As He Calls for Probe

The former District Chief Executive (DCE) of Akatsi South, Hon. Samuel Kwadzo Wuadi has advised his successor and current DCE Hon. Leo-Nelson Adzidogah to go back to Senior High School for lessons in accounting and District Assembly concept, in view of his blatant display of lack of knowledge in the bundling of figures during a Press Conference addressed by him (Leo-Nelson) on the 14th February 2018, during which he alleged that the debt stock left by the former DCE amounts to a whooping Four Million, Sixty Two Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Ghana Cedis Twenty Three Pesewas (GH¢4,062,360.23).

Addressing the media in Akatsi on the 7th of March, 2018,  the Former DCE in reaction to an earlier press conference, indicated that his successor engaged in concocting figures and bundled them to the general public through the media, drawing malicious conclusions to take undue political advantage.

He explained that, the budgeting system of the district Assembly concept in Ghana since its inception, works on projected revenues and expenditure, and these projected expenditure are not debts.

He said, it is only when the contracts are executed and certificates of works done are certified by appropriate authority, that’s when it becomes an obligation for the assembly to effect payment, upon the release of the various statutory funds by the central government.

He further indicated that, in planning for a particular fiscal year, the assembly considers its programs, projects and other activities.

According to Samuel Kwadzo Wuadi, the assembly puts these, including statutory payments, projected expenditure and revenue in its composite budget through budget hearings from the sub-committee level through to the regional budget hearing, before coming back to the general house for approval, adding that, the various oversight committees including the internal audit department did efficient job in assessing and taking every process through the approved scrutiny.

It would be recalled that, the current DCE addressed the press on the said date in which he alleged that the former DCE left a debt stock in excess of GhC4 million, saying more claims are trooping in, which when approved will shoot the figure up.

However, Hon. Samuel Kwadzo Wuadi hugely disagreed with this assertion, retorting that, he strongly disagree with the wishful and myopic thinking of his successor and presumes that the DCE did not understand the district assembly concept and its budgeting system.

He further alleged that, the current DCE was sacked from office for non-performance in the Oil sector, a situation which has been confirmed by his blatant lack of technical know-how at the level he is operating currently, adding that “I wish to refer him to Akatsi Senior High Technical School, if he so cares to acquire knowledge in some basic fundamental accounting concepts relating to accounting equations”.

According to him, during the eight years in office of the National Democratic Congress in the district, one hundred and twenty (120) contracts were awarded, out of which eighty three (83) were completed with twenty six (26) on-going and nine (9) on stand still.

As a result of this, he revealed that a total contract amount of Nine Million and Fourteen Thousand, Seven Hundred Ghana Cedis and Thirty Seven Pesewas (Gh¢9,014,700.37) stood as at December 31 2016.

Out of this amount, He said, Five Million One Hundred and Fifteen Thousand One Hundred and Twenty Eight Ghana Cedis (Gh¢5,115,128.11) was payment made up to December 31 2016, with Four Million and Sixty Seven Thousand and Seventy Ghana Cedis, Twenty Six Pesewas (GH¢4,067,070.26) being outstanding amounts as at that date.

He also added that, as at 12th February, 2018, in just over a year in office, the current outstanding amounts payable at the assembly amounts to Three Million Four Hundred and Seventy Seven Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty Nine Ghana Cedis (Gh¢3,477,939.97), and amounts due for payment amounting to One Million Three Hundred and Seventy One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Eight Ghana Cedis, Thirty One Pesewas (Gh¢1,371,798.31), all totalling almost Six million Ghana Cedis.

He further indicated that every expenditure or liability incurred has been value for money, and the nation has benefited tremendously from it.

He called on the Special Prosecutor, Martin Alamisi Kaisar Burns Amidu to investigate the One Billion Cedis (1b) loan contracted by Hon. Nicholas Kofi Negble, a former DCE of the area between 2001 and 2004 from the National Investment Bank (NIB) in Ho, which the assembly duly made payment with interests, but works for which the loan was contracted was not even initiated.

Story: Frederick E. Aggrey

 

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