{"id":367685,"date":"2017-11-02T09:36:29","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T09:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=367685"},"modified":"2017-11-02T09:36:29","modified_gmt":"2017-11-02T09:36:29","slug":"mahama-had-no-hand-in-cocobod-guest-house-mogtari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/11\/mahama-had-no-hand-in-cocobod-guest-house-mogtari\/","title":{"rendered":"Mahama had no hand in COCOBOD guest house – Mogtari"},"content":{"rendered":"

The office of John Mahama\u00a0has refuted claims that the former president influenced the construction of a guest house in his hometown of Bole, in the Northern Region, using funds belonging to the Ghana Cocoa Board,\u00a0for his personal comfort.<\/p>\n

A statement signed by his aide, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, clarified that, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana Research Station Guest House, “has been in existence since 1975.”<\/p>\n

[contextly_sidebar id=”HXWuUzY5rGvMM4Hez7CaX0yezDLw3zzP”]The statement also described the accusation<\/a><\/strong><\/span> by the COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, as falling into “a\u00a0regrettable pattern of false and inaccurate information.”<\/p>\n

Mr. Boahen Aidoo was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday to respond to allegations of mismanagement of the cocoa sector\u00a0by the Minority in Parliament, where he leveled a number of allegations<\/a><\/strong><\/span> against the Mahama government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe penchant to siphon funds through inflated contracts was rampant in the NDC-Opuni administration through ill-conceived construction contracts in the cocoa sector. These contracts were awarded without proper value for money analysis, bringing into question the motive for the contract for instance, to construct a guest house at Bole in the Northern Region, which was needless at the time it was awarded. President John Mahama was said to have influenced the awarding to enable him enjoy a comfortable holiday during his visit to his constituency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Mr. Mahama’s office contends such claims are “intended to slander the former President as a way\u00a0of covering\u00a0up bad management practices and decisions identified and highlighted by the NDC Minority in Parliament about the country\u2019s cocoa sector.”<\/p>\n

“Such an unwholesome practice will only serve to detract from the important business of managing the Cocoa sector which is the lifeblood of the Ghanaian economy,” it added.<\/p>\n

Focus on task at hand<\/strong><\/p>\n

The office\u00a0thus urged\u00a0Mr. Boahen Aidoo “to pay greater attention to discharging the weighty responsibility entrusted to him devoid of unnecessary partisanship and mudslinging.”<\/p>\n

It also defended the decision to renovate the guest house saying: “a decision by the Board of COCOBOD to renovate the facility, after many years of use cannot be needless, and does not require the influence of the President of the Republic, as he then was.”<\/p>\n

Find below the full statement<\/strong><\/p>\n

CRIG Guest House was built in the 70s, not for Mahama<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Office of Former President John Dramani Mahama has learnt of a number of claims by Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Among others, Mr. Boahen Aidoo stated that President John Dramani Mahama influenced the award of a contract to construct a guest house at Bole in the Northern Region to “enable him enjoy comfortable holidays during visits to his constituency.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the avoidance of doubt, the Office of the Former President wishes to state that this claim is false.<\/p>\n

The guest house in question, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) Research Station Guest House, has been in existence since 1975, and could not possibly have been constructed during the tenure of President Mahama. The assertion therefore that he influenced its construction is also false.<\/p>\n

The Station conducts research into Shea nut and Cashew, to boost production of these two crops in the Brong Ahafo, Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions that constitute the Northern Savannah zone.<\/p>\n

Also, the CRIG Research facility includes the guest house that has always provided commercial accommodation services to officials of COCOBOD and any other person that requires its use.<\/p>\n

A decision by the Board of COCOBOD to renovate the facility, after many years of use cannot be needless, and does not require the influence of the President of the Republic, as he then was.<\/p>\n

The Office of the Former President has noted a regrettable pattern of false and inaccurate information put out by the Chief Executive of COCOBOD\u00a0 intended to slander the former President as a way of covering up bad management practices and decisions identified and highlighted by the NDC Minority in Parliament about the country\u2019s cocoa sector.<\/p>\n

Such an unwholesome practice will only serve to detract from the important business of managing the Cocoa sector which is the lifeblood of the Ghanaian economy.<\/p>\n

The Office wishes to encourage Mr. Boahen Aidoo to pay greater attention to discharging the weighty responsibility entrusted to him devoid of unnecessary partisanship and mudslinging.<\/p>\n

SIGNED<\/p>\n

Joyce Bawah Mogtari<\/p>\n

Special Aide to HE John Dramani Mahama.<\/p>\n

Thursday Nov., 02, 2017.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The office of John Mahama\u00a0has refuted claims that the former president influenced the construction of a guest house in his hometown of Bole, in the Northern Region, using funds belonging to the Ghana Cocoa Board,\u00a0for his personal comfort. A statement signed by his aide, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, clarified that, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":310104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,11],"tags":[1968,1928,3,1969,464],"yoast_head":"\nMahama had no hand in COCOBOD guest house - Mogtari - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. 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