President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the week disclosed that government intends to spend GHc20 million on the celebration with support from the private sector.

[contextly_sidebar id=”61ZjfdjqvtFNk5FdJddLH2r2OFyBFQhD”]But speaking on Citi FM’s News analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, Franklin Cudjoe said the amount realized from auctioning a few of the vehicles could help raise funds for the celebration.

There has been controversy over some missing vehicles allegedly taken by some officials of the previous John Mahama government.

Whereas the New Patriotic Party administration insists that over 200 vehicles from the presidency fleet were missing, spokespersons of the former government argue that they handed over 641 vehicles before exiting office.

Franklin Cudjoe noted that “I pray that we find the cars because we could easily sell some of them.”

“For instance the Toyota Land Cruiser, 142 of them, we could get about GHc10 million, Toyota Avalon, there are 33 of them, we could get GHc9 million, Toyota Corolla, 58 of them, you could probably get GHc17 million. Toyota Camry, 75 of them, you could probably make easily make 30 million. Toyota Prado, 54, you can easily make some GHc4 million and the list goes on and on.”

“If you look at the cost of the cars and the maintenance cost of these cars, you are getting into dizzying heights. So my issue is if you are looking for GHc20 million for Ghana at 60, fair and square, let’s find 142 Land Cruisers… and do a mass auction at the Independence Square. You don’t need 641 cars at the presidency,” he explained.

NDC staffers purchased 271 salon cars at the presidency

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel George, who was also on The Big Issue explained that about 271 of the vehicles allegedly missing vehicles from the President’s vehicle pool were purchasedby some officials of the former government.

According to Same George, although he declined to purchase the vehicle allocated to him while serving as a Presidential staffer under the former government, some of his colleagues bought theirs after the vehicles were duly properly valuated by the State Transport Company.

“A number of my colleagues chose to buy their cars. I for personal reasons declined to buy my car and I returned it to the director of logistics at the Office of President. We put out a list of 641 vehicles. We handed over about 370 vehicles to the assets and logistics committee [of the new government] and these vehicles were physically inspected by the assets committee led by lawyer Ayikoi Otu,” he added.

–

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Sell gov’t cars for Ghana @60 celebration – Franklin Cudjoe appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, the former Deputy Minister said the government jumped to conclusions on the matter merely for political propaganda.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ec1UEDh1Mm197mzdfytHeIxYCMhoT78H”]The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugine Arhin, had said there were at least 208 cars unaccounted for at the presidency’s car pool, and that the President was left with only 10-year-old BMW for official use.

Government later made available a documents detailing a list of 173 serviceable vehicles left behind by the NDC administration indicating that there were four bulletproof vehicles for use by the President as claimed by the NDC.

The NDC also released a document with 641 vehicles which were listed and properly accounted for saying they were captured in the handing over notes.

Mr. Ofosu Kwakye recounted that the current government’s side of the transition team had an Executive Access Committee, chaired by Nii Ayikoi Otoo, which was taken around to where the 370 vehicles were kept.

He also noted that “it is not only at the Flagstaff House where cars belonging to the presidency are kept. There are vehicles that belong to the Presidency that are used by ministers and deputy ministers so you would find them at the various ministries, departments and agencies.”

“Mr. Ayikoi Otoo’s committee was given a total of 370 vehicles and they inspected each of these vehicles. They were taken to all the places where these vehicles are kept and they took receipt of 370 vehicles. Now the outstanding vehicles were accounted for as per the documents released yesterday,” he revealed

Arhin didn’t make thorough checks

Mr. Kwakye-Ofosu asserted that, the handover notes for the current government had a list of vehicles with persons or units within the presidency who are using these vehicles, but added that “it does appear to me that they [government] are unprepared to peruse the various sets of documentation.”

According to him, all government had to do was to look through the various agencies, but in his view, “it is obvious he [Eugine Arhin] didn’t have access to all the information regarding this matter. He should have taken his time and allowed the people at the Transport section of the Flagstaff House to be properly engaged… for instance, I don’t know if he has spoken to the Ayikoi Otoo committee.”

“If they were not minded to do any political propaganda, all they could have done was to cross-reference against the list that has been provided,  and whether there are gaps, then you contact the specific individuals or units,” Mr. Kwakye Ofosu stated.

–

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

The post Gov’t playing politics with ‘missing cars’ claim – Kwakye-Ofosu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that over 200 state cars are missing, has nothing to do with the immediate past government.

[contextly_sidebar id=”JeJCSWWFRa2vo0BhGK8kxOyXiTtGALdq”]The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, revealed to the media on Wednesday [February 8] that, there are so far 208 cars unaccounted for from the Flagstaff House’s vehicle pool, based on the assessment of some car models in the inventory.

His claims suggested that some officials of the immediate past government were in possession of the vehicles, but according to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, the NDC government cannot be blamed.

He said the new government must provide further information on the specific cars identified to be missing to enable proper checks and references and a possible search to find them.

“The claim that this vehicles cannot be found is completely untrue to the extent that they [NPP] are unable to tell you what specific vehicles they cannot find. We have given you a list, the vehicles are parked at specific places that you are aware of and you unable to say they registration number and chassis number of the missing vehicles.”

“It is when they are able to provide this specific information that we will be able to cross reference with the list that we gave them and then those vehicles will be looked for if they are indeed missing. But at this stage and as far as we are concerned, every vehicle that we need to account for, we have done, and the onus is on them to provide very specific information,” Kwakye Ofosu said.

A statement signed by the former Deputy Chief of Staff, Johnny Osei Kofi, also described the new government’s claims as “false, baseless and without merit.”

The statement said, the “distortions and bad faith that have characterized the conduct of the NPP side of the Transition team.”

It explained that “both the Assets and Logistics Committee on the NPP side were given a detailed list of all vehicles in the pool at the Presidency. More importantly, a total of 641 vehicles were listed and properly accounted for. This was duly captured in the handing over notes.” It also called on the government to provide further evidence to back its claims of lost vehicles.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post We accounted for all state vehicles – Kwakye Ofosu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.