Oko Vanderpuije Does Not Deserve His Latest Award

An Expert in Local Government, Mr. George Kyei-Baffour has described the award given to Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Boss, Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije as a contradictory to the core mandate of the Assembly as he has failed to tackle the sanitation problem in Accra. According to him, the AMA boss does not merit the award and the position he has attained internationally since his leadership has failed to marshal the available resources to deliver on the sanitation problems leading to hundreds of people dying of diseases associated with sanitation. His comment comes after, Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije was presented with the gavel of the president of mayors. This makes him the first president of the World Alliance of Mayors and leaders of Africa and of African descent. He was elected during the Second Meeting of the Global Alliance, held from 19th to 21st September 2014, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Speaking on Starr Fm�s "Morning Star" program, Mr. Kyei-Baffour stated that sanitation being the core function of the Assembly has failed as the mayor is not able to manage it; thus presenting himself as somebody who is working very hard to meet the challenges of Accra and for that matter to merit his current position is contradictory. �If sanitation is the core function of an Assembly and a city mayor is not able to manage it...Accra is in crisis in terms of sanitation,he is able to travel to the USA and present himself as somebody working hard to meet this challenge and for that matter he is given such as award, you can imagine the contradictory. "He decides to abandon that mandate and toe the path of politics, then he has deviated from his core mandate; Accra Mayor cannot take credit for the building of schools because it is not his initiative...property rate alone can transform the city of Accra and if within this resource, sanitation cannot be tackled, how do you reconcile with his position?�, he opined. He however cautioned Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije to be less political with his position as the Mayor Accra and rather initiate the functions of the Assembly as enshrined in its activities.