Assin South DCE Commissions ‘Ultra-Modern’ Footbridge Worth GH₵50,000

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Assin-South Assembly in the Central Region, Felicia NtrakwaAmissah, is fiercely fighting claims of her Assembly using staggering GH₵50, 000 to construct ‘an ordinary’ mini footbridge.

According to her, there was value for money in the execution of the project, because, the price of cement and other building materials have gone up in recent days.

Madam Felicia Amissah insisted that, Assin South Assembly under her watch has done nothing untoward in spending the above-mentioned amount for the construction of the project for the people of AssinOdumase.

they should consider the benefits it would serve the residents, because what is of priority was being able to fix the problem which, hitherto, had claimed lives.

“People are dying because of this and they have forgotten about all this and thinking about the money involved, as if, somebody is chopping money for something and for me; I have no idea about all these things.

“The annoying part is that, I haven’t awarded any contract to anybody; I think my offence is that they came to me and I gave them go ahead that they should do the bridge for them. That’s the offence I committed”, the DCE told The Anchor in an interview on Saturday, August 6, 2022, following a backlash from a section of the public.

The response by the DCE comes in the wake of concerns from indigenes of the area that, the Assembly had used a whopping GH₵50, 000 for construction of a single footbridge, suggesting a wasteful expenditure of public funds, considering the money involved.

But, Madam NkrakwaAmissah explained that, the project was not originally initiated and signed under her watch, but rather her predecessor, Derrick Owusu Ambrose.

She said, even though the footbridge precedes her time, she saw it importance to the people, reason she released funds for its construction.

According to her, there had been so much inconveniences for the town folks who needed the footbridge which was commissioned last Tuesday, to among others, give access to schools and farmlands.

Madam NkrakwaAmissah said, she just decided to continue a good cause after she was approached by the chiefs, informing her about what was started by her predecessor.

“It is true. But the issue, I don’t get it. Why must somebody think that….I mean when it went on I mean I have seen it. People are saying that is it 5K or 50k? How will 5K be able to construct a footbridge for people? And this thing is not start[ed] under my regime; when I came my predecessor had awarded it already.

So, it was later when the chiefs told me and they said that they came to him and then he promised to do it for them and I said okay let me go through the document. And I realized that they have given it to a contractor which ranges from 45 to 50 [thousand] and when I came, because they have come to me too, I could also not say I am not going to do anything; so I decided let’s do it for them”, she told The Anchor.

She explained that, the bridge was donor-funded and since the contract was awarded before her, she only approved for the release of the money after going through the said contract which had a committee to that effect.

“So, I had to release the money because it is a DDF project; it was donor fund project. So, for that one, the money is there so once they have awarded the contract to the contractor, the only thing I can do is that, let me give them that right to do that, so I pay. So, whatever went through, I have no idea”, she added.

Madam NtrakwaAmissah defended the GH₵50, 000 contract, saying, the amount could not have been less considering the fact that prices of everything including cement, have gone up since the beginning of this year.

“Even the contractor is saying that as at the time last year that they awarded the contract to him cement bag was GH₵45 and this year cement is GH₵60-something, so I don’t know why people think that 50 thousand is too much for this bridge”.

She said there is this hullabaloo probably because the photos were taken by her secretary who is an amateur adding, the issue may have been different if they had sent the media to the commissioning programme saying “Maybe if a professional person was there, maybe they would have seen that this bridge deserve it.”

Asked if she went through the contract herself and was satisfied with the amount involved, she replied in the affirmative saying, “Yes, I went through. Yes, because even as at the time that they awarded the contract, this year things are not the same. If cement used to be GH₵40 something Ghana and now is GH₵60 something Ghana, then it means the contractor has lost”.

She went on, “People cannot cross it when it rains, this same bridge they can’t even pass through and we are not looking at the people’s welfare but rather we are thinking about the money involved. And it is not like somebody has chopped the money the money was used purposely for the people”.

“Are we saying that the Assembly has done a bad thing for constructing a bridge for them? I mean we should look at the benefits aspect. This thing is going to be there forever for people to benefit from and we are talking about it and they said, they should crucify because I have awarded a contract of GH₵50, 000 so people should crucify me”.

According to her, the money could not have been squandered especially because it was given by a donor adding that such monies are released strictly for the purpose for which it was requested for.

More To come…

Source: Anchorghana