The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has directed the Minister of Roads and Highways, Honorable Kwesi Amoako Atta, to reverse the decision to stop road toll payments in the country.
Speaking in Parliament today, Thursday November 18, 2021, some hours after the directive, Alban Bagbin indicated that the Minister acted wrongly by issuing such directive.
“I think that it is proper for us to direct the minister, a member of this house, in fact a senior member of this house. I think that he might have acted wrongly and therefore I call him to reverse this decision”.
Alban Bagbin
This decision is an aftermath of deliberations on the floor of Parliament today, after the Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, questioned the powers that the roads minister relied on to issue the directive when the budget had not been approved by Parliament.
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The Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Honorable Kwame Agbodza, who supported the minority leader’s submission stated that it is quite clear that the Minister sidestepped Parliament by pretending that he, as a minister, has the right to waive toll levy in the country.
Honorable Agboza averred that the road minister is a lawyer and a very experienced one and as such his “action was not a mere” one. He added that the Minister should have known that he has no such powers.
“To make it quite serious, on Tuesday Mr. Speaker, your committee on Roads and Transport met and invited the minister of roads and transport to work on a referral which is to build the road between Mamfe and Koforidua. At that meeting, I asked the Ministry representative where the minister was. The response they gave me was the Minister was on an official trip with the President. In any case he was not in the jurisdiction”.
Kwame Agbodza
Kwame Agboza then called on the Speaker to direct that the Minister to rescind the decision since he has no such powers to waive the payment of charges in this country except Parliament.
“Mr. Speaker direct that the Minister rescind his decision. If he so wishes, he should present that to Parliament”.
Kwame Agbodza
Roads Minister didn’t disrespect Parliament
Also speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, defended the roads minister stating that he did not disrespect Parliament and the laws by issuing that order when the budget had not been approved.
He stated that even in the Supreme Court, sometimes there is a misreading of the law which does not amount to the fact that the law lords are disrespecting the law.
“So, at such a time that we made that distinction, we cannot attribute to the Honorable Minister for Roads and Highways that he is disrespecting the law.”
Samuel Atta Akyea
Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta, in a press release on Wednesday November 17 directed the cessation of collection of tolls on public roads and bridges effective Thursday, November 18 after the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta had announced in the 2022 budget statement about the cancellation of the tolls.
