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TECHIMAN: Commission of inquiry ends public hearings at Bono East

The Commission of Inquiry which is a fact finding in nature and will assist the commission in forming a view on whether there is the need and substantial demand for the creation of a new region in the Bono East on the existing Brong Ahafo Region has ended its Public hearings in the proposed Region in Techiman.

Date Created : 2/15/2018 1:22:42 AM : Story Author : Imoro T Ayibani/Ghanadistricts.com

The Public hearings afforded the members of the Commission opportunity to have wide range of consultations and/or listens to views submitted by the coalition of Bono East Chiefs, residents and workers alike.

Dominant on their submissions were under development, security and discrimination for the perceived coming from the “far East”. At the commission sitting at Kajaji, Atebubu, Yeji, Nkoranza, Kintampo and Techiman for the Bono East Region, issues of under development emanating from unfair distribution of the national cake due to the large nature of the Region and their location affected their development.

The people cited bad road network, lack of portable water, inadequate supply of electricity to the national grid and inadequate and/or poor educational facilities as some of the cause of their under development.

To them, getting the Bono East Region will propel them to effective development. For the whole of the Bono East, they said the only government hospital was the Kintampo government hospital which lacked the needed facilities and that the people were mostly attending to hospitals put up by religious institutions for all their health needs

The Chiefs noted that Health facilities/infrastructure were said to be the inadequate and underdeveloped. Doctor and/or nurse patient–ratio was far below the national average and government workers refuses to accept postings to the area due to their underdeveloped nature and inadequate provision of social amenities.

The chairman of the commission, Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, a former Supreme Court Judge and Chief Justice for The Gambia described the day as historic. He said the commission was working on 6 petitions from the Western, Brong Ahafo, Northern and Volta regions. He said the hearing was to confirm what is contained in the petition submitted by the traditional authorities and briefed the people through other requirements such as a referendum, once the commission recommends the creation of the new region.

Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister in his welcome address said the hearing was in furtherance of Article 5 clause two of the 1992 constitution which spells out what course of action the President should take in the event of a petition for the creation of a region. He added that the creation of the new region will bring governance closer to the people, jobs and development. The Regional appealed to the people, the religious leaders and the media to intensify education ahead of referendum yet to held for 100% ‘YES’ vote.

Omanhene of Techiman Oseadeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV exchanging greetings with the Chair of the Commission, Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey

The President of the Brong Ahafo regional House of chiefs and Omanhene of Yeji traditional area Pimapim Yaw Kabrese V said the Bono East area has all the qualities to qualify for regional status and called for an end to subtle demands for the capital of the proposed region to be cited at specific places.

The Omanhene of Techiman Traditional Area Oseadeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV delved into history the creation of the current Brong Ahafo Region in 1959 with the aim of ensuring development for people. He observed that the dream of getting the needed development could not come true, hence, the need for Bono East Region to propel the needed development which the people were yearning for.

The Omanhene cited uneven sharing of the cake, including appointment of Regional Ministers and bad roads network in the Bono East which would be given attention when the new region is created. He added that migrants settled in Techiman were all ready to vote ‘yes’ during the referendum for Bono East. He assured the Commission that the people were ready for Bono East.

Nana Osei Gyan Ababio, Kyidomhene of the Atebubu traditional area who deputized for the Omanhene described the Atebubu-Amantin, Pru, Sene east and Sene west districts as heavily deprived.

He noted that currently, the region was too big and wide to be administered from the current regional capital by a single Regional Minister. He added that due to the current size of the region, the chunk of the resources allocated to the region is spent mostly in the regional capital and some few developed surrounding cities and towns. He prayed the commission to heed to the calls of the people for creation of the new region.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi the Chairman of Infrastructural Board, who is a leading member of the petitioners, expressed the confidence that the commission will give the petitioners a favourable response and urged the various traditional authorities involved and appealed for support to mobilize all available resources to prosecute the agenda successfully.

During an open forum, speakers cited deprivation, marginalization, the distance to Sunyani the regional capital and the need for accelerated development of the area among others as reasons why a separate region must be created for the area.

Scores of school children had earlier gone on a procession carrying various placards with messages that supported the creation of the Bono East region which will comprise Techiman north and south, Nkoranza north and south, Sene east and west, Kintampo north and south, Pru and the Atebubu-Amantin districts.