Obuasi Municipal Assembly inflating cost of projects – Group alleges

Concern Citizens of Obuasi are demanding a probe by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo into the dealings of officials at the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.

The group is accusing the assembly of misusing public funds through the inflation of cost of projects in the Obuasi municipality.

According to the group, the expectations of residents to see better road networks and development in the area have become a nightmare as officials at the assembly are mismanaging funds meant for key projects.

Addressing the press, Convener of the group, Kingsford Boakye highlighted some projects in the municipality and how the Assembly has allegedly inflated the cost of these projects.

He said, “We the concern citizens of Obuasi (CCO) have followed with keen interest the proceedings and discourse surrounding the bad roads in the municipality and the 2018 budget reviewed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly. CCO having been privileged to sight a copy of the budget, finds the amounts quoted for some executed contracts to be outrageous.”

Residents, the group said, are worried about the deplorable state of roads in the municipality which is making life unbearable for them as drivers plying the roads have to spend money on maintenance of their vehicles daily.

On inflated contracts, the group accused the assembly of blowing GHC131,959.00 on the construction of fence wall at the residence of the Obuasi MCE.

The group claims, “The construction of this fence wall was not budgeted for in this 2018 budget but was executed without approval from the general assembly and was not also open for tender which is the breach of the procurement law.”

The assembly, according to the CCO, also spent GHC 71,312.40 on reshaping of a 4.70km road at Mamiwira JN- Abaawu instead of GHC30,000 and GHC84,352.40 instead of GHC50,000 on rehabilitation of Binsere – Ntonsua 4.80km feeder road.

Read the full release below:

Concern Citizens Of Obuasi

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

3RD OCTOBER, 2018.

Press Release

Bad roads and inflated contract sums in Obuasi Municipal Assembly

We the concern citizens of Obuasi (CCO) have followed with keen interest the proceedings and discourse surrounding the bad roads in the municipality and the 2018 budget reviewed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly. CCO having been privileged to sight a copy of the budget, finds the amounts quoted for some executed contracts to be outrageous.

We being so much motivated by H.E Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo’s inaugural speech to “be citizens and not spectators”, have decided to uncover any act of corruption or misuse of public funds which will be a hindrance to his good intentions of transforming Ghana.

CCO will therefore like to draw the attention of H.E. the President, the Local Government Minister, the Ashanti Regional Minister and the Roads and Highway Authority to the bad roads in Obuasi and also the happenings in the financial administration of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.

Obuasi having suffered a serious economic setback after the closure of AngloGold Ashanti mine, expect to see better roads and prudent use of public funds by public officers in the municipality.

The citizens of Obuasi feel so worried about the bad roads they travel on as they go about their daily lives. Driver finds it unbearable the number of times they have to visit the fitting shops to service their vehicles after plying on these roads. Notable among the roads are:

Obuasi – Anwiankwanta Road – this road is more of a death trap to commuters of the road. The potholes on the road are so much deep that a day does go by without seeing a broken down vehicle by the roadside. We call on the president to at least have the road leveled for easy traffic access.

Obuasi Central Market Road – the nature of this road is also very bad that taxi drivers are most of the times not willing to carry the market women and their goods to the market. The MCE promised that works on this road will begin on the 14th of September 2018, but till date nothing have been done to prove the fulfilment of his promise.

Kunka Juntion to Nyameso road.

Estate to Kokoteasua road.

Estate to Abompekrom

Stadium to Abompe new site.

All these roads are in very deplorable state and we are therefore pleading to the president to come to our aid and help us solve these road menace.

Inflated contract sums

Some of the projects stated in the reviewed 2018 budget with its corresponding contract sums are as follows:

Construction of fence wall at the residence of MCE for Obuasi Municipal Assembly at GHC131,959.00. The construction of this fence wall was not budgeted for in this 2018 budget but was executed without approval from the general assembly and was not also open for tender which is the breach of the procurement law.

Reshaping of Mamiwira JN- Abaawu feeder road (4.70km) at GHC71,312.40. Our confirmed checked indicates that the project was done in only 3- days. Assuming without admitting that the cost of fuel and hiring of a grader per day costs GHC10,000 including all overhead costs, the project should not cost the assembly more than GHC 30,000.

Reshaping of Binsere – Ntonsua feeder road (4.80km) at GHC84,352.40. This project was also done in five days and should not have cost the Assembly more than GHC50,000. Using the above stated calculation in point 3.

Rehabilitation works on 1 NO. 4 unit classroom block for Presby Primary School at New Nsuta at GHC 181,848.08.

Renovation of offices of Obuasi East District Assembly at PTP at GHC 19,8218.35. Works done on this project was painting and creating of doors to link some offices. Printers, photocopier and furniture were supplied by the government from Accra.

The concern citizens of Obuasi with this and other projects in the Assemblies budget as attached, call the president of the Republic to investigate these outrageous and bloated contract through his investigative and audit agencies to ensure value for money.

The presiding member who should have probed these contracts has jumped unto the defense of the MCE and the assembly on some radio stations in the country.

It is painful to see some few individuals milk the purse of the Assembly for their personal gains when the internal roads in the municipality are in bad state.

The people of Obuasi have not only lost confidence and trust in the MCE but also in Hon. Kwaku Kwarteng who is the MP for Obuasi West and also double as the Deputy finance Minister for the republic, for his inability to question these bloated projects with all the confidence the president have in him by placing him in a ministry in charge of the management of the public purse of the country.

Governance is And Must be A Serious Business - Citizens for Accountable Governance (CEFAG) It is our hope that H.E. Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo who is a champion crusader to end corruption in the country will probe into details these corruption projects to make sure there is value for money in Obuasi projects.

Obuasi deserves better.