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Expose Wee Farmers To The Police - Adjei Darko
Kasoa (C/R), July 15, GNA - Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, a
Minister of State and MP for Sunyani West, has appealed to
law-abiding citizens of the Brong Ahafo Region to muster
courage and expose marijuana or Indian hemp farmers and
dealers in the area to the Police.
Landowners in the Region should also put in place measures
to ensure that people they offered land for farming did not
cultivate Indian hemp.
Mr. Adjei-Darko noted that the Brong Ahafo Region had now
been classified as the leading marijuana producing area in
the country, because of the large quantities of Indian hemp
the police had ceased from producers and peddlers in the
Region in recent times.
Addressing members of Kasoa branch of the Brong Ahafo
Citizens Association (BACA) to mark their first anniversary
at Kasoa on Saturday, Mr. Adjei-Darko described the
situation as "destructive and unacceptable" and charged
citizens from the Region to rise up against it.
He especially challenged landlords and landladies to expose
Indian hemp dealers, smokers and other criminals living in
their houses to the Police as their contribution to the
national crusade against narcotic drugs.
Landowners on whose lands the drug was cultivated, as well
as landlords and landladies in whose houses Indian hemp
dealers and smokers lived were aware of the illicit
practices of their tenants and should be able to provide
information to the law enforcing personnel, he said.
According to the former Local Government, Rural Development
and Environment Minister, investigations he had conducted
revealed that the youth in almost every community in the
Brong Ahafo Region had formed "an Indian hemp or Wee smoking
club".
Mr. Adjei-Darko said the phenomenon if not checked now would
affect the effective and orderly development of the Region
because the practice would definitely breed more armed
robbers and other hardened criminals in future.
Touching on the issue of street child, which had become a
major social challenge, Mr. Adjei Darko blamed the issue on
irresponsible men who brought forth with women and later
used poverty as an excuse neglect their responsibilities.
Mr. Adjei-Darko stated that "streets do not produce children
or human beings" stressing that children were produced by
human beings and such people must be made to take care of
the children they bring into the World instead of shifting
everything to the Government.
He praised Brong Ahafo citizens in and around Kasoa for
organising themselves into a group and charged them to get
actively involved in self-help projects to improve
conditions in their communities.
They should also pay periodic visits home to contribute
their quota to the development of their towns and villages
of origin.
Madam Anna Nyamekye, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture
(MOFA) and MP for Jaman South, outlined the Government's
plans to offer financial support to groups wishing to go
into various businesses to alleviate poverty.
She advised beneficiaries of previous poverty alleviation
loans to settle their debts for others also to benefit.
Madam Nyamekye supported the call by Mr Paul Oko, MP for
Asutifi North and leader of the Brong Ahafo Caucus in
Parliament and Major K. Oduro (Rtd.) MP for Nkoranza North
that members of the Kasoa branch of BACA should not use the
association for funerals, weddings and other merry-making
ceremonies but to promote socio-economic development.
They charged leaders of the association to be guided by the
principles of transparency and honesty to enable them to
maintain the confidence of the members.
Mr. Ampofo Twumasi, Deputy Minister of Education and Sports
and MP for Nkoranza South, appealed to the people to attach
great importance to education by sending their children to
school.
He said plans had been completed for the provision of
classrooms for all basic schools currently under trees and
other structures in the country.
The aim is to rid the education sector of such undesirable
challenges within the next three years, to enable teachers
to discharge their duties with a high sense of commitment
and dedication.
Mr. Oppey Abbey, MP for Awutu/Senya, commended the
association and promised to work with them to accelerate the
socio-economic development of the Kasoa Township and its
environs.
Mr. Oppey Abbey mentioned improvement chalked by the
Government in the water supply system of Kasoa and said
there are plans to extend power to all the communities in
the area and appealed to residents for co-operation to
ensure the success of the project.
Earlier, Chief Inspector Asamoah Darkoh, Chairman of the
Kasoa branch of BACA, outlined the aims and objectives of
the association and said that besides donating a wall clock
and other materials to the Government Clinic at Kasoa, the
association had fully adopted the maternity ward.
He announced plans by the association to embark on a
community-to-community education programme on the National
Health Insurance Policy in Brong Ahafo Region soon as its
contribution towards the success of the policy in the area.
Meanwhile, seven MPs from the Region have contributed three
million and five hundred thousand cedis cash or Three
Hundred GH Cedis and Fifty GH Pesewas, towards the running
of the association.
They are, Mr. Adjei-Darko, MP for Sunyani West, Mr. Ntow
Ababio, MP for Dormaa East, Mr. Yaw Asiedu Mensah, MP for
Dormaa West, Mr. Paul Oko, MP for Asutifi North, Major Oduro
(Retired) MP for Nkoranza North, Mr. Ampofo Twumasi, MP for
Nkoranza South, and Madam Anna Nyamekye, MP for Jarman
South.
The MPs further assured the association of their
preparedness to team up with members of the association to
sensitise people in remote corners of the Brong Ahafo
Region.
GNA
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