The $14m Mansion
Details are emerging about the cost of the official residence of the vice president, initiated by the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, which has sparked outrage in the country.
The total cost of the building under construction where the former Nigerian High Commission was located – behind the Police Headquarters at Broz Tito Avenue on the Kumordzi Hospital Road, where the Food Research Institute (FRI) of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSRI) is located in Accra – is said to be almost $14 million ($13,968,252.66), although the NDC government had created the impression that the project was going to cost the taxpayer $5.9 million.
The project may not be finished anytime soon because the contract sum has reportedly not been paid since 2014, stalling the project which originally was scheduled to be completed in 18 months.
Cooked Figures
It has emerged that the opposition National Democratic Congress, which commenced the controversial project when it was in office, has changed the figure again, dropping it further to $3.5, but the evidence the party has provided so far is exposing it to public opprobrium.
The NDC, through its General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, is flaunting a document that appears to suggest that the entire project cost was $3.5 million – even lower than what Clement Apaak, a former presidential staffer, who is now an NDC MP for Builsa South, even put out.
He said the project cost $5.9 million when Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia first made the startling revelation about the cost, saying it’s staggering $13.9 million.
Bizarre Twist
Bizarrely, there appears not to be any monetary evaluation attached to the document Asiedu Nketia claimed it is coming from the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), neither were the figures quoted in any currency.
The vice president blew the cover recently, asking rhetorically whether the doors of the building were going to be made of gold.
Similar Documents
Currently, the NPP government’s figures being mentioned as the cost of the entire project appears to tally with what Consar Limited, a building and civil engineering contractors who are executing the contract, are providing.
They are all quoting $13.9 million as against the NDC’s $3.5 million; but Consar’s quotation could even be higher if Value Added Tax is factored into it.
Although the document presented by Consar to the current Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare-Osei, and the NDC General Secretary bears the stamps and signatures of Managing Director of AESL, Louis Atongo, the two documents have different costs for the same project.
Different Dates
Curiously, the Consar document suggests that the contract was awarded in October 10, 2013, but the Asiedu Nketia document shows the same contract may have been awarded three months earlier – 19 July, 2013.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that Consar had submitted its document prepared on February 02, 2017 with the title, “Construction of Official residence for the Vice President of Ghana at Cantonment in Accra,” to the Chief of Staff to update the new government on the progress of work.
“We refer to the above-named project which has been stalled for almost two years due to lack of funds and wish to present you with a report on the status of the project in terms of work done and delays in receiving payments of the amount duly certified by the consultants.
“We hereby entreat your good offices to assist in facilitating an early release of all payments as certified to enable us move back to site to complete the project for the vice president,” Consar reportedly stated.
Shocking Details
The AESL document, a copy of which NPP Communications Director, Nana Akomea, displayed in the media at the weekend, gives shocking details of the cost of each component of the building being constructed.
The report titled, ‘Construction of Residence of the Vice President Financial Statement as in February 2016,’ compares the contract sum and the actual amount and all quoted in US Dollars.
For instance, the contract amount of the office of the second lady alone is $590,357.54 and the actual cost is now $716,901.04, while demolition works alone cost $100,000.
The contract amount for the basement stands at $213,695.72 and the actual amount is $221,861.42; the ground floor is $2.342,325.57 (contract sum) and $2.367,655.57 (actual amount) while the first floor of the building alone cost $1.402,875.35 (contract amount) and $1.394,671.85 as the actual amount.
The second floor is costing $111,476.45 (contract amount) and $167,282.45 (actual amount), lift shaft $101,154.70 (contract amount) and $101,810.40 (actual amount) while staircase alone is costing $11,533.90 (contract amount) and $12,109.10 as the actual amount while the cost for fence wall and gate houses was recorded as $461,032.75 as contract amount and $471,528.27 as the actual amount.
Outhouse Cost
The outhouse cost $422.908.19 (contract amount) and $409,858.19 (actual amount), lounge $153,773.36 (contract amount) and $160,263.36 (actual amount) while sundries totaled $60,500 (contract amount) and $53,698.77 as actual amount.
In the document, the provisional sums were given as electrical installations ($2.9 million) as contract amount and $2.4 million as actual amount, while air conditioners and other mechanical installations amounted to $1 million as contract amount and $991,896.68 as the actual amount.
Expensive Swimming Pool
The swimming pool is costing $100,000 as contract sum and $124,957.10 as the actual amount, with lift installations costing $200,000 (contract amount) and $194,600 as actual amount while soft furnishings has $440,000 for both contract and actual amounts.
For road and pavements the government is spending $330,000 for both contract and actual amounts and for balustrades it is spending $55,000 while horticulture works alone cost $110,000 (contract amount) and 137,082.00 as actual sum.
The variations ordered as at the compilation of the report, cost $778,001.25, external electrification works ($77,371.76), sculpture and emblems ($25,566.54), stone facing works ($55,300), hard wood panel doors ($88,157.36) and other anticipated variations pegged at $400,000.
As it is, the total estimated cost of works stood at $13.015,126.88 (contract amount) and $13.968,252.66 as the actual amount.
The report said the amount certified for payment is $8.179,138.95 with $5.789,113.71 as the value for outstanding works.
By William Yaw Owusu