Regional Minister battles chronic absenteeism at regional functions; orders names of late arriving MMDCES to be noted

There was drama at the Tamale Senior High School Assembly Hall in the Sagnarigu district when some Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Northern Region had to run into the hall after the Northern Regional Minister ordered their names to be written down for absenteeism.

Alhaji Mohammed-Munriu Limuna ordered the Regional Coordinating Director, Alhaji Issahaku Alhassan to write down the names of DCEs who were absent at the orientation ceremony for the newly-elected assembly members. Knowing what it meant for their jobs, the absentee DCEs, upon phone calls from their colleagues at the ceremony, drove to the venue from where-ever they were and ran into the hall.

Alhaji Limuna, in his address, issued what appeared to be his last warning to some of the MMDCEs who have become notorious for coming late to official functions. He however, singled out the Tamale MCE who according to him sought permission to be absent.

The Minister, earlier this year, locked out some DCEs at the “Government For the People” Forum at the Tamale sports stadium for coming to the government-owned program late.

The minister did not mince words when he ordered the closure of the main entrance to the conference hall. His action angered some DCEs, whose names were mentioned in the media as being late comers.

Many thought Alhaji Limuna’s action will have deterred the MMDCEs from attending functions late, but it did not. The visibly angry minister was taken by surprise by the same MMDCEs at the orientation ceremony for the newly elected assembly members in Tamale when almost half of the DCEs were absent.

Alhaji Limuna , after a roll call of DCEs, could not understand why their colleagues in the eastern corridor were all present at the same orientation ceremony in Yendi. When he demanded for explanations from Presiding Members for their bosses’ absence, some PMs gave unconvincing reasons. Alhaji Limuna said he will no longer tolerate absenteeism.