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New Crusading Guide editor-in-chief Kweku Baako has criticized former NDC president and presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama for the latter’s mowing for projects while in government.
NPP “Sakawa” projects
President John Dramani Mahama, speaking recently at a meeting of the NDC City Council in Kumasi, accused the leaders and people of Ghana of not placing trust in the ruling New Patriotic Party (PNP) and described the president’s lawn mowing Nana Akufo-Addo as “ sakawa ”. ‘.
“I learned about a hospital project in Upper East when I was vice president. Since that project, I told myself that I will never mow until I have seen a contractor on site. These days you see the president and vice president mowing grass. everywhere with no contractor there.
“Nananom, if they come to your city to mow grass for a project, ask them two questions, let them tell you if the project was included in the 2020 budget or if the parliament approved a loan for the project. If they can’t answer then it means that mowing the lawn is a scam, it’s for the elections. It’s sakawa or 419 “ he affirmed.
Sammy Gyamfi and Kweku Baako Shock
Baako, on Wednesday September 16, 2020, noted that Mahama mowed grass for the start of phase 2 of Kumasi International Airport when funding had not been secured.
“My checks indicate that that particular lawn mowing was unnecessary. It had no real basis because it is true parliamentary approval for that particular line of credit, but there were precedent conditions that were established that without it the agreements would not go into effect. Some were value-for-money audits and some were that you had to sign the loan agreement before construction could proceed. By the time you cut the lawn, the finance agreements had not been signed. In fact, these things were made in 2018.
“My own checks and documentation that I have accessed point to the fact that the first cutting of grass was for purely electoral purposes. Oh yeah! It had no basis. There was no basis for it; I had no basis for it, but they cut the grass on December 5, 2016 … It was totally unnecessary but it was done for electoral purposes as I said ”.
He added that President Nana Akufo-Addo was necessary to give financial authorization for the project.
” It should be remembered that President Akufo-Addo also cut grass for the same project, phase 2. So, he had a ridiculous situation where two presidents cut grass for the same project at different times. You must ask yourself why and how. What was sustainable?
“The financial agreements were signed in 2018. It was in 2018, the first days, that they completed the value-for-money audit.”
Baako further exposed the NDC standard-bearer saying his administration displayed a similar attitude in the Tema exchange project in November 2016.
” At the time he (Mahama) was mowing the lawn, there was nothing on the ground in terms of budget or loan agreement or anything. In fact, at the end of the day, the truth is that they asked the Japanese government in 2013 for help on the ground to undertake that project, ” he said.
He stressed that the Tema Highway was also completed in 2017, when Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia cut grass for the same project.
He said “The Bawumia lawn mowing was more significant because they had completed the feasibility studies and presented us with the final report and we had chosen which exchange option we wanted, and we had also signed the financial agreement. “
But NDC communications officer Sammy Gyamfi responded to Mr. Baako, claiming that the experienced journalist lied in his accounts.
In a statement and addressed to Kweku Baako after he (Baako) tried to expose John Mahama on the subject of lawn mowing, Sammy Gyamfi said; ” 1. Mr. Baako’s claim that President Mahama cut the grass for the Tema Highway Interchange project when there was no budget allocation or funding available for it is a palpable falsehood. The facts show that even though the preparatory work and funding for said 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 grass for the start. 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 cut the lawn for November 2, 2016. In fact, the lawn mowing ceremony for these two (2) projects, which are separate and distinct from the JICA-funded Tema exchange project, was held in On the same day that President Mahama inaugurated the 4.7-kilometer highway that runs from Congo Junction in Burma Camp, through the Airport Hills overpass 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 on site 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.
2. Regarding the second phase of President Mahama’s Kumasi airport expansion project, it is instructive that Mr. Baako acknowledge that the loan for the project had been approved by the Parliament of Ghana when President Mahama cut the lawn for The start of the project in December 2016. In fact, President Mahama performed the lawn mowing ceremony after obtaining parliamentary approval of a loan of 65,037,500 euros from Banco Santander SA and export credit support from the Agency UK Export Finance Fund, for future loans in the amount of 7,762,500 euros, to Ghana Airports Company Limited, in November 2016. Apart from the fact that Parliament had approved the credit line at the time the 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 had cleared and fenced off the site for the launch 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 line of credit 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 assertion 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 to an on-site contractor because of the lessons he learned. learned from the delay in starting the Upper West Regional Hospital project. ”
Mahama was deceived
Responding to statements by Sammy Gyamfi, Kweku Baako, in ‘Kokrokoo’ by Peace FM On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Mr. Gyamfi’s claims that former President John Mahama learned his lessons from the delayed start of the Upper West Regional Hospital project were taken with a pinch of salt.
For him, he does not believe that Mr. Mahama has learned any lessons because he repeated the incident in Kumasi.
Kweku Baako stated that Mr. Mahama replicated the incident when he went to cut grass for the start of phase 2 of the Kumasi airport, emphasizing that in the same way, the necessary documentation and financial agreements for said project had not been fulfilled so that the former president have undertaken the lawn mowing.
“President Mahama could not be right when in June 2018 he said that he was going to cut the grass for the start of the project. He could not be right. He could not be right. He would not be right. He must not be right because His statement is not supported in contractual documentation and processes, the trajectory of the events.
“.. In my opinion, it doesn’t seem like he learned his lessons; the Wa lessons because what he did in Kumasi is virtually a replica of what he did in Wa. So his point that I learned some lessons because of the Wa incident is questionable. He did not do it because he repeated practically the same error of judgment “,
he told Kwami Sefa Kayi.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi / Peacefmonline.com / Ghana
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