AMOAKO-ATTA Road Contractors Reject His Re-Nomination As Minister

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A group of local road contractors have petitioned the presidency to withdraw the nomination of Kwasi Amoako-Atta as the Roads and Highways Minister-designate over what it claims is his abysmal performance at the Roads Ministry.

Sounding disappointed and frustrated over Amoako-Atta’s re-nomination, following what they claim is the collapse of their businesses under his watch as Roads Minister, the contractors have also petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to reject Mr. Amoako-Atta’s nomination when he appears before the committee for vetting.

According to the local road contractors the past four years under Amoako-Atta has been nothing but hell as several of their members have died as a result of their inability to settle their indebtedness to their bankers.

In the petition copied The Insight signed by Mohammed Sharif, Eric Sorkpor, Michael Opare, Marcus Wanye, Amadu Issahaku, Saeed Abdul Fataw and several others accused Mr. Amoako-Atta of engaging in selective payment of mostly foreign contractors to the detriment of local road contractors.

The group said some of them who undertook road projects and were issued certificate for payment have not been paid since 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 despite announcement by the Roads Ministry that monies have been secured to pay contractors owed by the government.

The road contractors said contrary to several claims by Mr. Amoako-Atta that contractors have been paid none of them has received a pittance from the Road Ministry under contracts carried for the highways, urban and feeder roads. 

The group said checks at the Road Fund Secretariat only show that what has always been touted as payment is nothing but payment to cronies and political allies and not the generality of contractors. 

In a related development, the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) together with the Coalition of Affected Customers of Savings and Loans Companies, Coalition of Menzgold Customers and the Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of Gold Coast have also petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to reject the nomination of Ken Ofori-Atta as the Finance Minister-designate.

The group argues that Mr Ofori-Atta is not fit and proper to occupy such a position.

According to them, the Finance Minister during his last four years of Office did not live up to expectations by supervising the collapse of several financial institutions, his involvement in the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal, failure to pay depositors funds among others.

In a 37-page petition document, the group appealed to Parliament and the Vetting Committee to reject Mr Ofori-Atta’s nomination.

Speaking to journalists, Mensah Thompson, the Executive Secretary of ASEPA said: “Mr Ken Ofori-Atta should be standing criminal prosecutions instead of vetting by the appointment committee of parliament based on the various violations of our laws, various misconducts and the activities of Mr Ken Ofiri-Atta between 2017 and 2021…

“We are, however, praying that the appointment committee put the interest of this country first and reject the appointment of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta as finance minister.

“We’re also sending a word of caution to members of the appointment committee that we know of plans far advanced to induce members of the appointments committee to approve the nomination of Mr Ken Ofori-Atta even though he knows for a fact that he’s unfit to occupy the position.

“We are sending a word of caution to them that we’re watching them and the people of Ghana will hold you to account on their conduct on the committee. We are also sending a special warning to the members of the NDC caucus of parliament that this time round it is not business as usual that the minority will have their say but majority will have their way. This time round they have equal strength like the party in power and so we the people of Ghana will hold them to the same level of account as we hold members of parliament of the government’s party…”