Agona Nyakrom (C/R), Oct 19, GNA- Officials of the Agona District Assembly who went to participate in cleanup exercise at Agona Nyakrom on Wednesday, were disappointed when the youth refused to take part in the exercise in a protest against an alleged mismanagement of funds by their elders.

The officials included Mr Ben Mensah, District Chief Executive and the District Coordinating Director, Mr Eric Bediako Oppong, Mr Frank Essilfie, District Environmental Health Officer and his staff and some workers of Zoomlion, the organisation managing the Sanitation module of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). Briefing newsmen a spokesman for the youth, Paapa Hammond said they would like the elders to account for 350 million cedis or 35,000 Ghana Cedis used on a market, which reached an advance stage before the Agona District Assembly completed it.

He said they were unhappy about the Assembly's inability to cement the market and the lack of proper drainage in the facility and urged the elders to think of the development of the town for the benefit of the people.

Mr Frank Abban, Assemblyman for the Aboraa Electoral Area who also spoke for the youth blamed the elders for the delaying in the commencement of a Community Centre planned for the town even though fund had been earmarked for the project.

A spokesman for the elders denied the charges levelled against them including the mismanagement of funds and that they did not have the development of the town at heart.

Mr Mensah who expressed regret about the boycott of the exercise by the youth and also denied that the Assembly had the amount on the market.

He stated that paving the floor of the market was not included in the original plan and said a separate budget would have to be prepared for that.

Mr Mensah said the next clean up exercise organised by the District Assembly would take place at Agona Nsaba or Agona Duakwa and called on the youth, Assembly members and groups to take active part to maintain its position as the neatest district in the Central Region.