Local Government Ministry supports cured lepers
By: Samuel Agbewode
The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has redeemed a major promise made to the inmates of the cured lepers’ village in Ho, by providing a giant television for the people to help enhance the social activities of the inmates, which has been a problem over the years.
The provision of the giant TV was in fulfillment of a promise the Local Government Minister made to the people in the village about two months ago, when he visited the cured lepers to familiarise himself with the challenges confronting them.
Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo, among other things, promised to help address the water problem confronting the people in the village by providing easy access to water, street lighting system to improve on security situation in the night, and to ensure that a fence wall is also provided to protect the inmates.
The Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Isaac Kodobisah, who presented the item to the inmates, assured them on behalf of the Local Government Minister that all the promises made would gradually be redeemed as a way of helping to improve on living conditions to enable them to live normal lives.
Mr. Kodobisah said with the provision of the TV, it would now become possible for the cured lepers to entertain themselves regularly by watching films and programmes, as well as news items across the world, which he said, would enable them to be abreast with developments in the world.
The Ho MCE noted that the poor maintenance culture in the country was an issue that needed to be looked at in order to take care of properties of state or those that have been donated to individuals and group of people like the cured lepers, stressing the need for the inmates to take good care of the new TV set, in order to prolong its lifespan.
The Director of the Cured Lepers Village in Ho, Madam Jocelyn Akorfa Orchlich, thanked the Local Government Minister for the gesture, and promised that the item would be used for the purpose for which it was provided, adding that care would also be taken to protect the item for the benefit of the beneficiaries.
Madam Akorfa pointed out that the provision of the TV set clearly showed that all the promises made by Mr. Ofosu Ampofo would be redeemed. She further added that the inmates would forever remain very grateful to the Minister, and also thanked the Ho MCE for the concern he had personally shown in the activities of the cured lepers in the village.
The Assembly Member for the Ho-Dome Wusu Electoral Area, Mr. Anthony Bruce, disclosed that the 700 cured lepers and their children were not working, and that it was surprising that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) was demanding that the inmates pay for the electricity being used in the village.
Mr. Bruce said the development was a worry to the inmates, because there was no way they could pay electricity bills, and made a passionate appeal to the Ho MCE to take up the matter with the authorities of the ECG to help address the problem.
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