives’ (MMDCEs) of the Northern Region to pay an amount of GH?5,000 “in a bid to put together the required arrangements for a successful tour,” the letter stated.
The ?5,000 contribution by each of the twenty-six assemblies in the Northern Region were expected to total an amount of Gh?130,000.
Commenting on the development on an Accra-based radio station he said: “As far as we are concerned this is not sanctioned and nobody is authorised to pay anything towards the president’s visit.”
He explained that the presidency has its own arrangement when it comes to such trips and therefore finds it illegal that MMDCEs were being asked to pay for the visit.
“If for instance the president visits a district and the district has to cater for some aspects of the visit, that should be well documented and even the auditor general will audit such account so we don’t sit at the regional offices and send instructions that every district should contribute the same amount,” he said
“If you read the letter you will realise, you will realise we were not even copied, obviously we could not have sanctioned this and I don’t think that is the right thing to do,” he added
