By Iddrissu A. Jara

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga South Municipal Assembly, Mr. Jerry Akwei Thomson has challenged Ghanaians to change the perception that the Ga South Municipality is a hot bed for conflict.

He said unlike the turbulent atmosphere he inherited, residents of the municipality now enjoy a high sense of peace never witnessed in the area.

Mr. Akwei Thompson stated that some areas in the municipality that were hitherto marred with violent clashes and destruction of life and property are now enjoying utmost peace.

He has therefore challenged journalists who reported that there was no peace in the Municipality to check their facts to avoid misinforming the public.

Speaking to the Al-Hajj in an exclusive interview at Weija, the MCE admitted that the municipality used to be one of the hotspots for land disputes in the Greater Accra region.

According to him, land-related issues used to be the major concern of the assembly, adding that land disputes were mostly between groups of people belonging to the same family.

It would be recalled that the chief of Oblogo, Nii Kwaku Bibini, was murdered in cold blood over land-related dispute.

The MCE assured residents in and around the municipality that the feuding families have resolved the issues that sparked violence in the area and plans are far advanced to give the chief a befitting burial.

“One of the greatest achievements of the Municipal Assembly is the peace that has been restored to the Municipality after some period of protracted conflict between two factions”, he noted.

According to Mr. Jerry Thomson, several attempts to settle disputes failed but said “we have been able to bring some sanity with the support of the municipal police and the Assembly’s security committee”.

On the revenue capacity of the Municipal Assembly, he admitted that there were number of administrative lapses that led to the Assembly loosing huge sums of money on yearly basis but was quick to add that, that had been fixed since he assumed office as the MCE.

He mentioned few of the fraudulent activities that revenue collectors of the Assembly were engaging in and some of the measures put in place to ensure transparency.

Some of the measures put in place included data for all documents and issuance of receipts that also come directly from the appropriate office, adding that this had led to the arrest of lots of staff, some of whom have currently been arranged before the law court for trial.

Other culprits were also made to re-pay the amount acquired on foul means with interest depending on the nature of the case, he added.

With these measures, he said, the assembly has seen a massive increase in revenue and transparency that he promised would continue to ensure transparent administration.