Opinion: NDC Is Squarely Responsible for Missing Cars – By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

Ghana’s former Minister of Communication, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah

He was not a good fit for Deputy Communications Minister, which may explain why Mr. Felix Ofosu-Kwakye had to play second-bananas to Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the professionally trained physician who is not known to have distinguished himself in his discipline any remarkably. Which is also why Mr. Ofosu-Kwakye could flippantly tell operatives of the newly inaugurated Akufo-Addo-led government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), that former Attorney-General and Justice Minister Mr. Nii Ayikoi Otoo holds the key to unraveling the mystery surrounding the state-owned vehicles at the Presidency or the Flagstaff House (See “Ayikoi Otoo’s Take on ‘Missing Cars’” Graphic.com.gh / Ghanaweb.com 2/13/17).

Asia 728x90

There is absolutely no evidence indicating that Mr. Ayikoi Otoo, who, if memory serves me accurately, was recently named as High Commissioner to Canada, was an operative of the Presidency during the last 8 years that the Mills-Mahama and Mahama/Amissah-Arthur-led National Democratic Congress’ governments occupied the nation’s highest elective public office. And precisely how did Mr. Ofosu-Kwakye arrive at the inexcusably preposterous conclusion that it is the former Chairman of the Executive Assets Sub-Committee of the Akufo-Addo Transition Team who held the key to recovering the missing state-owned Vehicles at the Presidency.

Even if it turns out to be true that Mr. Ayikoi Otoo and another associate from the incoming Akufo-Addo Administration were conducted around the garage or parking lot harboring the vehicles, and that Mr. Elvis Omane-Agyei, the associate, “took physical inventory” of all the vehicles handed over to the members of the new government, the question still remains regarding against what official vehicular number, or numbers, such inventory was taken. In other words, how could Messrs. Ayikoi Otoo and Omane-Agyei have known that the figure presented to them as the total number of the fleet of vehicles held at the Presidency was exactly the actual number of vehicles purchased with the taxpayer’s money and in active use by members of the executive throughout the country?

As of this writing, for example, tens of state-owned vehicles were still being seized or rounded up from persons who were never known to have been officially named as members of the executive. Mr. Ofosu-Kwakye also claims that a remarkable number of state-owned vehicles were kept at the various regional coordinating councils. Does this mean that Messrs. Ayikoi Otoo and Omane-Agyei were either driven or flown around all ten regions of the country to inspect and take inventory of all such vehicles? We are also given to believe by Mr. Ofosu-Kwakye that vehicles assigned to such parastatal organizations as the Ghana Aids Commission were housed and operated as part of the Presidency. Precisely how many of such parastatal organizations exist in the country? And how many of these parastatal institutions operate under the Presidency?

You see, the issue that we are dealing with here is far more complex than the former Deputy Communications Minister would flippantly have his audiences of supporters and sympathizers believe. We are not even told whether the services of government auditors were solicited or engaged in the inspection and inventorying of these vehicles. At least one of the deputy chiefs of staff at the Presidency, Mr. Jinapor, has been widely reported to have publicly states that the key operatives of the Mahama Presidency do not appear to have kept a systematic record of the day-to-day conduct of the people’s business. And so, really, no levelheaded Ghanaian can take the pronouncements of the likes of Mr. Ofosu-Kwakye seriously. What the young man has been doing is perfectly in synch with what he has been doing for the past 8 years, which is making up stories and excuses without any regard for logic and factual reality.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe. WordPress.com  Ghanaffairs

The opinions expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views or have the endorsement of the Editorial Board of www.africanewsanalysis.com and www.zongonews.com