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Bawumia did not politicize Hohoe-Jasikan road sod cutting - Dr Gideon Boako

By Wendy Amarteifio
bawumia
Sod cutting for Eastern corridor Hohoe-Jasikan to Dodo Pepesu by Dr Bawumia
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The Technical Advisor to the Vice President, Dr Gideon Boako says Dr Bawumia did not politicize the sod cutting of the 88-kilometre Hohoe-Jasikan-Dodo Pepesu stretch.

According to him, the Vice President clarified points in relation to statements the NDC made to deliberately misinform the people and misrepresent the facts. 

The NDC accused the Akufo-Addo administration of neglecting the infrastructure needs of the people of the Volta and Oti Regions, especially in the area of roads.

Mr Bawumia describing the former government's record in the provision of roads as “very embarrassing”, challenged the NDC to provide evidence of such neglect, as well as show Ghanaians where the many beautifully drawn pictures of roads in their Green Book could be found.

Commenting on the development on Joy FM, Dr Gideon Boako indicated that there was a need for the Vice President to correct statements by the Minority made concerning road projects in the region

''The Vice President did not intend to politicise the road project but there was a need since he was in the Oti Region to dispell some of the issues of the political propaganda put out by the Members of the minority particularly those who come from the Volta Region saying government did not care about people of the Oti region and therefore there was a deliberate attempt for government to neglect the road in the 2020 budget. That was what the Vice President tried to point out to''.

Bawumia cuts sod for Eastern corridor Hohoe-Jasikan to Dodo Pepesu

The Vice President on Tuesday, 19th November 2019 broke grounds at Jasikan for construction works on the 88 kilometre Hohoe-Jasikan-Dodo Pepesu stretch of the Eastern Corridor Road to formally commence.

Known as the N2 National Route, portions of the Eastern Corridor road, which begins from the Tema Motorway through to the Volta, Oti, Northern, North East and Upper East regions to neighbouring Burkina Faso have a long and painful history of neglect under the erstwhile government.

The Jasikan-Dodo Pepesu Project forms part of Phase 1 of the $2billion Government of Ghana/Sinohydro Master Project Agreement and is expected to be completed in 30 months.

Addressing the chiefs and people of the Oti Region, Dr Bawumia said when it assumed office, the Akufo-Addo administration was confronted with the reality that the NDC had misled Ghanaians on the extent of work done in the roads sector.

“Contrary to all the nice pictures in the Green Book, we realised that the reality on the ground was very different. For eight years of the previous NDC government, they did not pay much attention to Volta or Oti roads. For eight years. But today they want to tell us they care more about Volta and Oti than we (NPP) do. Eight years. They accomplished very little.

“We identified these roads more than two years ago and said we were going to do these roads. And the Minister for Finance in the budget mentioned specifically that we are going to do Hohoe-Jasikan-Dodo Pepesu road. And this is what we are seeing today. We are seeing that Hohoe-Jasikan is being done as we speak today, and Jasikan-Dodo Pepesu is being done.

“What is very interesting, and what the country should know is that through the efforts of the Minister for Roads, Hon Kwesi Amoako Atta, the contractors for Hohoe-Jasikan and Jasikan-Dodo Pepesu were mobilised and on-site two weeks before the budget statement of Hon Ken Ofori-Atta. Two weeks before the budget they had already mobilised to site. So how can you ignore a region by mobilising for the construction of their roads?

“The NDC, I’m sure they are very embarrassed by their record. Very embarrassed, because it is an embarrassing record if the truth is to be told. They claimed they had fixed so many roads in the country, but today there are demonstrations everywhere across all the regions for more and more roads. In their eight years, they didn’t fix one major road in the Upper East region. Not one. In their eight years in office, not one major road in Upper West region did they complete. Not one. So should these regions also say you have ignored them completely, wouldn’t they be justified?

“Eight years, you didn’t fix the Volta region roads. You didn’t fix the Oti roads. And I can go on and on,he added”

Dr Bawumia also laughed off claims by NDC legislators and party activists that the Volta region has been overlooked in the 2020 Budget statement.

 

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