GHC1.5m MMT debt: Don’t blame NDC for your laziness – Namoale to Titus-Glover

The Ministry of Transport and the management of Metro Mass Transit (MMT) have been lazy in collecting debts owed them by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some MPs, former La Dadekotopon MP Nii Amassah Namolae, has said.

The ex-MP’s comment came on the heels of a revelation by a Deputy Minister of Transport, Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover that the MMT has resolved to contract debt collectors to go after the NDC and debtor-MPs to collect its GHS1.5 million from owed the company.

Mr Titus-Glover, who is also the MP for Tema East explained that the NDC hired the buses for their 2016 election campaigns but never paid for the service.

He urged the debtor-MPs and the NDC to set a good example by paying for the MMT services they enjoyed so as to enable the state transport company to clean its books of those debts.

Mr Titus-Glover told Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM hosted by Kwabena Prah Jnr (The Don) on Wednesday, 19 June 2019 that the board of the MMT has given the company’s managing director the nod to engage debt collectors to retrieve the money owed by the NDC and the MPs.

“They [NDC, MPs] should go and pay the debts, GHS1.5 million,” Mr Titus-Glover urged, adding: “I’m aware that the board has given the managing director the approval to engage debt collectors to retrieve the money and, so, they should go to the MPs and the NDC to retrieve the money.

“The company needs money to buy fuel, they need money to pay salaries and other expenses.”

Responding to Mr Titus-Glover on the same programme, Mr Namoale accused the company and the ministry of transport of being irresponsible.

In his view, if the officials had made the effort to collect the debts but were unsuccessful, then Mr Titus-Glover’s condemnation of the debtors would be justified.

“To the extent that that has not been done, Titus-Glover cannot blame anybody for the government’s irresponsibility in failing to collect the debts.”

“If NDC owes Metro Mass and so what? This is no news that the minister should be making an issue of”, Mr Namoale fumed.

“It shows your irresponsibility for not collecting your debts. There are so many ways you can collect your money and, so, if you are not doing it, why blame anybody?

“If you had attempted to collect the debt and the NDC has said they won’t pay, then that can be an issue; you have not done your part yet you bring this to the media. If you are feeling lazy and you are not doing your work, don’t blame anybody for it”, Mr Namoale stated.

He added: "Use civil ways to collect your debt because owing is not a crime. Everyone owes, the Ghana government is in debt, Britain owes, so, this is no news."