Accountability and ensuring judicious use of our resources by state officials need the attention of all Ghanaians at all times.
This country and the good people of Ghana can simply not afford to continue watching corrupt officials waste our constrained resources to pursue their personal parochial agenda at the expense of development for the masses.
Members of Concerned Voters Movement (CVM) have learnt that the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has launched a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project.
This follows a report submitted to the Police by the Ghana Institution of Surveyors indicting some officials in the erstwhile NDC administration under former President John Mahama, who were key in executing the projects. So far, our information is that the Police are interrogating these officials.
Mr. Collins Dauda, former Minister for Works and Housing under the Mahama administration, is one of the officials assisting the Police to unravel some unresolved issues relating to how $200 million meant for 5,000 housing units was used to construct only 1,502 housing units.
The initial contract of $200 million for 5,000 houses at Saglemi in the rural part of the Greater Accra region had parliamentary approval, but when it was reviewed to 1,502 allegedly by Mr. Dauda, the agreement did not receive any parliamentary approval although the entire cost was maintained in the execution of the contract.
To ensure transparency and accountability, which are focal points of good governance, we are pleased to hear also that the Ghana Institution of Surveyors have submitted a conclusive report to the government which states clearly that the Affordable Housing Project under former President Mahama was a rip-off and that the amount of money blown in the project is over $100 million.
Considering the huge amount of money involved in this scandal, we the members of Concerned Voters Movement (CVM) are calling on the state security to as a matter of urgency, invite former President John Mahama for questioning relating to his role in this matter.
John Mahama and the NDC’s Peoples’ Manifesto have been completely silent on the Saglemi Affordable Housing Project because of the illegal and corrupt dealings they engaged in with respect to the project.
It is important that former President John Mahama clears the air on his role as far as this Affordable Housing Project issue is concerned. Concerned Voters Movement (CVM) wants to commend the Akufo-Addo led government for listening to our call when we raised aspects of this issue a few days ago.
We also commend the government for ensuring judicious use of the state funds and the political will to bring to book, corrupt officials under former President John Dramani Mahama, who dissipated the state funds for their personal benefit and aggrandizement.
… Signed…
Razak Kojo Opoku
(CVM President & Founder)
