Following a threat by the former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Stephen Adei,  to start a campaign against state officials to force them to reduce their convoy sizes, the Vice President was singled out as having a large convoy that inconvenienced regular road users.

[contextly_sidebar id=”AQKZoXhpkNSqRp3YjHnu2AG5A7KyBvzh”]Prof Adei cited a recent trip to Cape Coast in which he said the Vice President’s convoy consisted of 16 SUVs.

But the Veep’s office, in a statement, insisted that, Dr. Bawumia only used a maximum of seven vehicles on trips outside Accra and “on this particular trip to Cape Coast, the Vice President used a total of 7 cars.”

“The Office would like to make it clear that the Vice President and his team use a maximum of 7 vehicles on trips outside Accra and not 16. The 7 vehicles include a leading police vehicle, security detail, Protocol, the media team and an ambulance.”

The statement, however noted that, there were times the Veep’s convoy may be swelled by the addition of other state officials.

“It should, however, be noted that on many occasions (including funerals) while on a trip, several other people, including the Police Commander of the area, Ministers, MPs, MMDCEs, CEOs and party officials may decide to meet and accompany the Vice President on arrival.”

There have been several complaints from drivers in the country about the huge convoys which accompany senior, and sometimes lower-level state officials.

Many people have expressed displeasure with the cost of procuring and maintaining all the vehicles, while others are unhappy about the traffic that is created as a result.

Professor Adei, a courageous critic of public office holders, who spoke at the 20^th-anniversary celebration of Morison and Associates, an international audit firm based in Ghana, said he planned to wage a “one-man crusade” if the situation persists.

“So far, the government is doing well, except that if you go to the right quarters, tell them that the next time I see Bawumia or any of them travelling with 16 four-wheel drives, occupying the two lanes, I’m going to do a one-man crusade. That must be stopped at once,” he said.

Find below the full statement

VICE PRESIDENT USES A MAXIMUM OF 7 CARS, NOT 16 FOR TRAVELS OUTSIDE ACCRA.

The attention of the Office of the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has been drawn to a recent media publication following comments by Professor Stephen Adei, former Rector of GIMPA, that the convoy of the Vice President on a recent trip to Cape Coast consisted of 16 SUVs.

The Office would like to make it clear that the Vice President and his team use a maximum of 7 vehicles on trips outside Accra and not 16. The 7 vehicles include a leading police vehicle, security detail, Protocol, the media team and an ambulance. On this particular trip to Cape Coast, the Vice President used a total of 7 cars.

It should, however, be noted that on many occasions (including funerals) while on a trip, several other people, including the Police Commander of the area, Ministers, MPs, MMDCEs, CEOs and party officials may decide to meet and accompany the Vice President on arrival.

Signed
Frank Agyei-Twum
Director of Communications
Office of the Vice President

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Bawumia’s convoy doesn’t exceed 7 cars – Veep’s office appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to Professor Adei, although he is impressed with the initial performance of the government, the large numbers of cars in the convoys of state officials were unnecessary and created lots of inconveniences for other road users.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qdmyUY83mePwpYkSoJ0gbq2Nq2euLlRy”]There have been several complaints from drivers in the country about the huge convoys which accompany senior, and sometimes lower-level state officials.

Many people have expressed displeasure with the cost of procuring and maintaining all the vehicles, while others are unhappy about the traffic that is created as a result.

Professor Adei, a courageous critic of public office holders, who spoke at the 20^th-anniversary celebration of Morison and Associates, an international audit firm based in Ghana, said he planned to wage a “one-man crusade” if the situation persists.

“So far, the government is doing well, except that if you go to the right quarters, tell them that the next time I see Bawumia or any of them travelling with 16 four-wheel drives, occupying the two lanes, I’m going to do a one-man crusade. That must be stopped at once,” he said.

He added that he had recently tried to catch up with the Vice President’s convoy to confront them about the size, but was stopped by the policemen who were accompanying the second gentleman.

“I followed them to Cape Coast last week, and I was trying to overtake them to tell him to stop. The police stopped me, but as soon as they saw [who I was], they asked me to give some distance,” he said.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Prof. Adei to campaign against Bawumia’s ‘long’ convoy appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Ministry said the current sanitation challenges facing the Accra Metropolitan Assembly does not have a direct link to the Ministry.

“This is not a problem that has a direct link to the Ministry,” said the Deputy Local Government Minister, Baba Jamal

He however noted that the Ministry is in talks with all Assembly heads to resolve the recurrent sanitation problems in the country especially, in Accra.

Waste collection companies in Accra have stopped collecting rubbish in the city blaming government indebtedness to them and the lack of landfill sites for the situation.

The sanitation problem has been aggravated with the shutting down of the Accra Compost and Recycling plant at Adjin Kotoku, leaving only the Kpone landfill site to serve the whole of the Greater Accra region.

A ranking member on Parliament’s Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, Kwesi Kyeremeh Ameyaw has threatened to drag the Ministry before the House over the matter.

In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show, Baba Jamal said the management of garbage in the country is the sole responsibility of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

He stated that the MMDAs are also responsible for entering into management contracts with waste management companies but the Ministry only supervises the activities of the MMDAs.

Baba Jamal added that the Ministry has been having a series of meetings with the district assemblies “and we have made some progress as to how to ensure that some of these debts are paid.”

He assured the general public that “we have not slept on it; we are working assiduously to ensure that this problem is resolved within the shortest possible time.”

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Local Gov’t Ministry not responsible for waste collection – Baba Jamal appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.