Three committees at the Mion District Assembly have disassociated themselves from the District Chief Executive for the area, Mahama Samuel’s decision to share agricultural machinery to party apparatchiks without the approval of the Executive Committee, the highest decision-making body. Agric Sub-Committee, Social Service, and Justice and Security Sub-Committee are among the committees.
The agricultural subcommittee, with a membership of twelve, raised procedural issues about the manner in which the DCE wants to share the machinery and called for a meeting to deliberate on it before distribution, but the DCE is said to be going ahead with distribution.
The unhappy assembly members and some community members say the DCE started the move to share the machinery with party members last week in spite of calls on him to halt the executive committee meeting to make a decision.
The machinery that has been at the District Agric Department for about 7 years now includes ten power tiller machines, two corn shellers, knapsack spraying machines, 18 standby power generators, two tractors with harrows, a plough, and trailers.
The machinery was given to the District Agric Department in 2016 through the agric mechanization program to enhance irrigation farming in the district.
But the aggrieved assembly members alleged that some known party members were brought to the district to take away the machinery under the guise of leasing.
The Agric subcommittee chairman and assembly member for Kpabiya Electoral Area, Mr. Adam Ahmed, told Zaa News that the committee proposed that the Power Tiller Machines be distributed to the five area councils so that they could support the assembly and generate more revenue. The power tiller machines, he explained, were brought to support the Zakpalisi Irrigation Dam.
He suggested that the distribution of the equipment be left to the Agricultural Department because they know all the farmers in the area.
Zaa News contacted the District Chief Executive for Mion, Mahama Samuel, but he has yet to respond to our calls and messages on the matter.
Source: Ibrahim Mohammed, Head of Zaa News.
