A ?1.1 billion road contract awarded by the previous NDC government in 1999 to a company owned by the immediate past Ashanti Regional chairman of the party, ostensibly as a vote-catching move, has still not been completed.
The company, Antwi-Boasiako Construction Ltd, owned by Mr. P. E. K. Antwi, failed to execute the Abrewapong-Kansanso road in the Asante Akim North section of the Afram Plains by the stipulated date.
Even though the project, which started in September 1999, was expected to be completed by September 2000 in time for the general elections, Chronicle on site investigations have established that as at Friday, January 10, 2003, it was in a state of abandonment.
Consequently, the Department of Feeder Roads has decided to terminate the contract and re-award it to another company.
During his tour of the Afram Plains recently, the Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, heard complaints from the farming communities there of the difficulties they face in transporting themselves and food stuffs due to the deplorable nature of the road.
And, these hard working farmers who have had to sweat it out in their farms to till the land and harvest in abundance to feed Ghanaians, are also worrying about transporting them whilst the NDC chairman is taking it easy with the tax-payers money.
But, Antwi told Chronicle in a telephone interview on Tuesday, last week that his inability to execute the contract was due to "its peculiar nature."
When asked to elaborate, he explained that the area assigned him was marshy hence it was impossible to work whenever it rained because his equipment got stuck Antwi said he was well into 12 kilometres of it when he encountered the obstacles, adding that cut drains and culverts have already been constructed.
The former NDC chairman said he had been in the construction business since 1972 and has never "faced a problem of this magnitude."
He agreed with Chronicle that his failure to carry out his assigned one year contract which has elapsed over three years is a long time overdue but insisted that he still wants to complete it.
When pressed how he was going to do it now, he answered that with the rains over, he hoped to execute it by March, and hinted that some of his stuck machinery have been pulled to under to repairs.
According to him, the total sum of the contract was ?1.1 billion out of which ?400 million was for "contingencies" with the actual being ?700 million.
When asked whether he thought there was any political motive behind the decision to take the contract away from him he replied, "I don't suspect any political pressure at all."
Antwi said he had pleaded with the Director of Feeder Roads to allow him to complete the job which he had agreed in principle.
On why he quit as NDC chairman, he said three years ago he underwent a surgery in the United States after which he was advised not to do any strenuous work.
Besides, he pointed out, it was advisable "to give way to someone else because I am now too old to do politics."
Meanwhile, in an interview on phone, the Director of the Department of Feeder Roads, Mr. Martin Mensah, indicated that his Department was unhappy with the job. He has, therefore, instructed that the contract be terminated.
