38 SADA tricycles rot away in Bolgatanga

38 brand new tricycles belonging to the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), now the Northern Development Authority (NDA), have been left to rot away in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region.

The tricycles attached with their trailers and meant for farmers under SADA have been parked in the open at the premise of the Upper East Regional Public Works Department (PWD) since 2016.

Deflated tyres and rusted metal portions were some of the visible defects on the tricycles resulting from the long exposure of the ‘three-tyres’ vehicle to the rains.

Executive Director of Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), Bismark Adongo Ayorogo revealed that the machines packed at the PWD and that of SADA office in Tamale were part of 5,000 tricycles imported by SADA into the country in 2015 to be distributed to farmers across the SADA zones which included the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, parts of Volta and parts of Brong Ahafo Regions.

Mr. Ayorogo mentioned the distribution proportions as Northern Region, 2,000, Upper East Region, 1,000, Upper West Region, 1,000, Volta Region, 500 and Brong Ahafo Region 500.

He indicated that based on previous experiences encountered by SADA it decided to put in an advert in the national dailies for people who have collateral securities to apply for the machines and to sell them to the farmers to be supervised by the respective Regional Coordinating Councils for easy recovery of payments.

The NORPRA Executive Director stated that Northern Region responded quickly to the advert and benefited from its share of the 2,000 before the last general election in the country.

“So in 2017, when Upper East, Upper West and the other two regions started to pick their consignment, there was this foot soldiers called the ‘Kandahar Boys’ and other groups that are alleged to be linked to the NPP, made a case that, at the time Northern region took their share only NDC people at the time in 2016 benefited leaving NPP guys and therefore the was the need to let the sharing start all over”

To calm down tension he said the Northern Region was allotted additional 1,000 tricycle motorbikes making it 3,000 whilst the number was cut down for the rest of the remaining regions.

According to Mr. Ayorogo, the Upper East region was then allocated 600 tricycles instead of the earlier on 1,000 allotted to it.

“Now, when they started bringing the tricycles [to Upper East Region], I think they brought about 38 and the ‘Kandahar Boys’ believed to be linked to the NPP said they haven’t given them their share [so] why were they given the other region’s consignment to them. So there was violence that led to the exercise being halted. So what we have in this region is 38 instead of 600” he stated.

He expressed dismay stating “why will party foot soldiers hijack what is meant for famers.”

This controversy prompted the Ministry of Special Initiative to set up a Committee in 2018 to investigate the issues which is still pending, he revealed.

Executive Director of Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), Bismark Adongo Ayorogo lamented that the Upper East Region has not been fairly treated in the distribution of the tricycles.

“We have been shortchanged, how can we be entitled to 1,000 tricycles, we couldn’t get the 1,000 and it was reduced to 600 and even the 600 we have not gotten it but just given 38,” he said.

The Executive Director of NORPRA Bismark Adongo Ayorogo appealed to political parties’ foot soldiers to bury their differences for the sake of the development of the entire country.