Accra, Sept. 9, GNA- Mr Solomon Nkansah, Deputy Propaganda Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has reaffirmed government’s position that the BMW saloon car received by Mr Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways, from a Chinese construction firm, was strictly for his official use.
He said the car was bought by an agency under the Ministry, that is, the Ghana Highways Authority, with documents covering the request and the delivery of the vehicle to the Ghana Highways Authority on behalf of the Ministry.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Nkansah noted that upon reports that the car was meant to bribe the Minister, President Mills advised that the vehicle should be surrendered to the state.
The Deputy Propaganda Secretary said President Mills has established an office of accountability with the aim of ensuring transparency and reducing corruption in government sectors especially, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He noted that President Mills does not view ‘zero tolerance of corruption’ as mere a rhetoric as he constantly reminds his Ministers to discharge their duties with fairness and that any Minister who falls foul of the law, would be dealt with without fear or favour.
Mr Nkansah said the resignation of Mr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, former Minister of Health, after being cited in the Mabey and Johnson bribery saga and Mr Muntaka Mubarak, former Minister of Youth and Sports for alleged misappropriation of funds, was an indication of the President’s resolve to fight corruption in the country.
He said the two Ministers were made to vacate their positions for pave way for investigation to ascertain the truth of the case which would serve as deterrent to potential offenders.
Mr Nkansah said the “news in the media that seem to portray Mr Joe Gidisu as taking bribe from the Chinese firm was a deliberate plot by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to throw dust into the eyes of the public” adding, the President and Minister should be applauded for that bold step.
He said the NPP Government introduced the Presidential Special Initiative (PSI) and the Venture Capital where there was no accountability.
Mr Nkansah said President Mills was deemed as slow because” he is an embodiment of law” and the law is an act that grinds slowly and would not rush adding, there was an improvement under the Mill’s government as compared to the NPP government in the entire sector of the economy.
He said under the tenure of the Mills administration, there has been an improvement in the road sector and that work is underway on the Legon-Adenta road construction among others.
Mr Nkansah said in the Western Region, the Tarkwa- Ayamfori road is under construction for 98 million dollars while the Enchi- Asankragua road is also under construction for 48 million dollars.
He said the Secondi Takoradi road expansion which was captured in the 3 billion dollar loan agreement would give the region a new lease of life in development adding, 500 million dollars of the loan would be used to lay pipes from Bonyere to the Aboadzi Thermal plant and help reduce electricity tariffs in the country.
Reacting on the graduates’ unemployment, he said government is reactivating the Ghana Consolidated Diamond Limited in Akwatia, the Kumasi Shoe factory, Tomato Cannery at Pwalugu, and resuscitating Darko Farms and the Aveyime Rice Projects to provide employment for the youth.
He stressed that for a nation to be industrialized, there was the need to have a strong and booming agricultural sector.
Mr Nkansah said President Mills’ administration has initiated Mathematics, Science and Technology scholarship scheme of which 41,000 Ghanaian students are benefiting.
He noted that President Mills as chairman of the economic management team in 1997, established 110 Science Resource Centres and has now started the computer laboratory project to facilitate Information Communication and Technology which is the fastest growing industry in the world.
According to him, the 2012 election would be won by performance since the NDC Government had invested in the country’s human resource base and said the NPP government came to “do visual politics, erecting bill boards”.
GNA
1 comment:
This guy must be fired. Who is he kidding ? Some deputy minister was reported to have built mansions and spent over a billion ghana cedis as gift to others under a monthly salary of 800.00 cedis. A few weeks ago another high official was revealed to have purchased a posh mansion in the USA worth thousands of dollars. Barely two weeks ago a house meant for security personnel was controversially meant as a gift to the President by a reputable Real Estate Magnate.What is wrong with our justice department ? Why are these allegations floating without stringent investigation ? Is the culture of corruption growing into acceptable institution in our Ghanaian high circles ?
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