The Use of 3.6 million Cedis Re-brand of 116 MMT Buses


NEWS COMMENTARY DISCUSES THE USE OF 3.6 MILLION GHANA CEDIS TO RE-BRAND 116 MMT BUSES 


It is gratifying to hear that the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah has directed the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to review the contract regarding the spraying and re-branding of 116 new MMT buses.  

The idea to re-brand the buses is a great one but it still beats one's imagination as to why and how a whopping three point six million Ghana Cedis could be spent on the 116 buses.  

Some advertisers have suggested that the state could have generated 500 thousand Ghana Cedis monthly if it had allowed the buses to be re-branded with commercial advertisement.
 
Brand experts have also questioned the calculations that went into the total cost of the re-branding.  

The amount quoted is shockingly mind-boggling. 

It is much more so when you listen to some players in the industry who suggested that the re-branding of the 116 buses could have cost only 928 thousand Ghana Cedis instead of the more than three point six million Ghana Cedis. 

The experts believe that the re-branding could have cost just eight thousand 500 Ghana Cedis per bus after factoring in the brand concept, nature of work done, color change, and size of the buses. 

If this is a fare position, then someone needs to offer us explanation as to what went into that contract.  

We live in a country where it is believed that government contracts are inflated to the benefit of a select few. 

The recent AMERI power deal also suffered a similar fate. We are told that the 250 megawatt power plant which will cost the nation far in excess of 510 million dollars in five years, should not have cost the nation more than 220 million if we were to buy it outright on the open market.
 
We are aware of classroom projects undertaken by governments which cost more than twice or thrice the price as compared to what private organisations will quote for similar projects. 

What crime have we the people of Ghana committed to be subjected to this kind of rituals? 
 
Unfortunately, the laws to check these abuses are not enforced. It is sad that most state officials and departments disregard provisions in the procurement law for instance. 

Others exploit the loopholes in the law and end up ripping the entire nation off.  It is no wonder that Ghana fares badly on global rankings on corruption. 

If we ever hope of changing the perceptions of Ghanaians on corruption, those in charge of public funds must begin to learn how to apply those funds judiciously. 
  
But for corruption, misapplication of funds and at times blatant thievery, the country could have made progress in a lot of fronts especially at a time that we have been blessed with oil. 

That is why it is even more worrying to learn that the three point six million Cedis used to re-brand the MMT buses, was money from Ghana’s petroleum revenue as contained in the 2015 report by the Public Interest Accountability Committee (PIAC) which monitors the use of the country’s oil revenue.  

Presidents after presidents have made commitments to fight the canker of corruption, albeit by word of mouth. 

It is about time the current President John Mahama took the bull by the horn and made the enterprise expensive and unattractive. 

The National Anti-Corruption Action Plan must be made to work. 

That will be a lasting legacy that President Mahama can leave the people of this country and generations yet unborn. 

Those behind the MMT deal must suffer the full consequences, and the idea of transferring them either to the presidency or elsewhere must not be conceived, let alone entertained. 

The decision by the Chief of Staff to order the AG to review the contract is a good start.

BY GEORGE DARLINGTON, A STUDENT OF POLITICS.

GBC