Some residents within the Ashaiman Municipality says they have been disappointed by the Akufo Addo representative who is the incumbent Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ashaiman.
The residents say Albert Boakye Okyere has failed to carry out any major developmental project within the Municipality for the past four years and as such must be replaced.
“It will be a big disaster should the President re-appoint the incumbent MCE, Albert Boakye Okyere again because he has failed to live up to expectation” a resident, Yaw Donkor lamented.
The residents of Ashaiman which includes some NPP supporters says they were highly disappointed at the local level by the MCE who failed to implement any major developmental projects within the Municipality in the first term of the Akufo Addo led administration.
Ashaiman, which is a cosmopolitan community is said to have a population well over 25 thousand. However, the community has had its fair share of bad publicity owing to the rampant crime within the area despite attempts to get such crimes reduced.
Despite the bad publicity Ashaiman continue to have, the town is seen as economically viable to many businesses.
However, residents say the growth in business is not being complimented with development. They have thus blamed the Municipal Assembly for doing very little for the community.
In an interview, the residents say the Municipal Chief Executive, Albert Boakye Okyere has not been helpful to the people of Ashaiman. They have thus threatened to kick against him should he be renominated as the Municipal Chief Executive.
Several roads within the Municipality according to the residents have gone bad withmalfunctional traffic and street lights.
The streets at the central business District are chocked with traders doing brisk business in the middle of the road as City Authorities look on unconcerned. One, out of the three-lane road has been converted into an on-street parking lot by the Assembly while recalcitrant individuals have also converted portions to a lorry station.
Indiscipline is also high at the Central Business Area due to a malfunctional traffic light giving drivers and commercial motor riders have a fields day in blatant disregard to the law.
Yaw Donkor, a polling station executive of the NPP in Ashaiman and a resident noted that Ashaiman has seen no development since the incumbent Municipal Chief Executive, Albert Boakye Okyere assumed office in 2017.
” I dare the MCE to come out to tell us about his achievements and I will challenge him to that. I will rate him 20 percent if there’s anything to go by; but to be honest he has added nothing to the development of Ashaiman. The President must kick Okyere out because he has failed us and as a matter of fact, he is part of the reason Ashaiman did not even perform much during the last election.” MrDonkor retorted
” It is however no secret that several roads within the Municipality have gone bad with deteriorated drainage system. The Klagon area to Ashaiman has a bad stench that has the potential of deterring investors. One can hardly drive smoothly through the Ashaiman market road to Lebanon without your car being scratched by Okada riders. Yet the Assembly looks on unperturbed.” Chairman Reggie, other residents noted.
These residents who rated the Assembly as performing abysmal over the last four years say they pray the President will appoint a new face for the Municipality as the incumbent Municipal Chief Executive Albert Boakye Okyere has failed to live up to expectation.
Apart from the resident, some Assembly members also lamented over the poor performance by the Chief Executive over the past four years.
Yusuf Gariba is the Assembly Member for NiiDoku Electoral Area and according to him since the Municipal Chief Executive, Albert Boakye Okyere took office, he has failed to dredge the main stream called Gbemi. The Gbemi according to the Assembly member carries all the high volume of water from the main Ashaiman township to the Sakumonor lagoon but it has not been dredged within the last four years.
“TheGbemi hitherto is dredged almost every quarter but this MCE for four years have failed to do so but it is however on paper that he has dredged it. This man must not be reconsidered for this position as MCE because he is not fit for the job” Mr.Gariba added
When the MCE, Albert Boakye Okyere was contacted, he noted that he has performed creditably well to the best of his ability He thus rated himself 80 percent.
Meanwhile several names have thus popped up as potential candidates eyeing the seat as the MCE. Notable among them are the immediate past Parliamentary candidate for Ashaiman, Alhaji Labaran Barry together with another party faithful who is seen as on who is a unifier and one who seem to gunner support from the grassroots, Joseph Ofosu Siaw.
Party faithful’s who spoke in an interview however were highly of admiration for Mr. Joseph Ofosu Siaw whom they described as affable and one who can be trusted with the affairs of Ashaiman as far as development is concerned.
