Redesign of a village, a deceptive dam project – from the NDC to the government

General News of Sunday, June 9, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-06-09

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), the opposition, calls for a complete overhaul of the current government project A village-a-dam, following reports of poor quality work in the construction of some dams under the project.

"We are asking the government to thoroughly review the current misleading program and channel these resources to true small-scale irrigation," said Sammy Gyamfi, the party's national communications officer.

It is feared that the implementation of the policy has so far been mediocre.

Of the 40 people, some residents complained that the dams had been drained or properly constructed.

In response to these concerns, President Nana Akufo-Addo promised to study the development, while the Vice President asked the development authorities not to pay the contractors working on the project if they did not did not meet the specified standards.

The ND, however, thinks that the government is only seeking to "blame" by holding "innocent entrepreneurs" accountable for the problem.

"We find that this desperate attempt by the government to blame innocent project contractors for a shameful post-facto ploy, allowing it to save face," the statement said.

"It is clear from the above that a huge financial loss is caused by the misleading initiative in progress 1V1D. It is in this context that we consider it regrettable that the President and his Vice-President engage in such a fallacy. We expect President Akufo-Addo to bring, for once, a bit of candor to this affair as the main repository of the people's resources, "he added.

Below is a statement from the NDC

For immediate release

Sunday, June 9, 2019.

AKUFO-ADDO & # 39; S DECEPTIVE: A VILLAGE, A DAM INITIATIVE – A CASE OF A VOLUNTARY CAUSSE OF THE STATE.

The promise to build a dam in each village was one of the many promises made by President Akufo-Addo and the NPP in the 2016 general election. When he took office in 2017, Dr. Bawumia, vice-president President, told Ghanaians that the government was not able to deliver the dams immediately, especially in northern Ghana, where they are most needed, due to the start of the rainy season.

The government then budgeted for the 2018 budget for the dams and pledged to build 570 in the three northern regions by the end of 2018.

However, discussions over the last few days have undoubtedly dominated debates over the poor quality of One Village projects, One Dam built in the north of the country. It has now become apparent that instead of small-scale irrigation dams, the nuclear power plant has promised the people that what they have provided so far can be described as a canoe or dug basin. For example, in the far eastern region of the country, the government reportedly made about 40 of these dams (ponds and dug ponds) out of the 140 that were allocated to them in 2018.

Aside from the fact that these ponds and dug ponds are useless, most of them have become deadly traps and continue to make valuable victims in the various communities where they are located. Others have already been washed away by the rains due to the weak embankment walls built around them. The leaders and residents of some of these communities have not concealed their frustration with these poorly constructed "dams", which in reality amounts to a betrayal of their trust.

It became clear that the "One Village, One Dam" policy was one of President Akufo-Addo's misleading promises for electoral gain and was not really meant to be fulfilled. We are therefore surprised that this same President Akufo-Addo promises to investigate complaints about the quality of the "dams" built under the program 1V1D, while the vice president also ordered the stop payment of some contractors . on poor quality work.

We feel that this desperate attempt by the government to blame innocent project contractors for a shameful, face-saving post-facto gimmick, and demand that the government respond to the following pertinent questions:

1. What are the specifications and cost of 1V1D projects as awarded?

2. How should contractors build small-scale irrigation dams at a cost of 256,000.00 GHS when JICA, one of our development partners, is currently building dams for irrigation? irrigation of similar size in the north of the country, at a cost of 2.4 million GHS each?

3. Why were some contractors paid for the work done, if indeed they failed to deliver according to the project specifications as claimed by the government?

Our careful study of some 1V1D contract documents clearly shows that the Akufo-Addo government has asked for ponds / ponds dug and not dams. Therefore, this old-fashioned ruse used by the president and his government to get out of blame will not be defeated.

It is not necessary to have special expertise to understand that, given the cost of a 1V1D project (256 000 GHS), it is clear that the contracts were awarded for the construction of ponds / underground shelters excavated and not irrigation dams. This fact is amply evident in the Invoice section of some of the IV1D contractual documents we have seen.

Anyway, how is it that not even a contractor has delivered anything near a small-scale irrigation dam, if indeed it was what the Akufo-Addo government had decided to do? Could all the subcontractors of the 1V1D project defraud us as the government would like?

It is clear from the above that the misleading 1V1D initiative is causing the nation a huge financial loss. It is in this context that we consider it regrettable that the President and his Vice-President engage in such a fallacy. We expect President Akufo-Addo to bring, for once, a certain candor in this affair as the main guardian of the resources of the people.

As revealed by investigations conducted by media channels such as A1 Radio in Bolga and Joy News, and confirmed by the leaders and residents of the communities where these dams are located, it is clear that the current 1V1D program no use. Irrigation is therefore a complete waste of the public purse. In these circumstances, we ask the government to completely review the current misleading 1V1D program and to channel these resources towards the creation of real irrigation dams promised to the people of Ghana.

Mr. Chairman, you promised us dams and roadblocks.

Sign. SAMMY GYAMFI National Communication Officer, NDC