John Mahama and others during the interaction
The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has decried the system where the distribution of premix fuel has allegedly been taken over by politicians, thereby placing undue strain on the activities of fishermen.
The former President has therefore assured fishermen that when elected president in 2024, he would implement a system that will help erase the seeming politicisation of the distribution of premix fuel.
For years, some fishermen have been complaining about alleged hoarding, diversion and artificial shortage of the product owing to the alleged domination of party members in the composition of landing beach committees in charge of premix fuel distribution.
The former President was addressing scores of NDC supporters at Anlo Beach, a fishing community in the Shama District of the Western Region as part of his ‘Building Ghana Tour’ in the region recently.
The NDC flagbearer recounted the purpose for the setting up of the landing beach committees by the late President John Evans Atta Mills, and expressed worry over how fishermen are purportedly being short-changed.
“Now landing beach committees have been hijacked by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the distribution of premix fuel has also been taken over by chairmen of the ruling party in all the fishing communities throughout the country,” he alleged.
He said, “The premix fuel distribution and other initiatives like the distribution of subsidised outboard motors were a result of the feedback we had from our gallant fishermen. What we see today is pitiable. It is in the hands of politicians.”
He continued, “My next government will reverse that to the true essence for which it was introduced. Premix fuel will be distributed by only true fishermen.”
Meanwhile, some of the residents in the area have indicated that the current government has made it difficult for a group to hijack premix distribution with the automation of the distribution of the product.
In a related development, John Dramani Mahama has assured residents in the Jomoro Municipality of the region that the next NDC-led administration will establish a petrochemical business in their area.
He said this was a component of the plans to grow the oil and gas sector.
He said this when speaking to the chiefs and people of Jaway-Wharf, a fishing area in the Jomoro Municipality as part of his ‘Building Ghana Tour’.
He also promised the people that his next government would ensure asphaltic road overlay in the area to bring modernity to the municipality and facilitate trade.
The former president later interacted with students of Esiama Nursing Training School in the Ellembelle District during which he called on President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to pay the nursing trainees their allowance.
He told the trainee nurses that the previous NDC government cancelled the payment of allowance to the teaching and nursing trainees to allow for more people to access the training institutions.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi