Cape Coast, Nov 22, GNA - Mr Alfred Tetebo, the
Director of Fisheries, has said the Ministry of
Fisheries had sought assistance from the national
security apparatus to stem diversion of premix fuel.
He said last year the government spent 89 billion
cedis to subsidize the product and expressed the
hope that by the end of the year a strategy would
have been evolved to ensure its effective
distribution.
Mr Tetebo was addressing chief fishermen and
chairmen of local premix committees from the Central
Region at Cape Coast on Tuesday.
"Premix is a special product and the government is
therefore determined to stall any negative practices
associated with its distribution."
He advised local premix committees to present
quarterly reports about their activities to the
regional premix committee to solve problems they
faced.
In related development Nana Jojo Solomon, the Chief
Fisherman and local premix committee chairman at
Elmina, has been suspended.
Nana Ato Arthur, the Central Regional Minister, said
it had been detected that between May 2004 and
October this year Nana Solomon failed to deposit
amounts totalling 250 million cedis being profit
from the sale of premix into the committee's
account.
He said the Audit Service has been invited to audit
his accounts.
Nana Arthur said Nana Solomon was still the Chief
Fisherman and called for unity among fishermen in
the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District.
He said he was unhappy that the suspension of Nana
Solomon had created tension in the district and
urged the people to be patient and wait for the
audit report.
Nana Arthur said a seven-member interim committee
has been put in place to manage fuel distribution
until the report was ready.
Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, the Paramount Chief of Edina
Traditional Area, called for a committee to manage
pre mix distribution to ease tension in the area.
GNA
