Seidu Musah, Oti Regional Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has alleged that only 810 birds under the government’s ‘Nkoko Nkitinkiti’ initiative have been brought to the Oti Region, claiming that the beneficiaries were largely members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He questioned whether the reported number of birds was sufficient to meet the needs of beneficiaries across the region, considering the population, number of communities and the size of the NDC’s membership in the Oti Region.

Mr Musah made the allegation in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to assess the performance of the NDC government in the region since assuming office.

He said the government had been in office for about one-and-a-half years and was approaching its second year, but, in his assessment, there were no significant tangible achievements to show its tenure in the region.

According to him, the government had made several promises to the people of Oti, but the pace of implementation of those commitments had fallen short of residents’ expectations.

He also called for greater transparency in the implementation of the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative, particularly regarding the number of birds supplied to the region, the criteria for selecting beneficiaries, and their geographical distribution.

He said such information would enable the public to assess whether the programme was being implemented fairly and achieving its intended objective of supporting livelihoods.

Mr Musah said the NPP would continue to monitor government programmes and policies in the region and hold the government accountable for its promises.

He, however, acknowledged that government programmes should ultimately be assessed based on their impact on ordinary citizens rather than political considerations.

Mr Musah urged the government to prioritise projects and interventions that would directly improve the livelihoods of farmers, young people, women and small-scale entrepreneurs.

Ghana News Agency investigations reveal otherwise as confirmed by Mr Williams Ntoso, Oti Deputy Director of Communication of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who refuted Mr Musah’s claim, describing the allegation as untrue.

He said the Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative had not supplied only 810 birds to the region as alleged.

According to Mr Ntoso, each of the nine Municipal and District Assemblies in the Oti Region received 10,000 birds under the programme, bringing the total number supplied to the region to 90,000 birds.

He therefore urged the public to disregard the claim that only 810 birds had been brought to the region, saying the actual figure was 90,000.

The NDC Deputy Regional Communication Director maintained that the programme was being implemented across the region and was intended to support beneficiaries and improve livelihoods.