NDC chairman grabs TMA toll contract

Tension is brewing at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) over its inability to abrogate an expired car park contract with the Tema East Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who has been fingered for hijacking the contract.

Assembly members are aggrieved over the reasons given by the Presiding Member (PM), Romeo Elikplim Akahoho and the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Isaac Odamtten, for still allowing the NDC Chairman, Mustapha Darko’s private company - Cool Brothers – to collect the toll, although the assembly had passed a majority resolution for the contract, which expired early last year, to be revoked.

Some residents of the area who spoke to DAILY GUIDE wondered why the assembly should contract an individual to collect toll (revenue) at the car park - which is just in front of it (the assembly) – when it could do so itself.

According to information, Mr. Elikplim Akahoho, who is the Assembly Member for Adjei-Kojo Electoral Area and an NDC member, was not prepared to assist the assembly to stop the holey revenue mobilization at the car park, though he is aware of the majority resolution the members passed last November to nullify the contract.

Mr. Darko, popularly known as Bisalam, should have had his company’s - Cool Brothers’ – two-year contract with the assembly terminated early 2013 as it expired that year.

While the agitation for the contract to be abrogated was still gathering storm, a meeting was held by the assembly on August 28, 2014, to propose an increase of 100 percent to the toll.

However, some aggrieved assembly members were said to have objected to the proposal saying, they would not sit down for such huge revenue to go into a private pocket, unless the assembly decided to take full charge of the collection.

Mr. Elikplim Akahoho, speaking to DAILY GUIDE via telephone, confirmed that the assembly had passed a resolution to revoke the NDC chairman’s contract to allow the TMA to collect its own toll, but indicated that the MCE was responsible for effecting the administrative decisions and not he (Akahoho).