The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has cautioned the government against commissioning the Tema Motorway flyover without involving former President John Mahama.
The party alleges that the government plans on taking the credit for the project which was initiated by the erstwhile administration.
President Akufo-Addo is expected to commission the newly-constructed interchange on Friday, June 5, 2020.
But the NDC argues that consistently, the NPP administration has consistently taken credit for strategic projects initiated by his predecessors especially, Mr Mahama.
“We are reliably informed that President Akufo-Addo will commission the Tema Motorway Expansion Project tomorrow, June 5. This event counts in the series of projects among many other projects initiated by President John Mahama before the December 7, 2016 Elections. The project is thus one of President John Mahama’s popular legacies before leaving office in January 2017. To be exact, this project is amongst the four major Interchanges constructed by H.E. John Dramani Mahama before exiting power in January 2017,” a statement released by the party’s Greater Accra Regional Secretariat read.
The NDC at a press conference chronicled the events leading to the completion of the Tema Motorway Interchange, is a Japanese sponsored project, as the basis for which President Akufo-Addo must not take credit for the project.
Former President Mahama in his last State of the Nation Address to end the sixth Parliament of the fourth republic on January 5, 2017, highlighted a number of major road projects his government had secured funding for ahead of existing office in January 2017.
Mr Mahama said “…Many other projects are ongoing such as the Tema motorway roundabout decongestion project and a new bridge from flowerpot roundabout on the Spintex Road over the Accra-Tema motorway into East Legon. There are others ready to commence with financing arranged such as the Obetsebi Lamptey interchange, the Pokuase interchange, and Motorway expansion project among others.”
The NDC communications bureau further argued that, “On the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange, suffice to state without any fear of contradiction that, Musah Yahaya Jafaru reported in the August 5, 2016 edition of the Daily Graphic, that the Parliament of Ghana had approved a buyer credit facility and a commercial credit facility agreement totalling $39.2 million for the implementation of the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange project and related works. The agreements, the report noted, was between the Mahama government and the HSBC Bank Plc of the United Kingdom (UK).”
Deputy Greater Accra Regional Youth Organiser, Amos Blessing Amorse challenged the president to invite Former President for the commissioning
Source: Kwesi Parker-Wilson
