MCD must resign – Madina residents demand

Concerned residents of La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality of the Greater Accra Region have called on the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD) of the Assembly, Alhaji Saaka Dramani, to resign.

The call for Alhaji Saaka Dramani to resign follows what has been alleged as his illegal abrogation of building contracts in flagrant breach of the law.

Consequently, the residents questioned the circumstances which led to the abrogation of the building contracts by FatherWorld Ghana Limited, Heritage Engineering and Construction Limited and Analex Enterprise.

The majority of the residents who spoke to Today in an interview fumed over the persistent refusal of Mr. Saaka Dramani to pay variations on the amount of money to contractors who constructed the temporary offices for the Assembly.

They revealed that the new Municipal Engineer of the Assembly, Mr. Richard Ofosuhene, got approval from the former Municipal Engineer, Mr. Courage Shine, who gave financial clearance to the Assembly to pay variations on the amount of money to the contractors.

But, they alleged that Mr. Saaka Dramani used his executive position to cancel the payment.

However, Mr. Saaka Dramani has since parried the resignation call over the abrogation of the contracts, saying he has not broken any law.

In an interview with Today on Monday, June 6, 2016, Mr. Saaka Dramani asserted that he never abrogated contracts of FatherWorld Ghana Limited, Heritage Engineering and Construction Limited and Analex Enterprise as claimed by the residents.

Mr. Saaka Dramani provided a documentary evidence of a copy of Contract Register on the Payment Voucher (PV) of La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality to support his outfit’s claim that the contractors of these construction companies were duly paid their contractual agreement sum of GH¢ 50,000.00 each after they had completed their projects in 2013.

“So, nobody terminated contracts between the Assembly and contractors of FatherWorld Ghana Limited, Heritage Engineering and Construction Limited and Analex Enterprise.

“…even under the normal circumstances if you are executing project you have to complete it before you must be paid 10 per cent retention of contract sum but we had made payment of 10 percent retention of the money to the contractors before they even completed the project,” Mr. Saaka Dramani stressed.

Flanked by the Municipal Engineer of the Assembly, Mr. Richard Ofosuhene, Mr. Saaka Dramani explained that his outfit refused to pay the claims of variations on the amount of money to the contractors because the Assembly had never entered into contractual agreement with those contractors.

“The variations mean that I have given you work to do and there were some other things which were not on the job and I asked you to do them for me. So after you have done them I have to pay you what you have done as the difference,” he said.

According to the aggrieved residents, the leadership style of Mr. Saaka Dramani had stalled efforts of the government to deliver accountable and transparent governance to ordinary Ghanaians, hence their call on him to resign.

The added that the above allegations compelled the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to transfer Mr. Saaka Dramani to Tema Metropolitan Assembly in 2015 which he refused to go.

They further alleged that top officials of the Assembly maneuvered to have Mr. Saaka Dramani’s appointment renewed as Municipal Coordinating Director of the Assembly.

Some concerned workers of the Assembly who also spoke to Today on condition of anonymity expressed misgivings about the situation.

They stated that the renewal of Mr. Saaka Dramani’s appointment to stay on contravenes both the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462) and Local Government Service Act.

The workers explained that per the system of Local Government Act and Local Government Service Act one should not be allowed to refuse any transfer.

The workers thus chided Mr. Saaka Dramani for running the Assembly with the new Head of Engineer at La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly, Mr. Richard Ofosuhene, accusing the two of messing up the control management system of the Assembly.

They alleged that Mr. Saaka Dramani convinced Mr. Ofosuhene to sign building permits without rendering accounts of some of the proceeds.

Mr. Saaka Dramani and Mr. Ofosuhene have both denied the above allegation and described it as “baseless and unfounded.”

According to the workers, Mr. Saaka Dramani orchestrated the transfer of some senior staff members at La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal Assembly who included the accountant, assistant director, municipal engineer as well as the planning officer.

But Mr. Saaka Dramani also denied this allegation, stressing that he did not take any decision without consulting the MCE as being alleged by his critics.

Mr. Saaka Dramani further denied the allegation of being transferred to Tema Metropolitan Assembly.

“I have not received any transfer letter from the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council or Local Government Service to go to Tema Metropolitan Assembly.

“I have never refused the transfer. Who am I to refuse the transfer if l have been transferred…does it make sense… my brother this does not make sense,” Mr. Saaka Dramani angrily expressed.

He also rubbished the allegation of issuing building permits to individuals and organizations without accounting for proceeds of the money to the Assembly.