Dan Kweku Botwe
Residents in the SALL enclave of the Oti Region; Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe, and Lolobi will on Friday, October 8, 2021, have their own District Assembly, DGN Online has gathered.
According to the residents, the feat which is long overdue, is also a dream come true as they will no longer become orphans torn between the Hohoe Municipal Assembly in the Volta Region and the Jasikan District Assembly in the Oti region.
The inauguration will be done by the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Kweku Botwe at Likpe-Mate where the proposed District Assembly building is located.
This latest milestone is in fulfillment to an announcement made a few weeks ago when President Akufo-Addo toured the Oti region to appraise himself with the level of development in the area.
The Local Government Minister in a follow-up interaction with the media promised that barring any unforeseen circumstances, “the Guan District which comprises Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) Traditional Areas in the Oti region will be inaugurated in a few weeks.”
This assurance doused the hue and cry over the long delay in operationalizing the Guan district and constituency. However, many people remained skeptical with some members of the opposition describing the promise as empty.
The immediate past Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Hohoe Municipal Assembly, Teddy Ofori said on Friday the whole world will witness the historic inauguration of the much awaited Guan District.
Background
After the creation of the Oti region out of the then Volta Region. Eight administrative districts were automatically created except the SALL enclave which was carved from the Hohoe Municipality in the Volta Region. So, although the SALL enclave became a part of the Oti region, it has not had a functioning administrative district since 2019.
Attempts to put the area under the Jasikan District on a temporary basis was fiercely resisted by the residents who insisted that they will either be on their own or remain under Hohoe Municipality.
Although a legislative Instrument subsequently put the SALL enclave under Jasikan for both Administrative and Electoral purposes, the residents have not been happy about it. The Paramount Chief of the Santrokofi, Nana Letsabi has consistently insisted that the delay in inaugurating the Guan district was bad for the area; as development has stalled.
Dan Botwe’s Assurance
The Local Government Minister, Dan Kweku Botwe has noted that the inauguration of the Guan District will put the area on the path of development.
To this end, it is not true that the area has been abandoned. On the contrary, a lot of work including consultations have been ongoing in the background to ensure a smooth inauguration. Some residents even offered their properties to be used as temporary offices, he noted.
The Local Government Service is expected to start recruitment and posting of personnel to the district after the inauguration. The President is also ready to nominate someone after the district is inaugurated to operate.
Officials from the Local Government Ministry are currently in Likpe ahead of the inauguration to ensure the necessary furniture, installations, adjustments and arrangements have been made to ensure a successful inauguration.
Currently, the Guan District consists of 13 electoral areas and will be the 261st District in Ghana when inaugurated by the Local Government Minister on Friday.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)