NSS boss not responsible for stalling development in Yagaba/Kubori - NPP

The North East Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sulley Sambian has refuted claims that the Chief Executive Officer of the National Service Secretariat, Yussif Mustapha, is behind the delay of payment to Tass-kalia Construction Ltd to complete a two-year road contract on the Yagaba/Kubori/Mankarigu road.

The road work which covers a distance of 36km from Yagaba to Kubore, and then to Wiase was to ease the discomfort that came with the bad road in the area.

According to Sulley Sambian, Yusif Mustapha is at the forefront of fighting for the development of his people and not sabotaging the project as stated by the opposition.

He instead accused the Member of Parliament for Yagaba Kubore Constituency, Abdul-Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, who he claimed failed to go back to the site after receiving GH¢8 million from the coffers of the Road Fund.

Sambian, alleging that the activities of Tass-kalia Construction Ltd, is controlled by the MP, also revealed that failure by the MP to return to the construction site agitated the youth in the constituency making them embark on a series of demonstrations.

This, he added, led to him [Tanko Ibrahim] being summoned at the Kubore Chief's palace. While being interrogated on the matter, Sambian indicated that the MP denied receiving the said amount insisting that he received a part payment of about GH¢3 million and not GH¢8 million as reported.

However, following the delay, government terminated the contract with the MP and re-awarded it to another firm called Mawums Company Ltd, the NPP Secretary disclosed.

Sulley Sambian, in a release said “the new contractor went to site only to be confronted by thugs operating at the instance of Honorable Tanko. The Honourable MP has since resumed operations on the site under the pretext of executing a project that has been terminated, forcing the new contractor to move out of site for fear of his life.”

The NPP Secretary is, therefore, appealing to the security agencies to pay keen attention to the unhealthy development in Yagaba to prevent a breach of the peace.

Below is his full statement

TERMINATION OF TASSKALIA CONTRACT AND MATTERS ARISING BACKGROUND: In August 2016, the government of Ghana awarded a contract to TASSKALIA Ltd, a company whose mind is directed by the Member of Parliament for Yagaba Kubore Constituency. The contract had a life span of two years and covered a distance of 36 kms from Yagaba to Kubore, and then to Wiase.

Following the inability of the company to promptly execute the project, the Government of Ghana through the Ghana Highways Authority reviewed the project to cover a distance of 12 Kilometers from Yagaba to Kubore

During the period, Honourable Tanko presented two certificates for payment totalling about 11 Million cedis. The Government of Ghana through the Road Fund honoured payment to the tune of about 8 Million Cedis.

Upon receipt of the payment, Honourable Tanko failed to go back to site, prompting the youth of the Constituency to embark on series of demonstrations. The matter eventually got to the Kubore Chief's palace where Honorable Tanko admitted to a part payment of about 3 Million Cedis, a figure the NPP disputes.

The NDC in the North East Region, realising that their MP would court bad publicity for himself quickly released a pathetically lame statement accusing the NPP parliamentary candidate for Yagaba Kubore, Honourable Mustapha Ussif, of sabotaging the efforts of Honourable Tanko, and masterminding a grand scheme to have his contract terminated.

The Regional Secretariat of the NPP promptly issued a rejoinder daring Honorable Tanko to deny payment of the amount of about 8 Million to him by the Road Fund. Whilst the challenge was yet to be taken by Honorable Tanko, the Government of Ghana terminated the contract and re-awarded same to Mawums Company Ltd. Two days ago, the North-East Regional Minister, handed over site of Tanko's abandoned and terminated project to Mawums Company Ltd. Yesterday, the new contractor went to site only to be confronted by thugs operating at the instance of Honorable Tanko. The Honourable MP has since resumed operations on the site under the pretext of executing a project that has been terminated, forcing the new contractor to move out of site for fear of his life.

As an honorable member of parliament, the conduct of Tanko is extremely unparliamentary. He has a duty to inculcate a culture of civility in the people he he seeks to lead. He has a duty to lead by example.

Do we really have to remind Honourable Tanko that the courts exist to give vent to civil rights and to enforce contractual obligations? If he feels his contract was wrongfully terminated, his recourse is the court, not this Rambo style. He must equally be reminded that, one man cannot be recipository of violence. The earlier he understood this for all of us to live harmoniously, the better!.

As a Region, we remember ingloriously, the physical attack Honourable Tanko meted out to a colleague member of parliament few years ago. It was bad enough; a replication of this conduct in his constituency cannot be the price the people have to pay for the undeserved honour of making him their member of parliament. At least if it is not a blessing, it must not be such a glaringly bad fortune. Macho theatrics as a means of ventilating rights is no longer even practised by lesser animals! Posterity will definitely not look kindly at us if we plunge our region into avoidable chaos and conflict. If the regional NPP had not timeously intervened, violent clash would have erupted in Yagaba.

We are aware of Tanko's schemes to cause confusion in Yagaba. We are equally aware of the late hour meeting he held with some youth of the NDC in other Constituencies from the region last night. A meeting which started from 10 pm till 2 a.m. this morning!

Honorable Tanko appears to be giving little thought to danger. It is called foolhardiness.

We appeal to the security agencies to pay keen attention to the unhealthy development in Yagaba to prevent a breach of the peace.

Thank you

Sulley Sambian

North-East Regional Secretary To all media platforms