The 261 MMDCEs have committed their firm support to the Local Government Minister, Hon. Daniel Kwaku Botwe in the Disagreement between the Minister and the District Assemblies common Fund, Irene Naa Torshie.
A letter addressed to the President by the Local Government minister details some of the activities which in the view of the minister are not in tune with Government strategy and affects the fortunes of the Government.
The Hon. Minister in the explosive letter draws the attention of the Administrator of Common fund to the fact that, her discretionary utilization of the Common fund without consultation and engagement with other government stakeholders is affecting effective Local Governance in the country.
The District Assemblies Common Fund administrator has since unleashed series of media attack on the Minister from all angles.
These deliberate media attacks has angered the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives who have thrown their support behind the minister for fighting in their interest. According to some MMDCEs we spoke to, this issue of Common fund has been their biggest worry in the past 6 years but have had no one to fight their cause.
They complain of receiving only GHc250,000 per quarter from the common fund and yet the Naa Torshie sends a contractor from Accra to come to their districts with single projects worth 4million.
“How can one project awarded directly from Naa Torshie be worth 4million cedis when the entire year common fund transfer to my district for development of the people is barely 1million cedis” – retorts one MCE
“Everything Accra, Everything Accra. She’s holding the common fund in Accra and calling it her money, she procures everything from Accra and send to the districts including metals stands for Veronica buckets and you dare not question her”.
The MMDCEs recount their anger with the Administrator with the level of disrespect she shows towards them in her engagement with them.
They claim, Naa Torshie has peddled falsehood about the operations of the common fund and even sewn enmity between MMDCES and their party executives.
According to the MMDCEs, the Minister is advocating in the interest of the party and government as they are afraid the actions and inactions of Naa Torshie will hurt the government and party if not checked immediately.
The common fund administrator prefers to send GHc250,000 to the assemblies and rather hold the rest of the money in Accra and decides how to utilize it. She calls the MMDCEs and asks them to write and request for specific projects and then she will send a contractor to execute that project at a cost more than how much the assembly is receiving from the fund for the entire 4 years.
“Naa Torshie has impoverished MMDAs and it’s time she is bb checked before it gets out of hand”
The MMDCEs have vowed to join their minister in this advocacy in the next few days if things do not improve and are encouraging Hon. Dan Botwe to not stop but continue to work in the interest of the Government and Party.