Accra, April 10, GNA - Members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), have been urged to confirm President John Evans Atta Mills' nominee for the position of Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), of the assembly, Mr. Alfred Vanderpuige, when he is presented to them for consideration for endorsement.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, Mr. Daniel Okai, Chairman of the Odododiodioo Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), reminded the members of the non-partisan concept underlining the country's local government administration. He asked the members to adopt a nationalistic approach to the issue and give the nominee the nod so that the metropolis would have a substantive Mayor to lead in initiating and implementing policies and programmes to tackle the many problems and challenges confronting the nation's capital.

Mr. Daniel Okai noted that solutions to the daunting problems of sanitation and environmental health and the congestion of the Central Business District of Accra could not wait but had to be confronted immediately to befit the status of the city as the seat of government and what he called "the heartbeat" of the nation. Mr. Okai who is also a Government Appointee of the Assembly, said there was the need to give Accra a face-lift to attract investors and tourists.

He said that as a member of the panel that vetted candidates for the position of MCE, he was impressed with the commitment and plans of Mr. Vanderpuige to improve the capital, which must be supported and encouraged to make Accra a better place to live in. Mr. Okai said that he was especially impressed with the President's nominee because in spite of the fact that he had been a Public School Administrator, in the United States over the past 20 years, he visited home regularly and was actively involved initiatives and activities of the city and was the Youth and Communication Director of the South Ghana Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. He said the nominee also exhibited a high level of knowledge in urban development and town planning, which he noted could especially help solve the sanitation and waste management problems facing the city and create jobs for the youth.

Mr. Okai commended the President for nominating Mr. Vanderpuige and appealed to the other contestants for the position to support his bid to become the Mayor of the city to enable him to improve the management of the nation's capital. 10 April 09