GIVE ACCURATE REPORTAGE ON W/R — AIDOO (PAGE 36)

THE Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has made a passionate appeal to the media in the region to ensure adequate and accurate reportage of events to enhance the image of the region.
He said the media should educate the people to refrain from negative tendencies such as indiscriminate disposal of refuse, illegal water and electricity connections, unauthorised construction of buildings, among others.
Mr Aidoo stated that those were issues that by and large retarded progress and caused diseases, social tension and economic sabotage.
The regional minister made the appeal at his maiden interaction with the media in Sekondi.
“If our people could be educated to change their attitude, l believe it would go a long way to bring about economic growth and development,” he said.
Mr Aidoo urged traditional authorities in the region, who are custodians of culture and tradition and wield a lot of influence, to use their good offices to promote peace and unity in their respective traditional areas.
“I am aware of the chieftaincy disputes in the region, which l hope Nananom will make a special effort to dispose of amicably to create an enabling environment for the forward march of the region,” he said.
Mr Aidoo gave the assurance that the government would provide quality education and provide jobs, affordable and decent housing, quality health care and security for all law-abiding citizens to go about their legitimate businesses and interests freely.
Responding to some questions, he suggested that the mining law on the payment of compensation should be amended or streamlined to help reduce conflicts between the mining companies and the affected people.
Mr Aidoo stressed that the emerging oil industry should be well managed otherwise it would not benefit people in the region.
Touching on the large-scale sale of lands in the towns and villages near the Cape Three Points where there is an oil find, he said the Lands Commission was putting up measures to solve the problem.
The Western Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr George Nakene, said the media had contributed meaningfully to promote the development of the region.
He stressed that journalists were not economic saboteurs but partners in development.
Mr Nakene urged public office holders to be open and release information to reporters for public consumption otherwise a situation would be created for the media to speculate.
He explained that the press centre in Takoradi was for the promotion of democracy as well as the socio-economic development of the region.