The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of misleading Ghanaians by asserting that a portion of the funds borrowed by the government was used to build roads.
According to the party’s Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, only 1.6 percent of the country’s over GH¢820 billion has been used for road construction.
“It is a tragedy that the President will classify routine minor road management repairs such as re-sealing, refilling, reshaping, pothole filling, re-gravelling and even desilting of gutters as new road construction. The claim that this government has constructed over 11,000 kilometres of new roads is false and should be completely disregarded. The President should hang his head in shame.”
After President Akufo-Addo delivered the State of the Nation Address on the floor of the House, the Minister of Roads and Highways Kwesi Amoako-Attah asked Parliament to form a bipartisan committee to investigate claims about which government built more roads during the Fourth Republic.
But Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, speaking at an NDC event to tell the True State of the Nation, claims that the NPP consumed 93 percent of the amount allocated for road construction.
“The President knows that he deliberately misled Ghanaians with this claim because he is aware that only a minute of the overall resources that have accrued to this government since 2017 has been used for the construction and rehabilitation of roads in this country.”
“The truth is that official government of Ghana records show that a whopping 93 percent of the GH¢820 billion has been used on consumption including Akufo-Addo’s luxurious private travels across the world hired over several months at the expense of the taxpayer”, he added.
The Roads Debate
The Minority has said the Roads minister’s request for a bipartisan committee to investigate claims about which government built more roads during the Fourth Republic is a clear indication that the government has failed in the road sector.
Ghanaians, he claims, will be able to see for themselves whether the NPP government has built more roads than any other government.
The Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza stated that the Akufo-Addo administration has done little in the road sector.
“If a Roads Minister has to call for a bi-partisan committee to investigate roads that are physical for everyone, it means you haven’t done any work. If you have fixed the road, we will see and drive on them. The road sector is in a terrible state. President Akufo-Addo’s records in terms of roads are the most appalling, and it’s clear”.
But the Ministry of Roads and Highways described as inaccurate claims by the Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Governs Agbodza, that the Akufo-Addo government is expropriating projects churned out by the erstwhile Mahama administration.
“I challenge any member of this country and go further and request that, if anyone is in doubt, this house can set up an independent bi-partisan committee to investigate the data and that the President under his leadership has done all the works in the roads sector,” Kwesi Amoako-Attah said on the floor of Parliament adding that, this will bring the matter to a close.
