The Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodoo, Nii Lante Vanderpuye has disclosed that government is to be blamed for the high number in applicants vying for the position of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

According to him, the incumbent government is responsible for doling out positions to party faithfuls. This, he noted, has resulted in the hike in numbers of interested applicants for the position.

“This time the numbers are just alarming because we have just [diminished] the position such a way that it has become a position of patronage. Everybody at all thinks that because he’s worked for the party, he deserves to be the MMDCE.

“We are not putting emphasis on qualification and competence; we are putting emphasis on reward. So, the position has become a reward mechanism for people who were disappointed in the parliamentary primaries or who wanted to hold executive positions and didn’t get”.

Unqualified MMDCE aspirants

The ranking Member on the Local Government Committee, further explained that unqualified MMDCEs affect the operation within an assembly. As such, they must exhaust every option in the selection of officials for the designated roles.

He further noted that, a qualified applicant “will help boost his or her confidence as well as build confidence in the people he is working with”.

Mr Vanderpuye recounts an experience of a District Chief Executive (DCE) who struggled to deliver due to his lack of competence in the English language.

“In one of our rounds we met a DCE who had difficulty in appreciating just the small note we gave him because this is somebody who never thought of becoming a DCE, he is only a DCE because the father died during the campaign and because of the way the father died they thought that they must compensate the family.

“He has no clue, he has no competence, and this is just somebody who finished secondary school. You could see that the person is so empty but he is a DCE”.

Employ qualified persons

In light of this, the Odododiodoo MP urged government to employ applicants who hold a minimum of a master’s degree for the MMDCE position.

“I think going forward we must critically look at qualification because the amount of resources that goes to the MMDCEs and then looking at our new decentralized system, the professionals who are going to work under the assemblies, ie the engineers, health officers educational officers etc. You need someone with at least a minimum requirement or qualification, thus a Master’s degree, because that person should exhume some confidence in the people he is working with, for them to trust the competence and the capabilities of the person”.

On May 24, 2021, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, urged members vying for positions in the metropolitan, municipal, and district offices across the country to remain united.

According to him, the aspirants must take cognizance of the ideals of the party and not allow their differences to ruin the gains of the party. He made this revelation during a 3-day working visit to the five regions in the north.