The Upper West Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had alleged that the visit of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, cost the nation eight million Ghana Cedis (Ghc8,000,000).
It said the amount comprised the cost of fuel, envelopes for Chiefs, feeding, accommodation and general organization, among others.
The Upper West Regional Communications Officer of the NDC, Mr Prosper Puo-Ire, made the allegations in a statement copied to Info Radio at the weekend.
According to him, it is a spite on the face of the chiefs and people of the Upper West Region as the government could not secure five million Ghana (Ghc5,000,000) seed capital for the Upper West Regional hospital or to complete infrastructural projects at the SDD UBIDS but could spend that amount of money on his tour of the region.
The statement also alleged that the president’s claim that his regime has tarred a total of eighteen (18) roads in the region and has handed a total of one-hundred and ten others (110) to contractors, for tarring is a deceit of the chiefs and people of the region.
The statement reminded the President that, the litany of promises he made to the region relative to road construction remained unfulfilled.
Find the full statement below:
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS
UPPER WEST REGIONAL COMMUNICATION SECRETARIAT
POST OFFICE BOX 679
WA, UPPER WEST REGION
EMAIL: commteamndcuwr@gmail.com
Facebook: ndccommteam
PRESS RELEASE
26/08/2022
PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO’s VISIT TO THE UPPER WEST REGION- AUGUST 2022:
MATTERS ARISING
The NDC in the Upper West Region will wish to commence this statement with the expression of deep condolences to the Domozoro family, who lost their father, husband and illustrious son (Mr. Ambrose Domozoro), on Sunday 21st Augus,2022. We are reliably informed Mr. Ambrose Domozoro, met his untimely death on Sunday afternoon, after he was knocked down by a white Toyota Land cruiser with registration number GB 2525-12. We are told the said vehicle which was recklessly been driven, was on special duties for President Akufo Addo who was in the region. It saddens us that, a very idle visit the President made to the region, could cause us the life of an illustrious son, who was going round his lawful routine activities. May his soul find favour in the Lord.
While we commiserate with the relatives and compatriots of the deceased man, we find it appropriate to seize this opportunity, to highlight a few events we uncovered during the President’s visit that should be a matter of public concern.
Though the NDC in the region is not oblivious of the unrepentant taste of President Akufo Addo for profligacy and lack of priorities, never did we ever conceive that, his ostentatious life style and taste to plunder state resources could get to such commercial levels. Our trusted sources within the NPP and government structure in the region, has revealed to us that, a whooping eight million Ghana Cedis (GHC 8,000.000.00) was expended on the recent visit of the President to the region. We are told that, this amount was expended on fuel for the President’s team, hotel expenses, envelops for chiefs, feeding, organization, and fuel for welcoming party of foot soldiers, among others. We deem it a spite on the faces of the chiefs and people of the Upper West Region that, President Akufo Addo can turn deaf ears to the perpetual cries of our people to him, to complete the long list of projects he inherited from the erstwhile NDC Government of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. It is interesting that, a government that cannot find about five million Ghana Cedis to enable the Upper West Regional Hospital function in its full capacity or complete critical infrastructure at the SDD-UBIDS Campus, will suddenly blow up eight million Ghana Cedis, on an empty tour of the President to the very region he has neglected.
It became obvious to the Chiefs and people of the region that, the President is living a fantasy of his own world and far removed from the realities of his own abysmal performance, when the President indicated that, his regime has tarred a total of eighteen (18) roads in the region and have handed a total of one-hundred and ten others (110) to contractors, for tarring. It is not surprising to us that, the President failed to mention how many kilometers are in the roads he talked about. We challenge President Akufo Addo and his acolytes, to produce the list of these projects, as we are very much convinced beyond every doubt that, these roads exist only in the belives of President Akufo Addo and his legion of sub-standard appointees. We wish to remind President Akufo Addo that, the litany of promises he made to the region relative to road construction remain unfulfilled. The directive of his government to halt all road construction projects for a value for money audit since 2017, has been the cause of our very bad road network in the region. It is worth noting that, the President’s itenary was consciously drawn to avoid the Sissala East, Sissala West and Wa East Constituencies, which have the most deplorable road network in the region. Against all these, all previous sod-cutting on road projects by this government have just remained on paper and nothing more. It is insensitive on the part of President Akufo Addo to be taunting ghost achievements at the road sector at a period that, torrential rains and the lack of periodic maintenance have rendered most of our major roads impassable and our major farming hubs, non-accessible.
Realizing that, President Akufo Addo’s failure to keep good faith with the ordinary citizens, coupled with the untoward hardship his abysmal management of the economy has plunged the country into a vicious cycle of unending mess, our sources within the Regional Coordinating Council and the NPP have informed us that, the Regional Minister was commissioned by the Presidency to influence the speeches of traditional rulers and to soften every identified hard ground before the arrival of the President. Though ample evidence suggests President Akuffo Addo has failed woefully to keep faith with all his promises to the Chiefs and people of the Upper West Region and though it is without doubt that, the Akufo Addo’s regime has neglected the region, we got bewildered that, he was enskinned as “Yelmenga Naa” (Chief of truth) by the Issa Naa. We want to believe that, that conferment was paradoxical and a cleaver way the Chief choose to remind President Akufo Addo of the dignity inherent in being truthful. However, if the upgrade of Issa CHPS Compound, the upgrade of the Issa Leadership Training Institute to a TVET institution and the bitumen surfacing of the 10 kms Woggu to Issa road are the anchors of that conferment that was witnessed in Issa, then His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, His Excellency the late Professor Mills and all Office holders of the erstwhile NDC regimes deserve a perpetual standing ovation for an outstanding show of good faith towards the development of the Daffiama- Bussie-Issa District in general and the Issa Traditional Area in particular.
It is worth noting that, the NDC created the Daffiama Bussie Issa District out of the then Nadowli District in 2012. The gesture was in good faith, to bring governance closer to the people and accelerate the pace of development. The NDC sited the district capital at Issa, build the ultra- modern District Administration block. Among many other things, the NDC under His Excellency John Dramani Mahama put up 2 number five bed-room bungalows to house staff of the District Assembly, an official residence for the District Chief Executive, several other two-bedroom bungalows for other staff of decentralized departments. The NDC under the last regime also put up CHPS compounds at Jolinyiri, Duang, Kenkenlen, Owlo, Tuori Worgbere, Konzokalaa, Tabiesi, Samambo, Sazie among others.
Still within the scope of improving health infrastructure to accelerate health care delivery, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s government was committed to upgrading the Issa clinic to the status of a District hospital. It is for this reason, the government put up a maternity ward at the facility. In December 2016, at the last session of the Assembly, the house approved a budget for the construction of a doctors’ bungalow, a laboratory and a children’s ward. This would have uplifted the status of the facility to deliver enhanced medical care. It is instructive to note that, the new government under Nana Addo has stampeded the pace of work at that facility, the reason for which the Daffiama, Bussie Issa District hasn’t got a district hospital yet.
The NDC recognizes that, the provision of social amenities to enhance the livelihood of the people, should be the core responsibility of every government. In this regard, as far as the Daffiama, Bussie, Issa District is concerned, the outstanding performance of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, the NDC as a party, all its previous appointees, former Members of Parliament and the sitting Member of Parliament, dwarfs the negligible effort of President Akufo Addo, the NPP and its appointees. That, notwithstanding, neither His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, nor any past President under the ticket of the NDC, negotiated for the conferment of any “voodoo” Chieftaincy title.
It is worth noting once again, that beyond the various interventions mentioned herein, the previous NDC government connected a chunk of communities in DBI to the national grid a few of the lot that can be mentioned here for emphasis’s sake includes: Fian, Issa, Bussie, Pulbaa, Buoyiri, Owlo, Daffiama, Samanbo, Wogu, Tabiesi and Sazie. This was under the China Water project. This single intervention in these selected major settlements among others has become the significant catalyst to reduce poverty, enhance education, health care delivery, commerce and the urbanization of the district. The NDC under His Excellency John Dramani Mahama also initiated and completed a street lighting project for major roads in Issa Township.
It is actually shameful that, the ten kilometers Wogu to Issa Road for which President Akufo Addo has gone to procure a chieftaincy title, is same road His Excellency John Dramani Mahama awarded to the same PW Ghanem in 2015. The culverts and filling of the roads were all constructed before the NDC exited power. The NPP under Nana Addo abrogated the contract in 2017 and re-awarded it to same contractor in 2018. In addition to this road, HE John Mahama awarded the Sazie- Issa- Gunuo stretch too. The super structure of that road got completed before the suspension of contract by this government. That road has since been abandoned to its faith by this government.
A very disgusting point of President Akufo Addo’s recent visit to the Upper West Region is the inspection of so called “ongoing works at agenda 111 cites”. Whilst it is trite knowledge that, these projects were awarded as far back as 2020, it is disheartening to know that, the various contractors had abandoned their sites due to non-payment of certificates raised. As a face-saving measure, contractors were forced to cite with a few equipment just for the optics. We have no doubts that, the sites will return to ghosts’ domiciles in the coming few days, since the President has satisfied his ego and the cameras are taken off.
One noticeable feature of his infamous recent tour is his repeated rendition of “breaking the eight” and handing over to an NPP government. While we are convinced that, this remarkable act of desperation been preached by President Akufo Addo and his appointees, reflect their desire to elect another NPP government, to come and cover up their misdeeds so they can escape the fire of accountability, we wish to warn sternly, that any sinister agenda to act in cahoots with any institution of state, to subvert the sovereign will of the people come December, 2024, will be met with the kind of resistance as never witnessed before.
What we find commendable in this whole waste of tax-payer’s money is the commissioning of the 13 MW solar power plant in Kaleo. We find it commendable because, it is a continuation of one of the visionary projects that President Mahama handed to this government. Though President Akufo Addo in his usual self, refused to acknowledge the vision and contribution of H.E. John Mahama’s regime to this project, we are satisfied that, the NDC’s vision to improve the power mix in the region and create jobs has been fulfilled. We encourage the President to channel same efforts towards other abandoned projects like the seed money for the Upper West Regional Hospital, seed money for the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), completion of their library complex, lecture theatres, students’ halls of residence, multi-purpose hall and administration block at the SDD- UBIDS; students’ hall of residence and lecture theatres at Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University, Community Day Schools at Wellembelle, Zini, Konzokala, Boo, Dorimon and Naro; The Wa-Hian- Jeffisi- Tumu-Navrongo Road, the Lawra –Domwine-Hian stretch, the Lambussie town roads, the Hamile- Fielmuo- Gwollu-Tumu Road. The Wa- Dorimon road among many other abandoned road projects. We wish to remind him that, his promise of constructing 275-meter bridge over the Black Volta at Dikpe in the Lawra Municipality has since remained a huge castle in the air. Also, the 670 km EU funded farm access road he initiated through his roads and highways minister last year, has become a wild goose chase.
Whilst HE John Dramani Mahama and the NDC, can count on the Upper West Regional Hospital, Jambusi water treatment plant, Wa Airport, Wechau, Babile, Ko, Lambussie and Hian Policlinics, Lawra Nurses, Training College, Nandom Midwifery Training School, the Wa Nurses Training College, Tumu Midwifery Training School, Nadowli –Babile – Lawra- Nandom – Hamile road, Loggu Snr High School, Lambussie Snr High School, Hilla Liman Snr High School, Funsi Snr High School, China water project (400 communities connected to national grid), over 200 CHPS Compounds, Regional library project among others, President Akufo Addo’s six years so far is a period of agony, development drought, disappointment, failed promises, falsehood, hardship, poverty and squalor. The NDC will thus want to re-iterate our call on President Akufo Addo, to be fair to the Upper West Region, in the distribution of development interventions.
End
...Signed...
Puo-Ire Prosper
(RCO)
0204852735/0543422805
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