Former Vice Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, Dr. Adam Bonaa,has refuted a statement made by Prof. Stephen Adei, the former Chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). Prof. Adei alleged that government officials demand one million cedis before awarding road contracts.
Dr. Bonaa countered this claim by pointing out that although there may be elements of corruption within the road construction industry, contractors have not received payment for work performed dating as far back as 2018, a period during which Prof. Adei served as the Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Dr. Bonaa expressed his bewilderment at Prof. Adei’s decision to raise such allegations now, given that he did not do so during his tenure as a government appointee.
“People who all of a sudden wants us to think they are a voice of conscience when they talk, we should ask them to bring proof because as far as I am concerned the same contractors, he is saying are paying money to be given contracts have not been paid.
“So if contractors have worked and they are not paid, on what grounds will the same contractor come to you to pay you for you to give him a contract to do because they are not getting paid. You can ask any contractor in this country,” he stated in an interview with GhanaWeb.
Describing the comment by Prof Adei as coming from a bitter place, Dr Bonaa noted that a person of his standing cannot be regarded as a voice of conscience.
“I feel he is bitter because he was sacked as chairman of GRA Board. He is bitter and therefore he is finding excuses and sounding as if he is a voice of conscience. For me, he should be disregarded, the public should disregard him because when he was chairman what was he able to do before he was sacked? Did he improve upon collection? We need to know.
“Did we not hear about some members of Council of State who had brought in things and were not paying? Was he not there? This lady who was a member of the Council of State, Labianca, was he not there? And so as far as I am concerned, I think he is bitter. I think he should be disregarded.
“Prof. Adei is bitter because as far as I am concerned contractors in Ghana are burdened with the inability of the Finance Ministry to pay them after working,” he stated.
In a recent interview with TV3, Prof. Adei criticized the government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, among other issues, alleging that government officials were involved in corrupt practices related to the awarding of contracts, particularly in the field of road construction.
He went on to express his belief that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should feel a sense of shame if he is aware of such questionable dealings taking place within his administration.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has taken the step of referring Prof. Adei’s allegations to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for a thorough investigation.
The ministry, while maintaining its commitment to ensuring transparency in the contract award process, deems these allegations to be of a significant and serious nature, thus warranting a comprehensive inquiry.