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Opinions of Sunday, 24 February 2013

Columnist: Yawose, John

Bye bye Gidisu. Welcome Amin Sulemani

I dont bear anybody a grudge except the NDC evil voodoo developers who are ONLY interested in the Eastern Corridor--Tema -Akosombo- Asikuma -Hohoe- Damanko-Nkwanta-Bimbilla -Yendi--Kulungugu Road.

They want to cut off Ashanti so they are not very much interested in the Central Corridor, Accra- Nsawam-Nkawkaw-Kumasi-Techiman Road, obviously the most trafficked highway in Ghana.

Check up with the Ministry of Roads and Highways. They will find out that the latter takes more than twenty (20) times traffic than the former road---- even with 50 years predicted traffic. Only a voodoo Government led by Voodoo men like President John Atta ‘I FEAR THE ASHANTIS’ Mills and John ‘I AM ONE OF YOYR OWN’ Mahama will prioritize the Easter Corridor over the Central Corridor or even the Western Corridor i.e the Takoradi –Eluob-Enchi-Sunyani-Wa road

Joe Gidisu an Ewe tribalist who was ex-Minister of Roads and Highways for 4 years was the champion of that evil idea which translated into the glaring lopsided development. Mills /Mahama found in him a willing partner ready to play tricks to bamboozle the people by finding some voodoo technical reasons to abandon the rapid development of the Accra-Kumasi Road. By all standards, the Accra-Kumasi road is the most important highway in Ghana and only Mills, Mahama and Gidisu conjured voodoo reasons to downgrade it. It was unwarranted. President Kufuor had started a fine job of developing the major highway into a double road. It was one of the greatest ideas for which some of us will forever be grateful to him. Even it was one portion of President Kwame Nkrumah’s pet idea called the Golden Triangle back in the 1960’s. Even if Gidisu had to abandon the construction of the double road for lack of funds, he should have continued the development of the road into a normal single road to relieve motorists of the discomfort of travelling, especially on the Nsawam to Apedwa section of the road. Gidisu failed to see the economic wisdom of using local funds to pursue the development.

Joe Gidisu rather diverted scarce but huge ‘Woyomelike’ local funds to construct the mountainous Ho-Fume Vane Roads in the Volta Region--- a road which takes not more than 50 cars and lorries in a day as against the Kumasi Road which takes more than 16000 cars and lorries a day. Gidisu had no sense of economic development prioritization. The suffering of motorists on Nsawam motorists and its corresponding national gargantuan economic costs never registered in his mind for a whole 4 years as a Minister. He dillydallied and pussyfooted on taking decisive decisions on this NATIONAL PPIORITY ROAD even with all the technical advice from his officials. To him, only roads in Volta region matter. Some people are saying Joe Gidisu was one of the best Ministers in Mills government and Mahama should retain him. I don’t see that. I don’t agree. His thinking was never balanced as a National Minister. He promoted his tribesmen to high management positions above more competent technical men from other areas in the Ministry and its agents like Highways Authority, Feeder Roads, Urban Highways department and others. At best, he could fit easily as a Volta Regional Minister to pursue his parochial interests.

I recall his misconduct of illegally getting the Road Supervisors and contractors of the Achimota road project to divert more than $200,000 to purchase super luxury saloon car from the project. Some of us thought that was a good reason to remove him from his post as Minister of Roads but President Atta ‘I FEAR THE ASHANTIS’ MILLs, could not do it because Ghana’s greatest tribal jingoist, Prof Kofi Awonnor who was the Chairman of the Council of State allegedly intervened. Now, Joe Gidisu has been booted out as the Minister of Roads into quicksands. He will sink. He should sink. At least I support President John ‘I AM ONE OF YOUR OWN’ Mahama fully on this action.

Fortunately, the new Minister of Roads Alhaji Amin Sulemani is from Upper West Region, a region whose interest is clearly linked with the development of the Accra-Kumasi Road. I therefore expect that the Accra-Kumasi road improvement to rank higher in his plans — with local funds or foreign funds or both. President 'I am One of your Own' Mahama casually alluded to constructing the Accra-Kumasi Road in his last State of the Nation address. The President was rather emphatic with his government's plan of doing the Accra-Cape Coast-Takoradi Road into a double road. It is seeming to me the word 'Kumasi' frightens NDC. Alhaji Amin must prove me wrong.

I am not in anyway saying the Eastern corridor or any corridor are not important. But the name of the game is economic and developmental prioritization and the new Minister should play the game well and should be seen to be playing the game well.

Finally, somebody must tell Alhaji Amin Sulemani to do the right promotions in the Road sector. He should refrain from promoting inexperienced technical men including Engineers from his geographical region above more experienced and competent to Director positions as Gidisu openly did.

Bye Bye Gidisu. Welcome Amin Sulemani

John Yawose