A member of the National Communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Osman Ayariga, has intimated that government has not shown that it is tackling the drainage system issue in Accra looking at the recent flooding.
Osman Ayariga indicated that despite the calls for solution, government hasn’t also shown that the flood system in the capital city is a priority to be worked on.
The Communicator accused the government of not setting its priorities right following the release of an amount of GHS25 million to the National Cathedral project. In his view, this money should not have been spent on the project when people are losing their lives and livelihood to floods. Mr. Ayariga then lamented that government is not committed to fight the flood menace in the country.
“Just yesterday, you will realize that GHS25 million has been given to Cathedral and the Deputy Finance Minister tells us that to them, that is priority. People are flooding, water is carrying people’s livelihoods away, the rains are carrying peoples homes away but the Finance Minister comes to tell us that the President, giving additional seed money of GHS25 million for the construction of the National Cathedral which is the President’s own solemn promise to God, is a priority.”
Osman Ayariga
Government isn’t ready to solve problem
According to Mr. Ayariga, it doesn’t look like government is ready to solve the drainage problem. He averred that the President has stated that he has invested GHS420 million into the dredging but it shouldn’t end there. He noted that dredging is one aspect of it but constructing the drains is another part of solving the problem. “The two need to work together.”
“It is not as if the two activities are mutually exclusive that, if you decide to embark on one, the other automatically solves itself. So, if we go about dredging the Odaw River and try to clear the drains without constructing the drains that will actually serve as a channel for the water to pass through then at the end of the day we will still be experiencing floods.”
Osman Ayariga
Also reacting to the release of an amount of GHS25 million for the National Cathedral project in a tweet, a former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, questioned why government took this decision when there is no money to pay for school feeding and also printing of textbooks.
“No money to pay 97pesewas per child for school feeding. Neither is there money to print textbooks for basic pupils for three straight years but there is GHS 25 million to pay as ‘additional seed money’ for a National Cathedral which the President says is his ‘personal’ pledge to God.”
Felix Kwakye Ofosu
The Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance has authorized the release of GHS25 million for the construction of the National Cathedral in Accra. A letter written to the Controller and Accountant General Department (CAGD) by the Minister of Finance Ken Ofori Atta said: “Authority is hereby granted to release the sum of 25million Ghana Cedis as additional seed money to the National Cathedral Secretariat for the construction of the National Cathedral for part payment of the outstanding claim from RIBADE.”
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