Your name will be written in gold in Oti’s history – Krachiwura tells Prez Akufo-Addo

The Krachiwura, Nana Mprah Besemuna III, has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a courageous and decisive leader whose name will be engraved in letters of gold in the annals of the Oti Region.

“Every sincere citizen of the region, regardless of his or her political affiliation, believes and knows that but for the exceptional courage and tenacity of purpose of the President and the people, the creation of our region would not have been realised,” he said.

Nana Besemuna gave the description yesterday at a durbar held in President Akufo-Addo’s honour at Dambai, the capital of the Oti Region, on day two of the President’s working visit to the newly created region.

He expressed the appreciation of the chiefs and the people of the region to President Akufo-Addo for fulfilling his 2016 campaign promise to create the region.

“We are most grateful to you, and I assure you that your name will be engraved in letters of gold in the annals of the Oti Region,” he said to rapturous applause from the large gathering.

 “As of now, we can only use our mouths to say thank you. Ayekoo! But God Almighty, who rewards hard work, we are sure, will reward you at the appropriate time for your hard work in the Oti Region. We shall never forget you,” he added.

Describing the journey for the creation of the region as “long and tortuous”, the Krachiwura noted that “God works through His chosen men and women as vessels of positive change.”

Decentralisation

Nana Besemuna expressed the hope that the birth of the region would deepen the decentralisation of governance, with all the related benefits in terms of human and material development.

“We are confident that having kept your promises in the past, Your Excellency will ensure that the governance development policy for the new regions, and, for that matter, the Oti Region, to spread development, as well as siting the heads of departments and agencies across the entire region to ensure equity, will be carried out to the letter,” he added.

He said as major stakeholders, the chiefs and the people would continue to play a very active and meaningful role in the development of the Oti Region.

President assures

Addressing the durbar, President Akufo-Addo said work on the regional officers was very important, and that he would keep a watch on it to ensure that the government's development programmes were carried out to the benefit of the people.

He assured the people of the equitable allocation of resources to decentralised offices under the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), explaining that the provision of facilities would not be concentrated in Dambai, the capital, but spread out to cover the entire region for even development.

The President announced that various contracts and financial processes were ongoing, and that by September this year the construction of a bridge over the Oti River would commence.

While congratulating the people of the region for the peaceful manner in which they voted for the creation of the region, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the long struggle of the people to have their separate region, dating as far back as 1954, “has finally come to an end and today the Oti Region is a reality".

He expressed his commitment to ensure that all the six new regions received the needed accelerated development for which the people voted.

Other activities

The President, yesterday, also inspected ongoing works on the 50-kilometre Dambai-Nkwanta feeder road being undertaken by M/S City Ghana Construction Company Limited, as well as a site earmarked for the construction of the offices of the RCC.

He also cut the sod for the construction of 16 kilometres of road network within Dambai.

President Akufo-Addo presented eight vehicles to the Oti RCC for its operations.

Bold President

The Minister of Regional Re-organisation and Development, Mr Dan Botwe, recollected the number of times past governments had attempted but could not take the bold decision to create the Oti Region.

That, he explained, was due to the fact that there was always apprehension that any attempt to create the region might create disturbances or even lead to war.

“But it took the courage and boldness of President Akufo-Addo to actualise this dream of the people of the Oti Region,” he said.

Mr Botwe noted that the creation of the region was not the end, and that there was the need for development, for which he called for the support of all.