Group Petitions MCE on Bad Nature of Obuasi Roads

A group calling itself Save Obuasi Movement, has petition the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Elijah Bonnah on the poor conditions of the municipal’s roads. They called the MCE to take all necessary means to fix the problem which has been a nightmare for many residents in the municipality.

The group, made up of journalists from the three major radio stations in Obuasi and other media houses also volunteered to use their media houses and influence to raise funds to help if the need be.

Read the full statement below:

Petition by Save Obuasi Movement on Poor State of Roads in Obuasi

We, members of the Save Obuasi Movement, wish to present this petition on behalf of the number of people who signed it to the Municipal Chief Executive of Obuasi, Hon. Elijah Adansi Bonah. The petition was initiated by the Movement to give the people of Obuasi an opportunity to participate in all forms of engagement to get the roads fixed.

Before we go any further, we wish to convey our heartfelt congratulations to you on your nomination by His Excellency the President, and subsequent confirmation by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly. It is our prayer that your tenure of office will see massive transformation in the fortunes of the residents of the Obuasi Municipality. We wish to further assure you of our unflinching support as you undertake this onerous responsibility.

Having said this, we hereby bring you a petition signed by a number of residents of Obuasi, calling on your good office to take all steps to fix the deplorable nature of roads in Obuasi. This problem did not start with your administration. Successive governments have failed to address the problem. The result is that almost all roads in Obuasi have deteriorated to the point where Obuasi has become a laughing stock in the country. Businesses are also suffocating under the weight of huge maintenance costs of their vehicles. Communities lying close to these poor roads have also have to endure the indignity of inhaling dust during the dry season and contending with muddy pools of water during the rainy season. The picture being painted about Obuasi is not the good.

It is very embarrassing. As media personnel, we have been at the receiving end of complaints from members of the public. Though we would have typically just brushed off these complaints from the public, we also saw an opportunity to become active citizens (as His Excellency the President asked Ghanaians to be) by launching an initiative that will build a strong civil society that will support the rehabilitation of Obuasi’s roads. This is what has led to this coalition SAVE OBUASI MOVEMENT.

Our core mandate is to use our various media houses to mobilize funds, and other logistics to assist the Assembly tackle the problem of the roads within the Municipality. Our objective is not to cause disaffection for the MCE or the Assembly for that matter being conscious of the fact that the MCE has been in office for less than 3 months. Our effort is only complementary to what the Assembly will also wish to do.

We are conscious of the fact that the Assembly does not have sufficient funds to fix the roads in the immediate term due to shortfalls in revenues and delayed central government funding. We also know that there are some corporate entities and individuals who are well endowed and are willing to support this social responsibility cause. The formation of this group will therefore be a vehicle to mobilise the needed resources for the Department of Urban Roads to rehabilitate the roads.

Our effort is not to suggest that we are oblivious of what the Assembly doing about the problem. Nothing can be farther from the fact. At least we are aware the MCE has invited the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei Mensah to inspect the roads and build a case for government intervention to have the roads fixed.

In view of the above, SAVE OBUASI MOVEMENT humbly request the Assembly to:
1. Tell the people the people of Obuasi plans the Assembly have in place to fix the deteriorating nature of roads within the Municipality both in the medium and long term
2. Provide timelines on when the Assembly intends to fix the roads
3. Make public, the budgetary allocation for road construction and maintenance for the 2017 fiscal year
4. Tell the public what the Assembly’s major challenges are so far as roads construction /maintenance are concerned?
It is our hope that the Assembly will receive our petition in good faith, and consider it as our own way of contributing to national development. We look forward to hearing from the Assembly within ten (10) working days upon receipt of this petition.
In conclusion, permit us to re-emphasize our position that our coalition is not witch hunting. We only exist to support the Obuasi Municipal Assembly to execute its mandate.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.

Signed…

1. George Opoku Mensah a.k.a Agudey (Shaft FM)
Coordinator. (0242709027)
Mensah Justice Dzivon a.k.a Ghanaba (OFM) – Secretary (0208001806)

2. Nana K. Yeboah a.k.a Abrewa (Time FM)-Member
(0244514809)

3. Kwabena Sikayena (Time FM)-Member
(0243198695)

4. Philip Wilberforce Kwakye a.k.a Brother Philip (O FM)-Member
(0244790954)