Missing cars: Direct queries to appointing Authority – Ayikoi Otoo

All questions regarding the alleged missing 208 state vehicles should be directed at the “appointing authority”, former Attorney General Nii Ayikoi Otoo, who chaired the Executive Assets sub-committee of the Transition Team that oversaw the handing over of logistics, including cars at the presidency.

Mr Ayikoi Otoo’s comment follows remarks by former Deputy Minister of Communications in the Mahama administration, Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu that the former Attorney General’s sub-committee took physical inventory of all the vehicles handed over to the new government.

Responding to a comment by Administrator General David Yaro that no such inventory was taken during the handing over, Mr Kwakye Ofosu told Nabil Ahmed Rufai in an interview on Class91.3FM’s mid-day news 12Live that: “That is not correct. I regret that I have to say this: like I’ve told you, Mr Ayikoi Otoo and a gentleman called Elvis Omane Agyei, who I believe should be speaking on this matter, were taken round to where these vehicles were.”

“For instance, I was given a Toyota Avensis, which I used as Deputy Minister of Communications. It came from the Office of the President but it was given to me through the transport officer at the Ministry of Communications, so, when I was leaving, I parked it at the Ministry of Communications. If the Office of the President requires it, it will call for it. … Some of the vehicles are with the Judicial Service, some of them are with agencies like the Ghana AIDS Commission, which operates under the Office of the President. Some of them are at regional coordinating councils, some of them are at various ministries, departments and agencies. But Mr Ayikoi Otoo’s committee were taken round to physically inspect each of these vehicles, they were also taken to a place called Point Six, which is the name given to a place where broken down or unserviceable vehicles belonging to the presidency are kept, and they took physical inventory of these vehicles. Therefore, it is surprising that the Administrator General will make this commentary, it is entirely possible that the NPP side of the transition team sidelined him, and, so, perhaps, he is unaware of this physical inventory taken beyond the list that was given him.”

There is currently a back-and-forth between the Akufo-Addo government and the erstwhile Mahama administration concerning the number of state vehicles left at the presidency after the change in government. Nana Akufo-Addo’s press secretary Eugene Arhin revealed that the cars were missing.

The former government subsequently released a statement on Thursday saying it left behind 641 cars and dared the new government to point out the alleged missing ones.

Commenting on the matter for the first time, Mr Ayikoi took to Facebook to write: “My attention has been drawn to numerous reports about missing cars with the media expecting me to disclose what my Committee discovered.

“Yes, I was Chair of the Executive Assets sub-committee of the Transition Team. My sub-committee did our work within our remit or Terms of Reference and presented three reports: an Interim, Final and a Sequel to the final report.

“Having presented the reports, I do not think it's appropriate for me to discuss the contents thereof in the media without authorisation. Kindly, therefore, direct all queries to the appointing authority. I thank you for your understanding!!”