Gomoa Kokofu (C/R), Feb 16, GNA - The Gomoa West District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, has criticized the past government for not doing enough to provide toilets, a basic need for Ghanaians.

He said it was unfortunate and disgraceful for communities to be requesting for toilets 54 years after independence. Mr Aidoo-Mensah said though past governments could be blamed for this unfortunate situation, the greater part of the blame must go to chiefs and assembly members who were unable to organise their people to provide this basic facility.

He said if chiefs led their people to offer labour, the assemblies would provide materials for them to construct their toilets. Mr Aidoo-Mensah was addressing the 82nd Annual Gomoa Akyempim Muslim festival at Gomoa Kokofu near Agona Swedru. "By now Ghanaians must be requesting for small cottage industries to add value to their farm produce and not toilets," he said and added 93at= the age of 54 we are too old to demand toilet facilities." Mr Aidoo-Mensah called for fair allocation of the Ghana Schools Feedin= g Programme and criticized why a district in the Ashanti Region should have 2= 2 beneficiary schools while Gomoa West District was given only one. He said the ban on fishing with light and poisonous chemicals was to protect fish and other marine resources from destruction and appealed to fishermen and women to take it in good faith as it was in their own interest. Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, Central Regional Minister, commended Muslims for sustaining the conference for 82 years and appealed to them to use the annual conference to improve relationship between them and other religions. Mr Francis Kojo Arthur, the Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, said the Water Treatment Plant being built at Gomoa Antseadze would make the water problem facing parts of Gomoa, Mfantseman and Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam a thing of the past.

He appealed to Ghanaians to treat the insults and lies being peddled against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with the contempt they deserve and rally behind the government for a better future. Alhaji Suleman, the Imam of the Gomoa Akyempim, appealed to the government to establish an Islamic Senior High School in the area and said Muslims at Gomoa Tarkwa had donated land for the project. The Imam said plans were afoot for an endowment fund to be established to support needy but brilliant children. Nana Kwakwa Paintsil VI, Chief of Gomoa Kokofu, called on politicians to desist from using inflammatory language to disturb the peace of the nation.

He said violence does not win elections and urged them to refrain from inciting people to engage in violence. Nana Kwakwa Paintsil appealed to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to provide the communities with playing fields that the youth will use for recreational activities.