No bikes bought under Mahama - Former YEA Chair

Former Board Chairman of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Samuel A. Jabanyite, has denied that the Agency purchased bicycles for GHS 15,000 each under the erstwhile John Mahama administration as alleged by the current Chair of the YEA Board, Sammi Awuku.

Mr Awuku had alleged that the YEA, under the immediate past National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, purchased bicycles for GHS 15,000 each for District and Regional Coordinators of the agency.

But in a response, Mr Jabanyite said the agency “never procured bicycles over the entire period the NDC was in power from January 2009 to January 2017”.

In a statement, Mr Jabanyite explained that: “The bicycles were procured in 2006 by the then John Kufour Administration, but had been left in the stores of the agency until the immediate past Board learnt of the bicycles and directed management to assign them to the Community Police Assistants (CPAs) and not for District and Regional Coordinators.

“It should, however, be noted that approval was sought for and subsequently, 216 AG100 Yamaha Motor bikes were procured. These were procured for District Coordinators. The Motor bikes were procured from Japan Motors Co. Ltd for GHS2, 845,000, worked out at GHS13, 171.29 per bike as at April 15, 2016, after going through the National Competitive Tendering procedures specified in the Public Procurement Act, 2003 and in the Guidelines of the Public Procurement Authority of the Republic of Ghana. The bikes arrived when NPP had come to power.”

Mr Jabanyite alleged that the bikes are currently being distributed to NPP Constituency Organisers under the watch of Mr Sammy Awuku, instead of the destined coordinators.

He further noted that he has available, the tender evaluation report and recommendation for the award of the contract to any state investigative body that will request for it for further probe.