Bono East residents make final case for proposed region
Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Spokesperson for the proposed Bono East Region has indicated that indigenes of the Bono East have suffered undue injustice for several decades.
He therefore stressed the need for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to do everything possible to create the proposed Bono East region for them.
Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi was speaking at the final public hearing of the commission of inquiry into the creation of the proposed new regions in Accra.
He explained that there was too much injustice spreading across political appointments and the distribution of the national cake such as provision of schools, hospitals, roads among others.
According to him, since 1959 when the Brong-Ahafo Region was created, there had been only two regional ministers from the Bono East area, adding, “out of about 25 Regional Ministers, 23 of them were chosen from the western part of the Region.
He said there were competent personalities from the eastern part of the region who could have been appointed or assigned Ministerial jobs, but had been discriminated against by the various regimes over the years.
Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi painted a picture of discrimination in the execution of developmental projects in the Brong-Ahafo Region with the western part seemingly being the beneficiary of most of the projects.
He was optimistic that the creation of the region would bring an end to the decades-old injustice.
The Spokesperson said the creation of the region would give rise to the Bono East area whose Regional Ministers would have sympathy for their people and champion their cause.
He added that with the creation of the Bono East Region, attention would not be paid to population but the sizes of traditional areas would determine the siting of projects.
The commission was inaugurated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday, 19th October, 2017 and was tasked to establish whether there was substantial demand for the creation of new regions out of existing ones based on petitions received by him (President) and advice from the Council of State as required by Article 5 of the 1992 Constitution.
It began its fact-finding mission with an in-camera hearings with the petitioners at the Osu Castle, Accra in 2017 and later went to the various regions where the petitioners are demanding the creation of new regions to hold public hearings.
Source: GNA