How NDC gurus grab ‘free’ cars

More names of people who acquired state vehicles in the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration are popping up.

About 250 people, mostly ministers of state, appointees, chiefs, journalists and secretaries, were said to have grabbed some of these state vehicles after the assets were ‘privately’ auctioned for pea-nuts, without any public participation.

Heated Debate

The incident is generating heated political debate with some suggesting cynically that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government should take steps to push for the repeal of the law that allows politicians to acquire state properties including vehicles.

Ex-president John Mahama had outlawed the process, but was the first to violate it, opening the floodgate for his appointees to follow suit.

The list detailed how the NDC government under President Mahama had virtually dashed about 250 vehicles belonging to the state to its appointees and other staffers within three weeks.

The mass sale of the vehicles, majority of which were offered at ridiculous prices, was done between December 23, 2016 and January 7, 2017 in the period of the transition when the NDC had been heavily defeated by the New Patriotic Party and was on its way out of government.

It has turned out that some of the vehicles did not qualify to be auctioned under the law and some of the appointees that benefited from the auction did not qualify either, under the rules.

Clear Breach

DAILY GUIDE currently has a list of all NDC bigwigs who benefited from the auction and the document explains how some of the vehicles which were barely two years old, were sold in clear breach of the law.

The document titled, “Auctioned vehicles for the period December 2016 to January 2017,” indicates date of approval, vehicle registration number, vehicle type, chassis number, present owner/address, new owner/address as well as issuing office.

Most of the vehicles were in the name of the Office of the President while a couple of them were in the names of some ministries and agencies.

Strangely, some of the beneficiaries had long left the Mahama administration but managed to grab some of the vehicles.

Big Names

Former sports minister and immediate-past MP for Ayawaso North, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed and Emelia Arthur, a leading NDC member, both grabbed 2013 Toyota Camry while Samuel Yaw Adusei, a former Deputy Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, got 2014 Toyota Camry.

Babanlamine Sadat, Special Assistant to Mahama on Zongo affairs and Mohammed Adamu Ramadan, a presidential staffer, had 2014 Toyota Camry as well as Mawusi Lorlornyo Dzirasa, a secretary at the Office of the President, grabbing 2014 Nissan Teana.

Kofi Abbew Nkrumah grabbed 2014 VW Passat and the present owner has been recorded as Students Loan Trust Fund, while Christopher Tulasi went home with a 2014 Nissan NP 300/UP from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

Raymond Hiame took away a 2014 Nissan Sentra while Antoinette Kailey Ankrah also grabbed a 2014 Toyota Avensis with Baba Jamal, a former deputy minister, taking home a 2012 Toyota Avensis.

Dr. Bernice Adiku Heloo, a former Deputy Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations, grabbed a 2010 Toyota Avensis with Henry Seidu Danaa, a former Minister for Chieftaincy, getting a 2013 Toyota Camry and Joseph Boateng taking home a 2014 Nissan Sentra.

Anthony Obeng Afrane grabbed a 2015 Toyota Corolla from the Office of the President while Kale Cezario grabbed a 2013 Toyota Camry, with Benjamin Fiakuna taking home a 2014 Nissan Sentra.

More Names

Benjamin Affisah took home a 2014 Toyota Camry while former National Security Advisor, William K. Aboah, annexed a 2013 Toyota Camry; Benedicta Micah also took home a 2014 Toyota Avensis.

Lydia Abi and Issah Ibrahim both grabbed a 2014 Toyota Camry and a 2014 Toyota Corolla respectively while both former Central Regional Ministers George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan and Aquinas Tawiah Quansah got a 2013 Toyota Camry each, with Rosetta Olympio, a special assistant to Lordina Mahama, grabbed a 2014 Toyota Avensis.

Sandow Seidu Kpebu, another aide to Lordina Mahama, also grabbed a 2014 Toyota Camry; Francis Nkrumah had a 2015 Toyota Avensis and Kyei John grabbed a 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser from the Ghana Shipper’s Authority while Samuel Ofori Boateng sent home with a 2014 BMW 740i.

Magnus Jacob Yama Tampuri got a 2014 Toyota Fortuner from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Chairperson of the Council of State whose tenure ended recently, Cecilia Johnson, annexed a 2014 Toyota Camry while R. Kofi Nyantakyi took a 2015 Hyundai Elantra home; Frank Annan took home a 2015 Toyota Avensis.

Alfred Amuzu grabbed a 2015 Hyundai Elantra from the Office of the President with a former Chief Director at the Ministry of Petroleum, Prof. T.M. Akabzaa, having a 2013 Toyota Camry; former Local Government Minister, Collins Dauda, also took home a 2013 Toyota Camry.

Doreen Annan took a 2014 Honda Civic from the Ministry of Transport; Cosmos Dikro also took a 2014 Toyota Camry home while Alhaji Alhassan Iddi grabbed a 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser – all from the same ministry – with Isaac Kwaku Mintah taking home a 2014 Toyota Camry from the Energy Commission.

Reverend Abraham Botchwey, former CEO of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, grabbed a 2013 Toyota Camry while Mbui Roland Kofi went away with a 2014 Toyota Camry from the Ghana Revenue Authority.