The Jaman North District Assembly might have its share of the story District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) suspended for failure to host and cooperate with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development.
Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, MP for Banda said the Jaman North DCE and some senior staff of the Assembly would be summoned by Parliament to answer some questions regarding why they refused to show up for the meeting with the committee.
Such an act could result to the suspension of their DACF which could affect the socio-economic development of the area, he said.
[contextly_sidebar id=”jZYPxxjF0rY2UrXqtVMR8J9fguNkv8Bo”]The Committee had gone to Sampa, the District capital in the Brong-Ahafo Region to review the Assembly’s financial statement to ascertain how public funds were being used judiciously by the Assembly.
It was part of the five-member Committee’s two-day working visit to three Municipalities- Berekum East, Asunafo North and Jaman South and four Districts- Banda, Asunafo South, Asutifi North and Asutifi South in the region on Monday and Tuesday.
The Committee chaired by Mr Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Swedru embarked on the visit to monitor the utilisation of the DACF, the District Development Fund(DDF), the Urban Development Grant (UDG), the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and the Disability Fund of the Assemblies.
The Committee also checked the sanitation situation of those areas to ensure proper sanitation for the quality state of health and general well-being of the populace.
Mr Ahmed, a member of the Committee who is also the Deputy Minority Whip, told the media in an interview at the end of the Committee’s visit to the Berekum East Assembly on Tuesday.
Present at those meetings were sanitation officers, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Municipal and District Finance Officers and Officers of the Department of Social Welfare to answer questions on the monies received for their operation.
Mr Ahmed said the Committee was not on a witch-hunting exercise but to evaluate the finances of the Assemblies to ensure that funds received from government were used properly and accurately to achieve its purpose of development to help fight corruption in the country.
He said government’s declaration of war in fighting corruption in the country could not be achieved if the Assemblies and the various institutions were not scrutinised to sit up to perform efficiently.
Mr Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, MP for Odododiodoo and Ranking Member of the Committee, urged the Assemblies to enact and enforce the implementation of sanitation bye-laws to check the indiscriminate disposal of waste and littering on the streets to maintain cleanliness to control outbreak of diseases.
He said the Committee would be back to verify if the Assemblies have taken the necessary steps to secure the public fund and entreated them (Assemblies) to intensify their IGF collection to augment the DACF for development.
Mr Kofi Adjei, the Berekum East MCE, thanked the members of the Committee for their advice, suggestions and directives and promised that the Assemblies would work hard to apply and observe financial best practices to prevent fraud and corruption in their operations.
Messrs Yaw Afful and Salifu Adam Braimah, MPs for Jaman South and Salaga South respectively were the other members of the Committee.
–
Source: GNA