The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful does not the think the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has any business criticising the controversial procurement of an Ambassador’s Residence for its mission in Norway because of its controversies like the construction of the Vice President’s residence.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2017 accused the previous government of inflating the contract figures of the project at Cantonments pegging at a cost of $13.9 million.
“These NDC people saw nothing wrong with spending 14 million US dollars of the taxpayers’ money building one house for the vice president in Ghana, where the cost of living is much less than Norway, and refused to pay allowances for nursing and teacher trainees. It is very funny for them to complain about this Oslo property,” the Minister said in a post on Facebook.
The Minority in Parliament, led by its Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, leveled claims of cost inflation against the ministry over the conversion of a 100-year-old 6-bedroom house in Oslo Norway, into Ghana’s new mission.
Ablakwa alleged that the property was bought by a certain woman for $2.9 million in 2014 and sold to an unknown buyer for $3.5 million in August 2017, and so it was surprising that the ministry in a presentation to the Foreign Affairs committee said it was purchasing the same building for $12.2 million in 2018.
He therefore urged the Speaker, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, to admit a document he presented to back his claims of an inflated contract, but the Speaker ruled that the evidence is not admissible because the documents are not verifiable.
The Minority has not relented in its criticism of the government’s moves for the mission and is considering petitioning the Special Prosecutor, among others, after President Nana Akufo-Addo shot down its calls for an independent probe.
The Minority MPs alleged that the property was first bought by a woman for $2.9 million in 2014 and sold to an unknown buyer for $3.5 million in August 2017 but the government had costed the same building for $12.2 million in 2018.
But President Nana Akufo-Addo described the allegations as fabricated when he met the Press on Wednesday and rubbished the call.
This was after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration asserted that it did not sign an agreement for the procurement of a Residence for its mission in Norway.
“No money has been paid for the purchase price. None of the conditions precedent had been completed. There was no valid contract,” Mrs Owusu-Ekuful reiterated.
She also said “President Akufo-Addo is fixing their [NDC’] mess and solving the problems they saddled all Ghanaians with! John Mahama wants to come again to continue his create loot and share agenda??? We shall see. He should learn from his friend Good Luck!!”
Find below her full post
Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful writes:
What Joyce Bawa and her kind refuse to accept is that no one has denied that government had every intention of buying that property and had made that clear till the Foreign Minister’s attention was drawn to that newspaper article and she put a hold on this transaction. No consideration has passed. No money has been paid for the purchase price. None of the conditions precedent had been completed. There was no valid contract. This is basic contract law!!! What did she learn in law school?
These NDC people saw nothing wrong with spending 14 million US dollars of the taxpayers’ money building one house for the vice president in Ghana, where the cost of living is much less than Norway, and refused to pay allowances for nursing and teacher trainees. It is very funny for them to complain about this Oslo property.
President Akufo-Addo is fixing their mess and solving the problems they saddled all Ghanaians with! John Mahama wants to come again to continue his create loot and share agenda??? We shall see. He should learn from his friend Good Luck!!
God is blessing our homeland Ghana under the principled, purposeful, inspired leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo, and is making Her great and strong in our time and for the future. Leadership is the cause, everything else is effect. We saw how the NDC brought Ghana to its knees and destroyed everything they touched. Never again should they be allowed to ruin our country again.
Merry Christmas!!
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Citifmonline
