Akyem Oda (E/R), Oct. 30, GNA - Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State at the Office of the President on Monday inaugurated an 81-member Birim South District Assembly at Akyem Oda.

The assembly is made up of 54 elected members, 24 Government appointees and three ex-officio members, including the District Chief Executive, Mr Frank Kwame Busumtwi, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo and Mr Felix Owusu-Adjapong, Members of Parliament for Akyem Oda and Akyem Swedru, respectively.

The occasion coincided with the inauguration of three Metro Mass Transport buses for the area.

Ms Ohene who read a speech on behalf of President John Agyekum Kufuor, urged the assembly members not to seek their personal interest against the public good.

He said any member who would use his or her positions to gain contracts or undue favours from the assembly would be committing a serious offence and conflict of interest and should be liable to sanction.

In a welcoming address, Mr Busumtwi cautioned the new assembly members that being assembly member was not an easy task. "It requires hard work, perseverance, dedication, humility and tolerance", he said. Mr Busumtwi expressed worry that the assembly had not been able to achieve its revenue target for the past three years and expressed the hope that with the crop of new assembly members' things would change for the better.

He mentioned sanitation as a major problem facing the assembly, adding that it was faced with the problem of getting land for final disposal site for both solid and liquid waste.

The assembly later elected Mr Robert Amoah, a 44-year-old educationist, as the Presiding Member.

Mr Amoah, who was the only contestant, polled 74 out of the total 76 votes cast. He thanked the assembly members for the confidence reposed in him and gave the assurance that he would live up to expectation.