The Brong Ahafo Regional President of National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), Maxwell Adu Takyi on Friday, recommended a constitutional amendment to enable the association to serve it purpose at the district levels.
Maxwell was speaking at the University of Energy and Natural Resources on the first Brong Ahafo Regional NASPA Delegates Conference.
“I have a ready-made version of the constitutional amendment proposals,” Maxwell said, without giving more details.
He attributed the need for the amendment to the “inability of Executives at the Districts to utilize funds to the benefit of its members.”
He went on to note that budget allocations for instance which is supposed to be used to cater for the Districts takes a while before it can be disbursed.
According the National NASPA Presidential hopeful, the Constitution of the Association makes it difficult for newly elected officers to spend because the tenure of an officer of the Association is longer than the service duration.
He said, the situation is such that officers who have duly completed their National Service would still be steering the affairs of the Association.
For Maxwell, it’s a bad practice and should be stopped by a constitutional amendment. To him, it does not help the developmental agenda of the Association.
‘The tenure of officers must not be different from any service personnel. NASPA Officers tenure in office must correspond and expire at completion of the national service’.
We must also ensure that the disbursement is done earlier to afford the districts space and time to use their allocations for their programs and projects.
He also recommended that the Association makes its welfare fund operational to service the interest of personnel, calling on relevant stakeholders to set the state to herald the revival of a dormant welfare fund.
Backing his reason for calling for the revitalization of the welfare fund, Takyi cited litany of personnel in Brong Ahafo who are involve in one accident or another and their families battling to pay their hospital bills.
He is of the opinion that the welfare fund was instituted to cushion personnel in terms of distress.
“It is highly recommended. We need new laws which will respond adequately to the nature and occurrences of the era.