A pickup with registration number NR 69-16, which was purchased by the East Gonja District Assembly, was on Sunday involved in an accident at Kpembe in the Northern Region.
The accident happened around 3pm when the driver, believed to be a friend of the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mohammed Lukuman, was coming from Kpembe to Salaga at top speed and lost control of the vehicle, crashing it into a tree. He had reportedly attended the enskinment of a Kpembewura.
Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicated that the vehicle was hidden at an unknown place from the public until the DCE and the coordinating director’s driver towed it to Tamale at 2 am Monday.
The paper gathered that the driver, one Majeed, is not a staff of the assembly but had been driving the vehicle and efforts to stop him proved futile, as the DCE often sends him on errands – when there are drivers at the assembly.
The DCE has reportedly sidelined all assembly drivers, despite the call by former Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Lumina, for all MMDAs to use their drivers.
Residents of the East Gonja District were incensed about a scandal involving Mohammed Lukuman, who was said to have used GH¢96,222.12 of the Assembly’s Common Fund to purchase a pickup.
Residents could not fathom the DCE’s decision to pack his faultless official vehicle and commit such a huge amount of money to buying a vehicle for his personal use – at a time the district is grappling with the problem of acute water shortage.
They are seeking external intervention in what they term “misappropriation of limited funds and reckless spending” by the DCE.
According to the people, Mr Mohammed Lukuman had been operating ‘surreptitiously’ with little regard for procurement and other local governance procedures.
Investigation revealed that the assembly had budgeted an amount of GH¢450,075.56 for “unforeseen contingency” but since nothing of that sort occurred, the DCE unilaterally decided to commit part of the aforementioned budget to procure the vehicle for himself.
The investigation revealed also that the official vehicle of the DCE and others belonging to the assembly had been neglected and being kept in a wooden garage.
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Mr Lukuman described the allegations as “seriously untrue” and launched a scathing verbal attack on the assemblyman who is said to be making the allegations. He described him as “mumu” and “ungrateful.”
The DCE explained that it was necessary to purchase a new vehicle to ensure adequate monitoring of projects being carried out in the district.
Lukuman also cited the vast nature of his district as being responsible for the purchase of the vehicle.
“The vehicles are very expensive to maintain when they break down so with this consideration, we decided to buy this vehicle to help us do thorough monitoring,” the DCE averred.
FROM Eric Kombat, Salaga