The Oti Regional Minister, Dr Joshua Makubu, has directed the Nkwanta South Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Bright Kwame Lenwah, to ensure that tree seedlings planted by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the premises of the Nkwanta Day Senior High School (DSHS) were uprooted because they were planted at the wrong place.
Dr Makubu explained that tree seedling planting was a government policy that all needed to participate in, however, the trees that were planted in the school were not appropriate because the occasion, June 4 was not a pleasant occasion for trees to be planted and tagged for students to be remembered of the historical antecedents associated with it.
Speaking at the Nkwanta Community SHS, the Regional Minister explained that he was not against the NDC participating in the tree seedling planting, but the trees planted and tagged with June 4, particularly in an environment which he described as not appropriate.
Dr Makubu noted that the development that took place on June 4 was a sad one that had affected many families and planting tree seedlings in a school with the name June 4th would deter students who lost their parents and relatives on that day from attending the school, therefore, trees planted with the June 4th identification should be uprooted.
He said the NDC should visit the Forestry Commission (FC) in the municipality, to be shown a better place where the party could engage in the tree planting exercise, and that the same commission would also provide the NDC with seedlings to enable the party to actively participate in the Green Ghana Project.
However, the Oti Regional NDC did not take the statement of the Regional Minister kindly, and quickly called the media and briefed them about the displeasure of the party about what the party described as deliberate attempt to create division among the people in the region, which the NDC said would be resisted at any time.
The Oti Regional Organiser of the NDC, Mr Gabriel Kwame Samora, stressed that since the Regional Minister was appointed, the NDC thought he would work, unite the people and with the objective of bringing the needed development to the region, but it was becoming clear to the party that the RM was on a mission to create division among the people.
Mr Samora, therefore, warned that the NDC would not tolerate any of such acts and was prepared to match the regional minister boot for boot if that was the leadership skills he had decided to practise in governing the people in the region.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, NKWANTA
