The president is busy touring regions across the country to either cut sod or to commission projects in order to show the achievements of his government. Thanks to the local contractor in every nook or cranny of the country. The government has given jobs to some foot soldiers who fought tirelessly to get the NDC back into pwer.Some of us were given contract jobs by the department of Urban Roads as local contractors . We have to go and credit cement from cement dealers, iron rods to and other building materials on credit basis, not to talk about the loans with high interest rates we took from the various banks across the country.
Today as we speak with one voice, even if we are paid now, we are operating at a loss, we cannot breakeven let alone make some profits, this is because; the prices about a year ago have shot up and the credited building materials we took from dealers must be paid on current prevailing market prices. What the authorities that be, don’t know is this, many marriages are collapsing and many have collapsed due to non payment to local contractors as a result of jobs executed to the government of Ghana .The government of the NDC must realize that we are entering into an election year and if care is not taken we may end up the worse for it. The simple thing is that, we are basically suffering as local contractors and unless payment is effected NOW, we don’t have any future in our own country. Now the comparison is being drawn everywhere by local contractors. During the NPP era, within five months after the execution of contract jobs, payments were affected. But in a government that says ‘Better Ghana’ a different story is being told. This is a government we have chosen and believe that would solve our problems once and for all. Why we are appealing to the government is this: For God sake, the Atta Mills government should do all that it can to settle any money it has with local contractors across the country. Time is running out for the government as the elections are drawing near.Besides, debtors are trying to ‘kill’ us with their legitimate demands. The government must know that some foot soldiers want help and by giving contract jobs to them to solve their problems, it is a good thing; it is now nothing but SUFFERING, SUFFERING and SUFFERING.
As I write this piece, I can tell the Atta Mills government that, no one supports the government than we the local contractors do, but the way things are happening, the government must tread very cautiously before we lose our confidence in the government. They must also not take us for a ride as we know our rights. Sometime ago the minister for roads and highways, Joe Gidisu,promised local contractors of payment, saying ‘PAY DAY FOR CONTRACTORS ‘which was carried in the dailies, this announcement sparked trouble for the local contractors, as those we credited money and building materials from went harassing us on daily basis. Bank rates have shot up. Those who went in for bank loans; some are either dead because of hypertension or have changed destinations due to disturbances from their creditors. For a start we are only appealing to the president to use his good sense of judgment and pay local contractors who the department of urban roads and the road fund owe so much in the country. What we are hearing is this; that there is selection in terms of payment to local contractors, that they are paying only their favorite local contractors. The government is now relying so much on contractors to tell the story ‘Ghana Agenda’.
The president MUST AS A MATTER OF URGENCY DO ALL THAT IT CAN TO PAY IMMEDIATELY ALL LOCAL CONTRACTORS ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE EXECUTED DEPARTMENT OF URBAN ROADS PROJECTS.OUR MONIES WITH THE GOVERNMENT NOW IS OVER TWO YEARS OLD.SINCE THE YEAR 2009,NO ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO PAY THE LOCAL CONTRATOR.We are only appealing to Atta Mills as our president and make sure that his sector ministers see to it that the suffering of the local contractor is ended now and forever by paying them NOW,NOW,NOW.
In conclusion, no Ghanaian is better than the other and so we say ‘A WORD TO THE WISE IS ENOUGH’.I rest my case here till I hear from the government of president Atta Mills when payment to local contractors are positively effected
Thaddeus Mark Kwame
Tamale Metropolitan Area.
