Akufo-Addo's claim of constructing most roads untrue – Adongo

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bolgatanga Central Constituency in the Upper East Region has rejected the claim by President Nana Akufo-Addo that his government has built more roads than any other government in the Fourth Republic.

According to Mr Isaac Adongo, the president’s claim in his state of the nation address to parliament is not a true reflection on the ground.

"If the president’s claim were true, why did Members of Parliament on both sides of the house keep asking the sector minister about the state of their roads?" he argued.

Mr Adongo said MPs keep lobbying for roads because the roads have not been done in sharp contrast to the assertion of the president.

He said MPs keep piling up questions for the minister of roads every day because their roads have not been done.

According to him, the sector minister is dragged to the floor every Friday to answer questions about roads in many constituencies.

"Many of these MPs have not had their roads built since this government assumed office," Mr Adongo said.

Mr Adongo said: "While the MPs are complaining about the state of their roads, contractors are also complaining about not being paid for done work".

He asked: "Everywhere in the world, the capital investment reflects on the economy but what is the reflection of the president’s claims on the economy today?"

In his address, the president said a large amount of the money that the country borrows, goes into road construction and the subject of roads also constitutes a large number of questions that arise in the House of Legislature.

“As I go around the country, I hear the pleas for roads, schools, hospitals, and, as the rainy season comes, I wish, as every other Ghanaian does, that we would have built more drains than we have".

"And I wish we had the resources to do more,” the president stated.

He stressed: “I am proud of the amount of work that we have done, especially in the road sector. Roads constitute the largest number of questions asked in this House by Members of Parliament; a large amount of the monies we borrow are for road construction. Shall we dare stop constructing roads?”

President Akufo-Addo noted that his government has constructed more roads than any government under the 4th Republic.

“Mr Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr. Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this Message,” he said.

The president further noted that he had to make details of the roads his government has worked on so far available for evidence's sake.

“I have done so because, last year, when I made a similar pronouncement, I was met with howls and gasps of incredulity from the Minority benches, and so I thought it appropriate, this time, to present it as an annex to the Statement, which will be part of Hansard,” he stated.