This follows a call by the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga on government to totally scrap sole-sourcing following the sentencing of a former GYEEDA boss, Abuga Pele and a businessman, Philip Assibit.

According to Ayariga, awarding all government contracts through competitive bidding processes will help check corruption which is usually associated with sole sourcing.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Z5PfKvng1DdIt5Dzl7166GwOqgqx1GIx”]But the President of GIPS, Collins Agyemang Sarpong, told Citi News the solution to curbing corruption within the procurement process is to tighten the approval process.

“One thing that we know is that procurement people need to have what we call ethical compass. If you are an officer and a request comes, you need to be able to dissect it. It’s like somebody waiting the whole year and in September, you come to me and say we are going to do single source because it is under certificate of emergency while it had been in your plan since January. Even when you look at the procurement plan, people will put in it single source in January but the item will be bought in September and it is in their procurement plan.”

“Why can’t you start doing the process so that by September you will get your items. What I’m driving at is that people who are in positions of authority should always trigger their ethical compass and not just approve things because they want to approve it to favour any businessman or because they’ve gone for something and they are approving. We think that people should be able to question some of these things. That is why there is an authority; go to PPA for them to access the request before they give you the approval or denial,” he added.

Abuga Pele, Assibit jailed 

Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

In the scandal that hit the now Youth Employment Agency (YEA), some companies including Zoomlion Ghana Limited, RLG, Asongtaba Cottage Industry Limited and Better Ghana Management Services Limited, among others were contracted to render services under various modules for the GYEEDA programme.

It subsequently emerged that monies were paid to these companies who were awarded the contracts through sole sourcing for no work done.

223 sole sourcing contracts were approved in 2017 

President Nana Akufo-Addo during the 2018 State of the Nation Address in Parliament disclosed that his government awarded 233 contracts on sole sourcing basis.

He added his government saved about GHc800 million in the process as compared to the NDC government.

“In 2016, the Public Procurement Authority had six hundred and twenty-two (622) Sole Source Requests. Five hundred and ninety seven (597) of that number, 98%, were approved, and there were 25 Rejections. There were five hundred and ninety-two (592) Requests made for Restricted Tenders, and five hundred and eighty seven (587) (99.15%) were approved, and there were five (5) Rejections. A grand total of zero savings was made.”

“In 2017, my first year in office, three hundred and ninety four (394) Sole Sourcing Requests were made, out of which two hundred and twenty three (223) (56.6%) were approved, and one hundred and seventy one (171) (43.4%) rejected. There were three hundred and forty six (346) Requests for Restricted Tenders, out of which one hundred and sixty seven (167) (48%) were approved, and one hundred and seventy nine (179) (52%) rejected. Now here is the interesting part. The savings, made over the year as a result, amounted to some GH¢800 million,” he added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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According to him, the budget is only stuffed with unrealistic promises meant to tickle Ghanaians.

Likening the budget to Azonto, which is a Ghanaian dance, Mr. Ayariga said the budget is akin to an uninitiated beat of music that has no message.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8zmjIGkOtzYuu6xC5E5jxTdxRAfNMda0″]Addressing a press conference on Wednesday to provide his party’s assessment of the budget, Hassan Ayariga said the untold hardship Ghanaians continue to face under the current government will persist since the government is not ready to tackle them.

“The 2018 budget is an Azonto budget for Ghanaians to dance to… The somersault from ‘asempa’ to ‘adwuma budget’ is an uninitiated beat of the music that has no message… Teachers are suffering and crying, Nurses, patients, students, pensioners, drivers, contractors, civil servants, farmers, media men and fishermen are all suffering and crying,” he said.

He said the health sector under the current government was going to be seriously stressed due to the marginal cut in the ministry’s budgetary allocation.

While predicting that trainee nurses who enjoy monthly allowances from the government will soon face difficulty in accessing the fund which has been restored, Ayariga said the government had no plans of improving and expanding existing health infrastructure in the country.

Hassan Ayariga also accused President Akufo-Addo of presiding over insecurity and chaos in the country.

He said vigilante groups affiliated to the NPP have been allowed to act with impunity in the country without control.

He noted that the President, as leader of the NPP, must declare the disbandment of all vigilante groups affiliated to the party to guarantee peace and security of all Ghanaians.

“The 2018 budget does not care about you and I. It cares about reckless and unrealistic promises… This is not the change the NPP promised Ghanaians. We want to live in the peace and unity that we once enjoyed in Ghana,” he said.

Free SHS an embarrassment to parents, students – Ayariga

Mr.Hassan Ayariga also described government’s flagship free SHS policy as an embarrassment to students and parents.

He said the governing NPP is desperate for credibility, and is, therefore, implementing policies such as the free SHS in a haphazard manner.

“Who says implementing the free SHS means all is well? Has the Finance Minister heard what people say about the ill-implemented policy? The free SHS is an embarrassment and a disappointment to students and parents.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to a private legal practitioner, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, the Majority Members in Parliament could have capitalized on it to call for his removal and for a by-election to be held in his constituency.

“It didn’t make political sense to push the issue because the consequences I understand could go as far as even calling for his removal from Parliament. Politically if you push, and your area is a flip flop constituency, the majority could take advantage and call for a by-election, they could actually expel you from Parliament,” he opined.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MXRJgsovQB4zPZ7Pskknx9S1NsQqAvgS”]The Bawku Central MP was charged with contempt for making unfounded bribery allegations against the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joe Osei Owusu, the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko and the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak.

A special committee, chaired by Joe Ghartey, the Essikado-Ketan MP was constituted by the Speaker of Parliament to investigate the matter.

The committee after its investigations concluded that Mr. Ayariga’s claim that Joe Osei Owusu was used as a conduit by the Minister for Energy to distribute a GH¢3,000 bribe to minority members on the Appointments Committee to facilitate Mr. Agyarko’s approval after his vetting was baseless and thus found him guilty of contempt of Parliament.

Although Ayariga openly disagreed with the report, he subsequently wrote a letter to the Speaker apologizing and he was pardoned.

Meanwhile, speaking on the Citi FM’s news analysis progamme, They Big Issue on Saturday, Nii Kpakpo who is also a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) explained that it was “politically risky” for Ayariga to have appealed the Joe Ghartey committee’s report.

This, the lawyer said was because there was no evidence backing his [Ayariga’s] claims.

“If you look at it from a political point of view…the committee was not only made up of NPP side but it was also made up of your own [NDC] members. Now members of the committee who were you own members came out to say that there was absolutely no evidence, and there was nothing on which they could evaluate and say the allegation was true. That means that you have no legs to stand on politically. If it was majority decision, then you could say that I my side support me but here is the case that your members were not on your side. It was virtually yourself and the whole Parliament. So I think, he took advice, weighed his options carefully and realized that this was not something that was worth pushing so let me take the honourable part by apologizing,” the lawyer added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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On behalf of Ghanaians, I want to render an unqualified apology to you.

It seems you are the headmaster of a primary school instead of being the Speaker of the 7th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana.

We are sorry that you have to deal with such unruly children masquerading as adults with willingness to serve our nation.

They tricked us into believing that they were indeed honourable adults and so we put them in the House and now we (you and the rest of us), have the misfortune of being ensnared by their antics.

In fact Sir, it is my opinion that, in light of recent events; members of the House desist from using the not only illusory, but the mendacious title ‘honourable.’

To make my point, I borrow and paraphrase the words of Oliver Cromwell and ask how do members of the House as a collective entity call themselves honourable when they have dishonoured by contempt of all virtue, and defiled by practice of iniquitous vices, the sanctity of the august House.

Sir, as Cromwell said, a factious crew, enemies to all good government; people who like Esau would sell their country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray their God for a few pieces of money, do not deserve to be called members of Parliament. I then ask; how do we then per our seemingly sane minds call such ‘honourable’?

Sir, no disrespect intended here, but there’s no honour in the House now.

Don’t get me wrong, I do know that there are some, probably a collective majority that who indeed men and women of honour.

However their honour has been clouded by the unscrupulous few within their ranks.

To us, the citizens, the engagements and collective conduct of this House are as honourable as Judas in the presence of thirty pieces of sliver.

With the ‘Ayarigate’ Report and the aftermath nearly free for all brawl that night, Sir, you are presiding over a degenerated House.

A House perceived to barter it’s conscience for bribes can surely not itself or its members demand from nation the title ‘honourable.’

To me; the only way the House can redeem itself, is to purge itself of the cancerous dishonourable members.

Sir; from the Report, the House has been hit in two ways. Although the multiplicity of a rumour does not metamorphose the rumour into fact, the committee could not debunk the veracity of the said rumour.

A rumour is not fact until proven to be the truth, and it is not a lie until proven to be false.

That is why hearsays are not used in the adjudication of criminal or civil matters in the court of law.However, none of us have physically seen God; yet a majority of us believe in Him based on rumours.

A person’s perception of any issue sometimes is solely moulded on rumours. So to some of us now, the House of our Legislature, is a den of bribe taking disingenuous liars with no iota of interest in the affairs of the nation.

Worse still; is the perception that there are members who will unintelligently act on rumours. How safe are we with such impetuous members as our representatives?

Sir, get rid of the identified Rumour Monger, no apology rendered would be enough to wipe the disgrace this debacle has regurgitated all over the House and the country.

Let his expulsion if for nothing at all; serve as a warning to other members not to act on rumours.

I wish you luck, there’s nothing more tedious than dealing with children with self-entitlement issues copulating with self-aggrandizing tendencies.

Thank You

Concerned Citizen
Pearl Asiamah/ Email: [email protected]

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According to the Member of Parliament for the Ningo Prampram Constituency, Sam George, Opoku Prempeh who is also the MP for Manhyia South called Alhassan Suhuyini “a fool” hence the near-fight.

“…Napo had called him [Alhassan Suyuhini] a fool. During the proceedings he called him ‘kwasia’ and that is what triggered the whole thing. And this is not the first time Napo was calling somebody a fool. Four weeks ago he called me a fool on the Floor of the House simply because I’d asked the Speaker to ask him if he was wearing a school uniform or was properly attired to Parliament,” Sam George explained.

Background

The five-member Joe Ghartey committee investigating the bribery allegations leveled against the Appointments Committee by the MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, presented its report to Parliament and recommended sanctions for Mr. Ayariga.

The committee found Ayariga guilty of contempt of Parliament and aside the sanctions also asked that he apologises to the House.

Although Mr. Ayariga apologized, the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, adjourned sitting and said he will rule on the matter today, Friday.

But after the adjournment some minority and majority MPs nearly traded blows in the House.

Sam George explained on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday that, tempers rose in Parliament because some majority MPs earlier during sitting called for the removal of Mr. Ayariga and a by-election held.

“In the course of the conversation and the debates that went on yesterday, there were calls for by-elections. These are things that get any MP on edge because you were hearing that another colleague is pushing for one of you to be sacked from Parliament for by-elections. It’s not something that anyone will be comfortable with.”

“In the course of the conversation also there appeared to have been an exchange of words between the Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh and Alhassan Suhuyini. And so that stoke the fire. However, as soon as we finished the sitting and Speaker walked out, we stepped out to talk to our leader and all you could see was a barrage of majority MPs storming the minority side,” Sam George added while questioning the rationale for the majority moving to the minority side.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The Bawku Central MP, who made the bribery claims, was found guilty of contempt of Parliament, following investigations by the committee which concluded that “Mr. Mahama Ayariga is in Contempt of Parliament on the strength of Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution, Section 32 of the Parliament Act, 1965 (Act 300) and Orders 28 and 30 (2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament.”

The committee, after rubbishing Mr. Ayariga’s bribery allegation, asked him to render an unqualified apology to purge himself of contempt.

But Mr. Ayariga who appeared unhappy with the work of the committee, reluctantly rendered the apology, saying : “Mr. Speaker, if you say I should apologize, I have apologized.”

Before this apology, he said the committee’s recommendations were problematic, especially when it failed to conduct due diligence by cross examining the “other sides” to arrive at a fair conclusion.

This is regardless of the fact that Mr. Ayariga and his other colleagues who made the allegation, failed to provide any hardcore evidence to support their claims.

He also questioned the powers of the committee to find him guilty of contempt.

“If you conclude that you want to use the criminal standards then you might as well have during the proceedings, used the criminal process, which is cross examining the other sides so that you can come to the conclusion that will enable you to exact criminal functions but you did not do that,” he queried.

The Committee also cleared Mr. Boakye Agyarko, the Energy Minister alleged to have paid the bribe of any wrongdoing. He was discharged together with Chairman of the Appointments Committee Joe Osei-Wusu and Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak.

The Speaker is expected to deliver his ruling tomorrow [Friday], on the recommendations of the committee.

He would decide whether or not Mr. Ayariga’s apology, which has already been condemned by some members would be accepted and the way forward.

The Bawku MP alleged that Boakye Agyarko, attempted to bribe the 10 minority members on the Appointments Committee with GHc 3,000 each to ensure the approval of his nomination as the Energy Minister.

Mr. Ayariga also said Mr. Osei-Owusu served as a courier for the bribe money, which was given to the Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka for onward disbursement.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post ‘I apologise if you say I should’ – ‘Defiant’ Ayariga to Speaker appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Ayariga, who has been vociferous and insistent on the fact that there was an attempt to bribe some minority MPs  to be soft on the approval of Boakye Agyarko, Energy Minister during his vetting, has made a number of social media comments.

On Monday [February 20, 2017], after appearing before the investigative committee as a witness in the matter, the Chairman of the committee and Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey, urged Mahama Ayariga, not to comment on the matter in the public domain.

He said the committee did not intend to gag him [Ayariga], but prefers he does not grant media interviews or make public comments about his testimony before the committee.

“We will be grateful if you don’t discuss what you said here or give commentary on either radio, television interviews or on social media. We are not gagging you; but we believe that we must all help to bring the work of the committee to a successful end, when we bring out our report, of course, you can comment, do you have any objections to that.”

Ayariga subsequently agreed to abstain from any such commentaries.

All other persons who appeared before the Committee today [Monday], including Boakye Agyarko, Energy Minister, the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, and Okudzeto Ablakwa, were also given the same advice.

Weigh my evidence – Ayariga tells bribery committee

Speaking before the committee today; Mr. Ayariga asked the committee to evaluate his evidence in the matter and take the necessary decision.

Although he was unable to give the Committee what they deemed as substantial evidence to support his bribery claims, he stated that his allegations were the facts available to him. He therefore asked the committee to weigh his evidence and make a decision.

‘Constitution of ad-hoc committee’

The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye with the approval of the leadership of both sides of the House last month, constituted the ad-hoc committee to investigate the bribery allegation brought before the House by the Member of Parliament for Bekwai and Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joe Osei Owusu who had been accused of being a conduit for giving some MPs on his committee GH¢ 3,000 each as bribe to approve the nomination of the Energy minister, Boakye Agyarko.

The members of the committee are the MP for Offinso South, Ben Abdallah; MP for Juaben, Ama Pomaah Boateng; MP for Talensi and MP for Yilo Krobo Magnus Kofi Amoateng.

It has Joe Ghartey, the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Kentan, who’s also the Minister for Railways Development as Chairman.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The three, in a joint letter addressed to the Speaker of Parliament, want the House to initiate an internal investigation to ascertain the veracity of their claims against the minister.

The letter said, “we request you to carry out an internal enquiry into the veracity of the claims made by us in the allegation of attempted bribery of the Minority members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament by the ministerial nominee.”

Mahama Ayariga on Friday [January 27, 2017] accused the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko of bribing the ten Minority members of the committee with GHc3,000 each when he realized that the Minority had refused to pass him for the position following some comments he made about former president John Mahama during his vetting.

Mr. Ayariga alleged that the money was given to the Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka by the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu for onward disbursement; a claim Mr Suhuyini and Mr Ablakwa both confirmed.

Although the Chief Whip and the Chairman have denied the claims, the trio have insisted they were certain about the allegations.

They noted in the letter that “We, the three (3) Members of Parliament will subject ourselves fully to the processes of enquiry”.

I swear I didn’t give Ayariga bribe money – Muntaka

The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak had rejected claims that he gave Mahama Ayariga any money he received from Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko.

“I’m a Muslim and Ayariga is a Muslim. I’m swearing by the Allah that created him that I never gave Ayariga anything and I said it was from Osei-Owusu. Osei Owusu has never discussed any money issue with me. He has never given me any money to be given to Ayariga and I’ve never given Ayariga or anybody any money saying that it was coming from the Chairman,” he said.

 ‘Osei-Owusu threatens court action

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee and MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei-Owusu has threatened he will seek redress in court to clear his name from the scandal.

According to him, he has no idea why Ayariga mentioned him as being at the forefront to receive the bribe money since he does not recollect ever doing so.

He has also given indications he may call for a review of the Committee to allow it run effectively as it ves other ministerial nominees named by President Akufo-Addo.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The group says such allegations have the tendency of tarnishing  the image of parliament and must not be swept under the carpets without proper investigation.

In a statement issued on Saturday morning, the spokesperson for the group, Isaac Kwame stated that, the leadership of Parliament must institute a full scale investigation and make the truth made known to the public.

“Full scale nvestigations must instituted into the case by Parliament to ensure the truth of the matter is revealed and the culprit punished. We at MODAG believe that, for such an allegation to be leveled against a minister of state, is quite serious and a disgrace which has the tendency of denting the Akufo Addo administration since His Excellency President Akufo Addo in the just ended election campaign promised to fight corruption to the core when elected. So this matter must not be left unattended to,” the group appealed.

“We call on Mr Agyarko to take legal actions to redeem his image because at his vetting, he gave us reasons why some decisions taken by the erstwhile Mahama administration were seen to be acts of corruption supervision and for him [Boakye Agyarko] to have allegedly made a u-turn to offer a bribe for his approval, then it is a cause for worry of which he must not let go and die a natural death. He must redeem his image”

“In that same vain, it is important that Mr Ayariga also endeavour to make a formal complaint to the priviledges committee and the leadership of the house of Parliament to ensure the matter receives due attention and the truth be made known to the Ghanaian people,” MODAG noted.

The spokesperson, Isaac Kwame further stated that, MODAG will in due time petition parliament if the case is not investigated as requested.

“We shall petition parliament to investigate the said bribery allegation scandal to ensure the truth of the matter is brought to light and culprits punished to serve as deterrent to others. Parliament is a serious place for doing state business and so it’s integrity must at all times be protected. If indeed Mr Agyarko offered the bribe, then he must be dealt with or if it is Mr Ayariga who lied, then he must also dance to the tune of the music” he added

He reminded the media not to tow partisan line in reporting on sensitive issues that affect the state since they are the gate keepers in the society.

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By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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