BACIDA Petitions Local Gov’t Minister Over Conduct Of North Tongu District Engineer

Battor Citizens Development Association LBG. (BACIDA), a group with the primary objective of, inert alia, uniting all natives of Battor for accelerated development in consultation with the Traditional Council, wishes to appeal to the Honourable Local Government Minister and all the stakeholders to call to order the North Tongu District Assembly Engineer, Ebenezer Yaw Adega, for his utter disregard for authority.

Somewhere last year, some concerned natives of Battor raised issues with a washing bay project on a natural water way at Battor Agboganu. Investigations by BACIDA revealed that the district engineer was the one behind it. He was told that although the Traditional Area welcomed development projects from any quarter, the location of his business was not prudent and that he should relocate it.

His attention was also drawn to the general implications of his conduct and a potential tragedy in the face of heavy flooding reminiscent of the recent Akosombo/Kpong Dams spillage that caused irreparable damage to the whole of Mepe, a neighbouring Traditional Area. But Adega insisted he bought the plot during his brief stay in the town and would not budge.

BACIDA went a step further to petition the North Tongu District Coordinating Director about Adega’s behaviour, which, by all intents and purposes, had the tendency of negatively influencing citing of individual projects in not just the Traditional Area, but the district in general. In fact, anyone could take a cue from his argument and either ‘buy’ the remaining waterway and fill it or put up a structure anywhere in the district.

Could the District Engineer have the moral courage to challenge citing of such projects, as the owners bought the spaces legitimately? A day after receiving his copy of the petition, Ebenezer Adega ran to the paramount chief of the Traditional Area, Torgbega Patamia Dzekley VII, to belatedly seek his permission for the project.

The paramount chief reiterated to him the strategic importance of the place and, thus, ordered him to dismantle the structure. Shockingly, when the district engineer left the paramount chief, he obstinately gathered workers the following day with over a hundred bags of cement to hastily complete the project.

Upset and livid, the youth wanted to demolish the facility, but they were prevailed upon to allow BACIDA to explore peaceful options. When the then DCE was contacted, he said he had no knowledge about the project.

BACIDA, on 6 November 2024, reported Adega’s defiant conduct to the chairman of Civil and Building Construction with pictorial evidence of the project and how a part of it is sitting on Ghana Water Company line. The chairman later told BACIDA of how he invited the district engineer twice, but he never showed up.

BACIDA proceeded to officially petition the professional association of Engineers, Institute of Engineers and Technology (IET), believing that Ebenezer Yaw Adega was a member and that IET had the mandate over such a conduct. The general secretary also said he invited Adega twice, but as is becoming characteristic of him, he cold-shouldered him, too.

BACIDA, therefore, wishes to send this open petition to the Hon Minister to call to order Ebenezer Yaw Adega. This kind of conduct will not ensure peaceful discharge of his career elsewhere if he does not shed this kind of attitude towards traditional authorities.

Ex WOI Bright Segbefia

(Chairman BACIDA)

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.

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