By Nadia Ntiamoah
The Greater Accra Regional Minister and Member of Parliament for Shai-Osudoku, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, has sounded the alarm over a troubling wave of infrastructure theft in her constituency, revealing that at least 20 percent of all fixed streetlights have been stolen.
The disclosure adds to growing concerns about the sabotage of public development projects and increasing political interference in local governance.
Ocloo made the revelation during her recent regional tour to monitor the confirmation of the President’s nominees for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executive (MMDCE) positions across the region.
She described the theft of the streetlights as a “major setback” to government efforts aimed at improving infrastructure and security in local communities.
“We are losing about 20 percent of the fixed streetlights to theft. This is unacceptable,” she told reporters during a stop in her home constituency, Shai-Osudoku.
“These lights are meant to improve security and safety for residents. This kind of vandalism sabotages our development agenda.”
The revelation came during a tense confirmation session for the President’s nominee for District Chief Executive (DCE) for Shai-Osudoku, Fred Ignatius Dodoe.
Despite the Minister’s appeal for unity and support, the nominee failed to secure the needed votes—garnering 17 ‘Yes’ votes and 15 ‘No’ votes, falling short of the required two-thirds majority.
Ocloo expressed disappointment over the outcome and took the opportunity to caution against what she described as growing attempts to manipulate the confirmation process through vote-buying.
According to her, some individuals with political ambitions are allegedly offering bribes and “losing bonuses” to Assembly Members to vote against the President’s nominees.
“We have credible information that shortlisted individuals are paying Assembly Members to reject the President’s picks,” she claimed.
“This undermines the integrity of the local governance process and delays development.”
The Minister warned that continued failure to confirm the President’s nominees could force the government to repeatedly present the same candidate or consider appointing an outsider, potentially bypassing local input altogether.
As part of her wider tour, Ocloo also visited the Adentan and La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assemblies.
Unlike the deadlock in Shai-Osudoku, the processes in these municipalities were successful. Ella Esinam Nongo was confirmed as the Municipal Chief Executive for Adentan, and Fuseini Ibrahim Faila was approved as the MCE for La Nkwantanang-Madina.
