Alhassan Suhuyini
The Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Alhassan Suhuyini, has said it is unrealistic to expect any government to complete a full four-year term without facing a scandal.
Speaking on TV3 last Saturday, he urged the public to distinguish between genuine accountability and speculation, emphasising that controversies should be grounded in verifiable facts, and therefore cautioned the public against the temptation to manufacture one without evidence.
“There is no way this government can survive four years without a scandal, but let us not force one when there isn’t one,” he stated.
His comments come in the wake of a report by the Fourth Estate, which raised concerns about procurement practices in the roads sector, particularly the extensive use of sole sourcing and the possibility of inflated contract costs.
The report alleged that the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, supervised the award of 81 sole-sourced contracts valued at over GH¢73 billion within a seven-month period.
Responding to the claims, Mr. Suhuyini insisted that the figures require proper context, explaining that only 44 percent of major contracts under the government’s ‘Big Push’ infrastructure programme were awarded through sole sourcing.
Mr. Suhuyini, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, further called for a balanced evaluation of such reports, stressing the importance of fairness, accuracy, and evidence-based discourse in holding public officials accountable.
He also noted that the narrative suggesting widespread sole sourcing does not reflect the reality on the ground.
“Not all works are procured through sole sourcing, and the evidence is there. Under this Big Push, not all of them were procured under sole sourcing. In fact, by our estimate, they (NPP) can disagree with it,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, speaking on JoyNews flagship programme, Newsfile, pointed out that there is ‘inherent contradiction’ between government’s commitment and actions.
Mr. Awuah described the inconsistencies as worrying, considering how the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government pledged to uphold transparency and accountability while in opposition.
“There is an inherent contradiction in this current government in terms of what they say and what they do, which is particularly concerning now that they are in office, when you say you are passing a value for money law, it is to raise a certain level of transparency and accountability in public procurement.
“There is a contradiction between what they said in opposition and what they are doing in government. Even within government, there is a mismatch between their actions and their words,” he stated.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah