Akufo-Addo advised to shun propaganda against TMA Boss

Mr Stephen Ashitey Adjei, an Executive Member of the Tema East branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged President Akufo-Addo to ignore a corruption allegation that has been levelled against the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive.

At a news conference in Tema, Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called “Mo shake” said the allegation was baseless and senseless.

“It lacks foundation in common sense. If an MCE has supposedly demanded bribe as pre-condition to grant a contract, the question you ask is, is a media house the appropriate place to go or the Police station?, In this era of Special Prosecutor, who will do that?

“And in any case, is the MCE Parliament or the Public Procurement Authority which has the powers to approve contracts or otherwise?” “Mo shake”.

Mr Adjei said although he was an opposition member, he was compelled to defend the truth because he was privy to some of the facts and would not allow them to taint the MCE black.

Giving the reason for the news conference, Mr Adjei said an Accra-based radio station had alleged that the MCE for Tema, Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La had developed cold feet on a contract proposal to process waste matter into electricity because the person aiming to undertake the contract had refused to give him 10 per cent of the contract sum as backhander.

He said the station alleged that a Ghanaian representing a German Waste to energy company called Nelhsen, approached the Tema MCE with the proposal to generate waste into electricity, only for him to demand 10 per cent of $180million as a pre-condition for signing the contract.

He said although the MCE was currently on an official assignment to Morocco, the radio station still claimed his trip to Morocco was undertaken to shop for fishing vessels for business.

Mr Adjei suggested that some people were behind those allegations, but fell short of mentioning their names.

“I won’t mention names, but what I know is that, the country representative of that German company, Mr. Elvis Owusu Adansi Jnr. presented a proposal to the MCE and one Mrs. Claudilia Duah came lobbying the MCE for approval with the explanation that the Sanitation Minister had already given his blessing for the Tema MCE to award the contract,” he added.

He said the scope of the contract was not for only the MCE and it was therefore imperative for the MCE to carefully go through the contract and consult other Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region, including the Accra Metropolitan Assembly before committing the TMA.

Mr Adjei said because the MCE was also the President of NALAG at the moment, he was quite busy and it was just a matter of time for him to go through the documents before making a decision.

“And if an MCE is corrupt, do you report him to the Police or a radio station? Look, some of us know those who are really behind the attempt to cream off money.”

He said, the intentions of those behind the attempt to nail the MCE was devious, urging President Akufo-Addo to ignore the accusation and allow the MCE the breathing space to ensure that there was value for money.

He wondered why the radio station chose to come out with such allegations when the MCE was out of town adding “Adults are told the truth, it is children who are told stories”.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Avenorgbor, lawyer for the TMA, on Wednesday told an Accra-based radio station that the TMA had no contract whatsoever with the German company, Nelhsen.