Opinions of Monday, 7 October 2013

Columnist: Meriga, Ibrahim Mahmoud

Rot At DUR, Kumasi

(Part 1)

From my bible knowledge lessons at Sunday School, I can only conclude that Ing. Theodore Quaye, the Metropolitan Roads Engineer (MRE) in charge of the Kumasi metropolis is only comparable to King Manasseh, the brutal, manipulative and devious king who worshipped idols and brought the kingdom of Israel into disrepute.

Ever since, this manipulative, lying, devious and corrupt MRE assumed office in 2009, his office has not known peace and has moved from one controversy to the next with no signs of abating and if National Security or BNI or investigative institutions of state do not wake up to the dreadful, breath-taking or nauseating corruption engulfing the Quaye-led department and his unbridled, unashamed arrogance with which he treats anybody who stand up to him by undermining them. Theodore Quaye run to the BNI or National Security to report anybody who stand in his corrupt and unprofessional way. Anytime, he is under pressure by stakeholders in the metropolis due to his incompetence and unprofessional attitude. Theodore Quaye is not only an apology of an Engineer, but a disgrace and embarassment to the department.

In the words of a retired top Civil Servant at DUR Head Office, "Theodore Quaye is a criminal-in-suit and as corrupt as the word itself, to the extent that he took bribes from contractors who reported Quaye's conduct to the Head Office". "Why Engineers like Quaye is still as post is not only mind-boggling but a sad indictment on colleague Engineers in particular and the DUR as a whole. "Why Quaye was sent to Kumasi of all places in 2009 still amazes me, nothing good to offer the department, apart from embarassment in demanding bribes before awarding contracts to contractors", he retorted in exasperation.

In 2012, when complaints about his competence as an Engineer to deal with numerous road defects in the Kumasi metropolis began to mount, he clandestinely reported his Maintenance Engineer, Quantitity Surveyor and one contractor (name withheld for now) for sabotaging him to National Security or BNI. The three personalities were invited seperately to the Ahodwo Roundabout offices of the BNI for a futile interrogation. That is Theodore Quaye's modus operandi.

Theodore Quaye's extra-marital affairs with junior colleagues knows no bounds, especially with his latest conquest, Eunice Sam, the receptionist at the ground floor of Urban Roads. Mrs. Quaye had to go and beat up poor Eunice Sam one early morning after numerous tip-offs about her husband sexual liasons in his office after work. Ms Eunice Sam has slept with about three contractors (names withheld), who have been refused contracts as well as Naim Iddrissa, another corrupt, manipulative and pretentious Quantity Surveyor at the office. Whilst, Ms Eunice Sam is still working at the office, other innocent colleagues have either been transferred or re-assigned roles by Theodore Quaye. He ran the department like his personal business with the leadership.

In the course of my investigations into the conduct of Theodore Quaye and Naim Iddrissa, one staff of the department on condition of anonymity remarked thus, "Quaye's numerous extra-marital with junior colleagues are pardonable, but this one with precocious Ms Eunice Sam has brought the high of the MRE into a "low moral turpitude". As for Naim Iddrissa, he thinks too highly of himself because he has no respect for Quaye and the Maintenance Engineer due to Quaye's divide and rule tactics in the office, but Naim is equally corrupt and using two contractors (names withheld) as surrogates to work for him. They are all rich now and building houses all over the place.

Naim Iddrissa has undermined both Theodore Quaye and his Maintenance Engineer to contractors by displaying his open dislike for Quaye's non-compliance with the procurement procedures. This young Quantity Surveyor have usurped the role of the MRE's in procuring and awarding contracts and sometimes refuses to prepare certificates for contracts approved by Theodore Quaye without his knowledge. We have been informed, Iddrissa has the effrontery to frustrate contractors and delay their inspections and payments after execution of their respective contracts because the MRE did not notify him before commencement of works on site.

My source went on to say that, Theo Quaye is always extorting monies from contractors to finance Ms Eunice Sam's rent and domestic expenditure and as a result, he takes bribes as low as GHC100.00 from contractors. He uses his office to ask contractors to buy Ipads, refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines and cooking utensils for Ms Eunice Sam, pretending to be requesting them for the office and refuses to pay them.

Stay tuned for Part 2 on the award of contracts by Theodore Quaye and Naim Iddrissa since 2009 and how they are covertly working as contractors using surrogates and colluding with them to defraud the state of Ghana.

Ibrahim Mahmoud Meriga,

The Scandal In Ghana Public Service,

Accra New Town