MEMBERS OF THE University of Cape Coast branch of the National Union of Sefwi Students (NUSS) have expressed concern about what they described as the seemingly total neglect of the Sefwi area.

This view was expressed by members of the union at a press conference held at the GBC Club House here at the weekend, ostensibly to make some observations known to Ghanaians and also to call on the appropriate quarters for measures to rectify the problem which had existed there over several years ago.

A statement issued at the conference drew the attention of the public to the numerous resources that have been exploited from the Sefwi land for foreign exchange for the nation but which have not benefited the people whose area the items were explited.

It pointed out that undoubtedly, Sefwi is among the highest cocoa producing areas in the country. Timber is also produced in greater quantities and added to the two, are mineral deposits of Bauxite which have been mined for umpteen years at Awaso as well as "Gold" being seriously mined at Bibiani, all in the Sefwi area of the Western Region.

The statement stated with regret that the Sefwi land in general and the Juabeso-Bia district in particular had not been properly catered for so far as development of the nation is concerned.

Mr. Anthony Nkuah, national president of the union, who read the statement, was not happy that the Juabeso-bia district which was recently created and which should necessarily see rapid development to merit its supposed status had been left to roost with with its road network very deplorable with no single kilometer tarred.

He pointed out that commercial roads from Dwinase to Oseikojokrom, Bonsu-Nkwanta and other areas are almost unmotorable in spite of being one of the country's major cocoa producing areas.

Touching on the academic pursuit of the youth in the area, the national president intimated that for those of the youth who had struggled to reach the tertiary level they did so under very critical conditions when it could have been a matter of progress if some of them had had some access to some of the cocoboard scholarships, looking at the amount of cocoa their parents continued to produce.

The union has, therefore, appealed to the NPP government under President John Agyekum Kufuor to, as a matter of urgency, to put all major roads in the Sefwi area on contract for tarring and also ensure that health and educational facilities are provided and the existing ones improved.

The students also called for the setting up of a telephone exchange center to service the whole Sefwi area, in addition to the provision of potable water to the people by drilling more boreholes as well as extending pipelines to all major towns in the area.

According to the union, what they are asking for is for the government to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the national cake "since our parents over the years had contributed so much to the socio-economic development of the nation and, therefore, should not be left in this present deplorable state."