The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) initiative was not awarded competitively.
The legislator, in a statement, said he and his colleague MP Mahama Ayariga filed Right to Information (RTI) on the DRIP initiative.
Findings made by the two MPs include the cost of the project pegged at US$178,704,739.50. which translates to a GHS2.8billion
According to him, the District Assemblies Common Fund Secretariat informed them that this US$178.7million (GHS2.8billion) figure will rise further when training, recruitments, PPEs, and other procurements are finalised.
He said, “The sole funding source for DRIP is the District Assemblies Common Fund, and the gigantic nature of the liability means that the fund would be crippled in the next couple of years.
The US$178.7million (GHS2.8billion) contract was not awarded competitively. It was yet another single-sourced sweetheart deal, as confirmed by the DACF in their formal response.”
He slammed the Nana Addo-led government, accusing it of failing to end sole sourcing as he pledged in 2016 while campaigning.
“In opposition, Akufo-Addo and Bawumia loudly and consistently pledged to end the era of single-sourced contracts, however, their tenure has witnessed the most blatant and reckless abuse of single-sourcing.
The US$178.7million (GHS2.8billion) single-sourced sweetheart deal was awarded to J.A. Plantpool of the Zoomlion conglomerate.
Rigorous parliamentary scrutiny further reveals that there has been no value-for-money audit for this transaction in flagrant violation of the PFMA.”
The MP further revealed that from the information they gathered, the government has paid only 15% of the total cost for the equipment.
“Despite Bawumia’s boastful claims, it turns out government has paid just 15% of the cost of the DRIP equipment. In response to our RTI request on how much government has paid for the equipment, the DACF revealed that only the 15% advance mobilisation of US$26,805,710.93 has been paid.”
Read below the full statement
THE DISTURBING SECRETS AKUFO-ADDO & BAWUMIA DO NOT WANT GHANAIANS TO KNOW ABOUT DRIP
Extremely troubling details are emerging from a special ongoing parliamentary scrutiny into government’s controversial and opaque District Road Improvement Project (DRIP).
President Akufo-Addo launched the DRIP initiative on 31st July, 2024 describing it as a significant step towards transforming Ghana’s road infrastructure.
Vice President Bawumia has made DRIP a major talking point of his rather uninspiring driver’s mate campaigns claiming that DRIP was entirely his idea and that he would not share credit with any other person or institution.
A video making the rounds has Vice President Bawumia claiming to have chaired the Critical Roads Committee which birthed the DRIP idea and that they did not seek parliamentary approval to implement DRIP.
In a considerable number of constituencies across the country, NPP parliamentary candidates and MMDCEs have hijacked the equipment affixing NPP posters and using them for cheap partisan vote-seeking rendezvous.
The DRIP war appears to have reached a crescendo in constituencies such as Awutu Senya West where the NDC Communications Officer and two other NDC members were recently arrested and remanded in police custody for removing posters of Akufo-Addo’s Presidential Spokesperson and NPP Parliamentary Candidate, Eugene Arhin which had been splashed all over the DRIP equipment.
Our thorough parliamentary oversight into government’s DRIP initiative after Hon. Mahama Ayariga and I filed a number of RTI requests, together with further analysis we have conducted from multiple impeccable sources have led us to the following incontrovertible findings:
1. The cost of the DRIP equipment to Ghanaian taxpayers is an unbelievable colossal amount of US$178,704,739.50. This translates to a staggering GHS2.8billion. (DACF RTI response is attached)
2. Worryingly, the District Assemblies Common Fund Secretariat informs us that this US$178.7million (GHS2.8billion) figure will rise further when training, recruitments, PPEs and other procurements are finalized;
3. The sole funding source for DRIP is the District Assemblies Common Fund and the gigantic nature of the liability means that the fund would be crippled in the next couple of years;
4. The US$178.7million (GHS2.8billion) contract was not awarded competitively. It was yet another single-sourced sweetheart deal as confirmed by the DACF in their formal response;
5. In opposition, Akufo-Addo and Bawumia loudly and consistently pledged to end the era of single-sourced contracts, however, their tenure has witnessed the most blatant and reckless abuse of single-sourcing;
6. The US$178.7million (GHS2.8billion) single-sourced sweetheart deal was awarded to J.A. Plantpool of the Zoomlion conglomerate;
7. Rigorous parliamentary scrutiny further reveals that there has been no value for money audit for this transaction in flagrant violation of the PFMA;
8. Despite Bawumia’s boastful claims, it turns out government has paid just 15% of the cost of the DRIP equipment. In response to our RTI request on how much government has paid for the equipment, the DACF revealed that only the 15% advance mobilization of US$26,805,710.93 has been paid;
9. From the payment schedule as demanded from the District Assembly Common Fund Secretariat through our RTI requests, government has negotiated to pay J.A. Plantpool over a 9-month period. All indications are that it is the next NDC government which would be required to pay a far larger share from January 7, 2025;
10. So far, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has been unable to keep to its agreed monthly payment schedule to J.A. Plantpool after paying the initial 15%. If this trend continues with barely two months to go before the December 7 elections, the next NDC government led by President Mahama will be required to pay the remaining 85%;
11. The obvious irony is that NDC members are being arrested and harassed over equipment which their government is potentially going to be responsible for its 85% payment when the NDC wins the December 7, 2024 election;
12. I must hasten to add, however, that it is most unlikely that the next NDC government will fully accept the terms of this opaque sweetheart deal and if the extremely problematic unit pricing would be respected;
13. There is a legitimate question to be asked about why this government is creating more and more gargantuan debts for the next administration, particularly when they are not transparent, not accountable and not bi-partisan in their approach;
14. Diligent parliamentary checks also indicate that the true nature of this DRIP transaction has not been brought to the attention of the IMF which has been struggling to control an unhinged and fiscally indisciplined Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government;
15. The breakdown of DRIP equipment as obtained additionally reveals a very disturbing case of wasteful misalignment. Ghana has 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and yet, contrary to what Ghanaians have been told by the President and his Vice, taxpayers are being asked to pay for 400 tipper trucks, 700 concrete mixers, 280 backhoes, 280 water tankers, 280 single drum rollers and 280 motor graders. It remains a mystery as to where the excess equipment will be sent to and why suffocating taxpayers have been saddled with this extra burden. Did NPP officials embark on another hugely inflated create, loot and share corrupt scheme?;
16. Again, contrary to government’s public posturing, the RTI documents confirm that government did not order adequate wheel loaders (only 100), bull dozers (only 50) and low beds (only 50) for Ghana’s 261 districts. The criteria and distribution formula for this set has also been subjected to needless secrecy despite persistent parliamentary inquiries;
17. While Bawumia dishonestly claims parliament did not play any role in the DRIP initiative, the DACF Secretariat insists in their response to me that they sought parliamentary approval. Nonetheless, it must be pointed out forcefully that the facts emerging suggest that government including the DACF Secretariat was not particularly transparent with Parliament when they requested our approval. Consequential parliamentary actions to take on government for this grand deception would commence in due course.
I shall be back with part 2.
For God and Country.
Ghana First ????????
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
