General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia has indicated that the party will soon initiate steps to re-establish the collapsed ‘Heroes Fund’ set up to assist supporters and loyalists who have encountered misfortunes, incapacitations or other forms of deprivations in the course of their service to the party.
According to him, the new crop of National executives will in the coming weeks access the possibilty of bringing back the fund which he described as very important to motivate hardworking party loyalists.
“At a point the members of the board of trustees were frustrated and resigned their position because there was no more any Heroes Fund to manage. I still believe it is a very important project we have to revisit, I’m sure when this reconstituted National Executive is done with our internal party election we’ll revisit the project. Some of the people who faught against the establishment of the fund are today contesting for positions in the party and are now calling for its re-establishment, Asiedu Nketia told Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM.
The NDC scribe disclosd that the Heroes Fund could not be operational and sustained because members of party failed to contribute towards it.
The Heroes Fund launched in 2011, was intended to cater for the needs of dependants of victims who have lost their lives while working in the interest of the NDC as well as non-members of the party in similar situations.
The Fund, registered as a non-governmental organization, was to be governed by a seven-member board of trustees chaired by Ambassador Victor Gbeho. Mr Kamal Noshie, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Mr Kwesi Attah, Mr Yaw Boamah, Ms Doris Aidoo and Mr Simon Mawusor would also serve as administrators of the fund.
These individuals were to formulate policies, raise funds from both local and international sources and see to its disbursement. The Board of Trustees was also expected to invest revenues accrued in profitable ventures.
The issue of the NDC’s Heroes Fund has come to the fore following the shooting of six of its members after armed masked men said to be operatives of National Security stormed the house of the NDC candidate at La-Bawaleshie during last Thursday’s by-election in Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
The injured are currently receiving treatment with one of the victims likely to have his badly damaged leg amputated at the 37 Military Hospital.
Asiedu Nketia noted that only a few people benefited in the initial stage of the fund but unfortunately the sources of funding that party was relying on to run the fund failed.
“If we had supported the Fund to work in those days, it would have served a good purpose today. This should tell you that some of us our kind of politics is driven by foresight. When I moved for the establishement of the Heroes Fund eight years ago we never anticipated that our members would be so severely assaulted in a by-election at Ayawaso West Wuogon. The party has no insurance for its members, no retirement fund and so that’s why we need such a dedicated fund.”
