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MCE wages war against premix hoarding in Tema Metropolis

The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La on Monday went on an unexpected survey at landing beaches in the metropolis to discover intelligence that premix fuel committees were hoarding and selling the commodity at higher prices to the fishers.

Date Created : 9/17/2019 4:52:43 AM : Story Author : Rosemary Obeng-Yeboah/Ghanadistricts.com

The surprise tour caught members of the Landing Beach Committees off-guard and revealed that some 90 drums of premix fuel were tucked away at the Tema Harbour in a manner suggestive of hoarding.

Police personnel and members of the Metropolitan Guard who went with the MCE on the tour wanted to arrest suspects, but were dissuaded by claims that the fuel was not being hoarded.

Speaking with the Chairman of the Tema Canoe fishermen Association, Adjierteh Quaye, said the MCE was misinformed by whoever alleged that they were hoarding fuel, and that the 90 drums of premix that was tucked away belonged to some fishermen.

However, Ashitey Tetteh, Member of the premix committee at the Tema Landing Beach also claimed that drums of premix that were being stored at various filling stations belonged to fishermen who kept them at the stations for security against theft as well.

According to him, when fishermen were left to keep their own premix, they had the premix stolen, and so out of the desire to ensure the security of the fuel, such fishermen kept it at the premix committee filling stations, where they were not accessible to thieves.

Speaking with the Media, the Mayor of the Metropolis, Nii Mensah Annang-La, warned the committee members to be on guard because he had his eyes on their every step and would not hesitate at all to arrest and prosecute people who hoard premix fuel.

According to him, even though government was faithfully supplying premix, fishers kept complaining that the fuel did not reach them. “The complaints are unduly making this government unpopular,” he said.

Available intelligence suggests that the premix is hoarded by the premix fuel Committee members and sold at cut throat prices to fishers.

Originally, a drum is supposed to be sold at GHC 520, but because of the hoarding, a drum was selling for GH¢ 1,200.00 on the black market.

He said President Akufo-Addo had asked him to ensure that the ‘kalabule’ in premix fuel distribution was stopped and he would do everything in his power to ensure that those behind it were brought to book.

The MCE issued a fiat for the 90 drums to be sold to the fishermen as quickly as possible.

Accompanying the MCE at the programme were; Frank Asante, Public Relations Officer for the Assembly, Mr. James Sutherland, Aide to the MCE, Metropolitan Engineer.