US$100 million of Ghana oil money missing — Minority
The Minority in Parliament says they worried over government inability to give account for over $100 million accruing from Ghana’s Petroleum lifting in the first quarter of 2022. Kindly read the full statement US$100 MILLION WORTH OF GHANA’S OIL MONEY MISSING – MINORITY RAISES CONCERNThe Minority in Parliament has noted with serious concern the inability or refusal of the Akuffo-Addo/Bawumia led Government to account for over $100Million accruing from Ghana’s Petroleum lifting in the first quarter of 2022. The decision by the current NPP Government to transfer revenues accruing from about 944,164bbls of crude lifting in the Jubilee and TEN fields to a company established in a safe haven (outside Ghana) without Parliamentary approval, amounts to a gross violation of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815) and Public Financial Management Act (Act 921). We have become aware that following the acquisition of a Seven percent (7%) interest in the Occidental (Oxy) transaction in respect of the Jubilee and TEN Fields by the Government ostensibly for GNPC in 2021, the Minister of Finance has clandestinely ceded the shares to an offshore company known as JOHL (a company set-up in the Cayman Islands) in a very surreptitious and opaque manner. The Minority is very much alarmed that contrary to requirements of the PRMA, revenues accruing from the nation’s oil fields are not being paid into the Petroleum Holding Fund (PHF), which has been confirmed in the 2022 semi-annual report on petroleum receipts by the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC). As if this is not enough, the report further reveals that Capital Gains Tax was not assessed and collected by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in the sale of the 7% interest by Anadarko in the Jubilee and TEN Fields in 2021. This NPP Government is proving by the day, that the nation’s oil resources cannot be entrusted in their care because not long ago the PIAC under the chairmanship of Dr. Steve Manteaw accused them over their inability to account for about GHȼ2 billion of Ghana’s oil cash for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 fiscal years. This is surely another “Agyapa” deal in the making and we as a Minority will not sit aloof for this Government to raid the national purse, especially at a time when the nation is struggling to raise much needed revenues for critical expenditure. We demand that the Minister of Finance and for that matter Government, must with immediate effect repatriate all such illegal transfer payments back into the Petroleum Holding Fund (PHF).Failure to comply with our ultimatum will compel the Minority to use the necessary parliamentary processes to haul the Minister of Finance to parliament for possible censure. John Abdulai Jinapor(Ranking Member, Mines and Energy Committee) Source: Apexnewsgh.com For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com
Mahama govt wanted to fund Bolga -Bawku with road tolls levy– Abdulai Abanga
Deputy Minister for Ministry of Works and Housing Abanga Abdulai has said, that the NDC John Dramani Mahama government wanted to fund the Bolga-Bawku road with the collection of Ghc1, Ghc1 road tolls. Mr. Abanga was responding to the press release issued by the Regional Communication Bureau of the Opposition of the NDC in the region on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. The NDC press statement issued against Hon. Abanga said: “The attention of the NDC Regional communication Bureau has been drawn to a very wicked and mischievous lie by the MP for Binduri constituency that, President Mahama cut sod for the Bolgatanga -Bawku -Pulmonkom road three times”. “According to the non-performing MP “President Mahama came to that area to cut sod for the road not once, not twice but thrice or so and the road was still there” section of the press release says. Meanwhile, Speaking to Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen on ApexnewsGhana flagship developmental programme dubbed “SPEAKOUT UPPER EAST” on Thursday, September 29, 2022, the MP stated, that the Mahama government wanted to fund the Bolga-Bawku road with the Ghc1, Ghc1 road tolls and they say I shouldn’t complain about it. Whether the sod was cut once twice or thrice, that is not the meat of it, that wasn’t what I was dragging at, I wanted the people of Upper East to appreciate what the NPP government has done for them and because of that, the NPP deserved more. He stressed The Deputy Minister said, if the NDC were interested and very serious in delivering services to the people of the Upper East Region, they would have gone to secure a loan, a facility from a bank to fund that road. “How do you place a project like Bolga- Bawku Pulmakum road the funding to be finance by Road Fund? If you are really someone who is interested in the welfare of the people, the nature of that road, if the government then were interested and very serious in delivering services to the people of the Upper East Region, they would have gone to secure a loan, a facility from a bank to fund that road”. Referring to the Kwame Nkurumah Interchange popularly known as Accra Dubai which was constructed by John Dramani Mahama. The Deputy Minister questioned why the NDC refused to use a road toll levy for the circle interchange project but rather chose to frustrate the people of Upper East with the road tolls on an important road such as Bolga-Bawku road. “You remember the popular NDC Dubai in Circle? How do they fund it? They went for a loan. So, the Accra people are more important than the Upper East people? The Bawku people were refusing to travel back home because of the nature of that road and were spending 4 hours on that road. I was very surprised the NPP was treating the people of the Upper East like that. So, I don’t think the people of Upper East Should reward NDC with more”. Source: Apexnewsgh.com|Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com
The people of Upper East should rather reward NPP with more seats for delivering Bolga-Bawku road
The Binduri Member of Parliament Abanga Abdulai says, he still stands by his pronouncement made about NDC’s unseriousness and treatment shown the people of the Upper East Region towards the construction of Bolga-Bawku, stressing that, if the people of Upper East want to be fair, they should rather reward the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with more of the seats from the region. Mr. Abanga made his stance stronger whiles responding to the press release issued by the Regional Communication Bureau of the Opposition of the NDC in the region on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. “The attention of the NDC Regional communication Bureau has been drawn to a very wicked and mischievous lie by the MP for Binduri constituency that, President Mahama cut sod for the Bolgatanga -Bawku -Pulmonkom road three times”. “According to the non-performing MP “President Mahama came to that area to cut sod for the road not once, not twice but thrice or so and the road was still there” section of the press release says. Meanwhile, Speaking to Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen on ApexnewsGhana flagship developmental programme dubbed “SPEAKOUT UPPER EAST” on Thursday, September 29, 2022, the MP said, The bottom line of his statement is not about whether the former President Mahama cut sod one time, two times, three times. “The bottom line of my statement and still stand by it, is that the NDC that the people of the Upper East Region have consistently been voting for is providing very little as compared to what this government for 4 years has done for the people of the Upper East Region. So, the people of the Upper East Region, if they want to be fair should rather reward the New Patriotic Party with more of the seats from the region”. He said: “I sighted the example of the Bolga- Pulmakum road, this road if you are in the Upper East before 2017, there are times that people will say it openly that people who come from Bawku, Zebilla were refusing to travel back home because of the nature of the road. Is just like today, there is no dumsor, people seem to have forgotten that in 2015-2016 there was dumsor that you could be in your offices and there is no light, you will be in your house and there was no light for your fridge, you want to iron your cloth and you don’t have light, and factories had to close down because there was no light. But, today because there is a regular light, people have forgotten that there use to be dumsor was NDC was in power”. “I am saying that before NPP came to power, the Bawku road was a death trap. You have to travel about 4 hours before you get to Bolga”. “Yesterday, I was in my village Bassi and I got up there within 20 minutes I was in Bolga, because the New Patriotic Party led by Nana Akufo-Addo came to power and look for money to construct that road. Today, am sitting in Accra. It is possible because that has been fixed within less than 4 years”. “And they come and they are talking about me not performing, Look, is only the people of Binduri who can determine whether am performing or not”. How do you place a project like Bolga- Bawku Pulmakum road the funding to be financed by Road Fund? If you are really someone who is interested in the welfare of the people, the nature of that road, if the government then were interested and very serious in delivering services to the people of the Upper East Region, they would have gone to secure a loan, a facility from a bank to fund that road. When this government came to power, that is exactly what the government did and the Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia is somebody who took a personal interest in this project. You can ask the contractor they will tell you. And there is a fund available that is why the road was quickly done”. Source: Apexnewsgh.com|Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com