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The opposition National Communications Officer NDC has refuted claims by the editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide that former President John Dramani Mahama, during his administration, cut grass for projects, when no budget allocation or funding had been secured.
According to Sammy Gyamfi, Mr. Kweku Baako lied about the matter.
“The desperate attempt by Mr. Abdul Malik Kweku Baako and other government spokesmen to stop this important issue and create the false impression that President Mahama is equally guilty of the practice of false lawn mowing ceremonies should be dismissed and roundly condemned. , Mr. Gyamfi said in a statement.
His clarification follows earlier assertions by Mr. Baako that the NDC has no right to criticize the nuclear power plant as Mahama did the same without knowing how to finance the projects.
In a website post with the caption; “Kweku Baako” exposes “Ex-Prez Mahama on ‘Sakawa’ projects”, Mr. Baako reportedly accused the former president of mowing the lawn for the start of some projects, including the Tema Highway Interchange project , when financing it, it had not been insured.
However, the NDC has refuted the claim with the following clarification:
The NDC unequivocally states that the claims attributed to Mr. Baako in such postings are false and wishes to clarify matters as follows:
- Mr. Baako’s claim that President Mahama mowed the lawn for the Tema Expressway Interchange project when there was no budget allocation or funding available for it is a palpable falsehood.
The facts show that although the preparatory work and funding for such a project (a US $ 55 million grant from the Japanese government through JICA) was secured by the former NDC / Mahama government, HE John Dramani Mahama never cut the lawn for the beginning. of the project when he was President of the Republic of Ghana from 2013 to January 7, 2017.
Rather, it was the construction of two (2) 105 meter flyovers from the pot crossing to link the Tema Highway (funded by BOG) and another to link the East Legon / Shiashi stretch projects (funded by GOG), which President John Dramani Mahama mowed the lawn on November 2, 2016.
In fact, the lawn mowing ceremony for these two (2) projects that are separate and distinct from the JICA-funded Theme exchange project, took place on the same day that President Mahama inaugurated the 4.7 highway. miles from Congo Junction in Burma Camp, through the Airport Hills flyover to Flower Pot Junction on Spintex Road. See https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/prez-mahama-inaugurates-airport-hills-overpass.html.
It is instructive to note that the contractors for both projects were already in place when President Mahama cut the grass for the start of the projects, which were funded from the government’s own resources and expected to be completed in 24 months at a cost of GH ¢ 50 million. Therefore, Mr. Baako’s claim that President Mahama cut the lawn for the Tema exchange project when there was no budget allocation or funding available for it is not borne out by the facts.
To emphasize, HE John Dramani Mahama never performed any lawn mowing ceremonies for the Tema Highway Interchange project when he was president of the Republic of Ghana. Mr. Baako’s claim is false, therefore he must retract and publicly present an unreserved apology for it.
- On the issue of the second phase of the Kumasi airport expansion project by President Mahama, it is instructive that Mr. Baako acknowledges that the loan for the project had been approved by the Parliament of Ghana at the time that President Mahama mowed the grass for the start. of the project in December 2016.
Indeed, President Mahama performed the lawn mowing ceremony after obtaining parliamentary approval of a loan of 65,037,500 euros from Banco Santander SA and an export credit support from the UK Export Finance Agency, for loans futures for the sum of 7,762,500 euros, to the airports of Ghana. Company Limited, in November 2016.
Aside from the fact that Parliament had approved the credit line at the time President Mahama cut the grass for the project, the contractor, who had completed the first Phase of the project, had moved to the site and cleaned and fenced the ground for the shot. outside of Phase 2 of the project.
Mr. Baako’s assertion that certain conditions precedent in the Project Agreements had not been met, making it “unnecessary” for President Mahama to cut the grass for the start of the project, is totally untenable in our opinion.
The fact remains that Parliament had approved the loan facility for the project and the contractor was already in place when President Mahama cut the grass for the start of the project.
Therefore, Mr. Baako’s claim about the unmet conditions does not in any way contradict the statement made by President Mahama at the NDC Kumasi town hall meeting that he promised never to cut grass for any project until he saw an on-site contractor because of the lessons he learned. learned from the late start of the Upper West Regional Hospital project.
Gyamfi, in the statement, further reiterated President Mahama’s warning to Ghana’s chiefs and people not to be fooled by what he described as sham (“Sakawa”) lawn mowing ceremonies performed by President Akufo Addo and other officials of his government in recent times to start various projects throughout the country.
He said that funds for these projects are not included in the 2020 mid-year budget nor are they approved by Parliament.
“We contend that, were it not for his wastefulness and unbridled penchant for waste and corruption, President Akufo Addo should have been commissioning significant development projects by now given the unprecedented total resources of GHS 374 billion that He has built up his government over the last three (3) years and a half and is not performing the fake grass cutting ceremonies (“Sakawa”) that we are currently witnessing, which are calculated for electoral votes and nothing more.
“The desperate attempt by Mr. Abdul Malik Kweku Baako and other government spokesmen to stop this major problem and create the false impression that President Mahama is equally guilty of practicing false lawn mowing ceremonies should be dismissed and roundly condemned. “he added. .
