A contractor in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District in the Northern region has backed claims by a Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah that government is broke.
Dr. Assibey earlier alleged that government is currently struggling to release money to the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) secretariat for onward disbursement to the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies because it is cashstrapped.
[contextly_sidebar id=”9lyQEfqVcIps6Nvfj0attUh8DSN6qaY2″]Speaking on Eyewitness News, the contractor, who only gave his name as Abu said he is yet to be paid for building a Community-based Health Planning and Service (CHPS) compound in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo district.
He revealed that he was only given a cheque for payment last week after completing the project in December 2015, but it was eventually rejected when paid it into his account.
“I completed the compound and handed over in late December and they said there wasn’t money. Just last week I was given a cheque, I paid the check into my account and Monday, my bankers told me that the cheque was bounced,” Abu narrated on Eyewitness News.
“On the cheque it was written insufficient funds so we are still battling with the assembly to find out where exactly the common fund money has gone,” the contractor explained.
The cost involved in the construction was GHc 41,300.7
‘They don’t take us seriously’
Abu revealed that he knows of at least three other contractors with similar complaints and lamented that “it is like they don’t take us seriously because they think they can do anything. If you are giving me a cheque and the cheque bounces, you should be able to explain to me how it all went but up till now, nothing.”
“I wanted to confirm what the minister has said because I don’t know whether the government is broke or whatever but this the real story I am telling you,” he stated.
Government should come clean
Abu added further that he simply wanted government and the district assembly to come clean on the matter and release the funds.
“We are only pleading with government to try and release the funds in time or if they have released the funds and it has gone elsewhere, the district assembly should try and get us something to be able to pay off our indebtedness.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana