Gov’t to audit controversial $13.9m veep residence – Nana Akomea

Government is to launch an audit into the controversial Vice Presidents official building which is currently under construction to the tune of $13.9 million approved by the Mahama administration.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied the figures touted by the vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the government with the NDC saying that those figures were not approved by the previous government.

Some persons have questioned the necessity of the edifice when the country already has an accommodation for the presidents and vice presidents since 1993.

The communications director for the NPP in an interview on Citi FM said “I believe that is what the government would do. First to do a value for money audit because this is a sole-sourced contract.”

Making reference to the controversial bus branding saga which was also under the previous administration, Nana Akomea said “we all know some of the problems that come with sole-sourced contracts. You remember the bus branding where because of the sole-sourced contract, the overpayment was more than 100 percent when the cost of the work should have been GHC 1.7 million but GHC 3.5million was paid because there was no value for money audit.

“I believe the first thing the NPP government would do is to have a value for money audit done by a reputable company so we all know whether we are getting value for money.

“There are also issues about the propriety of committing tax payer’s money to the tune of almost $14 million to build another residence for the vice president of Ghana when since 1993 we have had a residence for vice presidents.”

Government is yet to give an official position on the relevance of the building and its cost but the shock of the cost has left many Ghanaians talking.