Ho assembly members lock out financial officer

The premises of the Ho Municipal Assembly was desolate Thursday (June 8, 2023), with the various offices shut and no workers in sight.

This comes a day after assembly members locked the office of the Municipal Financial Officer, McGeorge Afetorgbor to prevent him from entering the office, and clamped the tyres of his official vehicle in the yard.

They also tied red bands on the door of the financial officer to signify danger, reports Graphic Online's Alberto Mario Noretti from Ho.

Following the incident on Wednesday (June 7), the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) directed its members at the assembly to stay at home until further notice, citing unsafe working environment.

An official statement issued by CLOGSAG signed by Deputy Executive Secretary, Kojo W. Krakani, in Accra, described the conduct of the assembly members as an act of terrorism, saying the safety of their members working at the assembly could no longer be guaranteed.

Presiding Member

The Presiding Member of the Ho Municipal Assembly, Mawunyo Agbe, when contacted by Graphic Online's Alberto Mario Noretti, alleged the financial officer had distanced himself from the assembly for several months now, and refused to attend meetings of the assembly.

Further, Mr Agbe said, the financial officer had taken a stance to refuse to honour memos sent him for the release of funds to support the official duties of members of the assembly.

"For that reason, we found it necessary to deprive him of the privileges accorded the Financial Officer of the Ho Municipal Assembly,” he added.

For his part, the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Divine Bosson, said he was not part of the decision and action taken by the assembly members against the financial officer.

Meeting

He said the assembly members cunningly invited him to what they told him was an emergency meeting by the house on Wednesday.

Mr Bosson said when he turned up for the meeting and realised what the assembly members were about to do, he left the meeting.

“I am still working,” he added.

Some officials of the public affairs unit of the assembly were also working and accompanied the MCE on a tour to parts of the municipality today.

Copies of the directive by CLOGSAG were sent to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, the Head of the Local Government Service, and the Head of the Civil Service, in Accra.

Copies were also sent to the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, in Accra.