The mansion under construction
Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By
William Yaw Owusu
Friday, September 19, 2014
It appears that President John Dramani Mahama is not
in a hurry to vacate the official residence of the Vice President at East Cantonment
area of Accra after spending huge sums of money to furnish the official residence
of the President at the seat of government, the Flagstaff House.
This is because the Mahama administration has
commenced the construction of what is believed to be a new official residence
of Vice President Paa Kwesi B. Amissah-Arthur at Cantonments.
The amount for the massive project is said to be in legion
of several million dollars and it is progressing rapidly in spite of challenges
facing the economy for which the IMF has come to bail Ghana out.
The new Vice President official residence is being
built on the land on which the former Nigerian High Commission located behind
the Police Headquarters at Broz Tito Avenue on the Kumordzi Hospital Road where
the Food Research Institute (FRI) of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSRI) is located.
Interestingly, Ghanaians were told that the
Flagstaff House, when it was built was supposed to serve as office and
residence for both the President and his vice.
President Mahama still occupies his bungalow which
he moved into as Vice President while Vice President Amissah-Arthur is also staying
in the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor residence where he used to be the Governor
at the end of the same road.
In spite of the reasons, the current construction
will be a further burden on the already-stretched taxpayer.
Attempts to speak to presidential spokesperson, Ben
Botsei Malor were not successful as he was not picking calls to his phone.
Last year a contract for furnishing the presidential
quarters in Flagstaff House was awarded to Ebby Mays Furnishings at a cost of GHC218, 565.50 (C2.2billion) but
yet, President Mahama is still staying at the Vice president residence
depriving some officials of their entitlements because of his refusal to move.
CSRI
Lands
However, Dr. Abdulai B. Salifu Director General of
CSIR confirmed to DAILY GUIDE via telephone that the massive construction was to
serve as the official residence of the Vice President and admitted that part of
the CSRI – FRI lands was included in the project.
“In fact the National Security had to come to us
before the construction of the building because one of our bungalows was
affected and we had to find a replacement for it. I used to discuss a lot with
Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (then National Security Coordinator) but he is no longer in
charge so basically that is it,” he said.
“Where the massive construction is ongoing really
doesn’t fall on our land. The only portion is the bungalow to the extreme right
was demolished to pave way for the Vice President’s construction and we cannot
lay claim to everything. The land on which the Nigerian High Commission was situated
belonged to the government and it had been leased to the government of Nigeria.”
Underground
Facilities
DAILY
GUIDE gathered that there are three huge structures making
up the whole project and all the three have underground facilities. The project
is being executed by Consar Limited, an Italian construction giant.
DAILY
GUIDE also learnt that there is always national security
presence at the construction site and at one point SWAT anti-riot police was
brought to the premises to forcibly take over portions of other CSIR staff
bungalows in order to extend the Vice President’s portion and confrontation
ensued.
“A security officer who was with the SWAT team
ordered a staff from Consar to erect stakes to demarcate the premises of the
CSIR staff to be added to the Vice President’s portion amid threats that they
will be removed completely if they frustrated the ongoing works,” a source said.
“The inconvenience that has come with the project
has been massive and it is having a telling effect on residents. The contractor
has been pumping rain water which floods the streets leading to the residences
of senior staff.
Additionally, the main pipeline supplying water to residents
has been cut off and a make-shift water supply provided and as a result, we
enjoy water only once or twice weekly instead of the regular flow.”
“We have even been told that the roads will be
cordoned off as the project advances because they will pose security risks to
the property.
Ministry
of Environment
There were also allegation that an adjoining offices
of CSRI-FRI were taken over by then Minister of Environment and Science, Sherry
Ayittey about five years ago for a United Nations project and upon completion,
an unknown private company was said to have entered the property and is working
from there but the Director-General said it could not be possible.
“That walled facility painted blue was given to the
Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology to embark on a UN funded project.
I think it was a three-year project. Those premises are currently vacant but
the ministry has to officially hand it back to us. “It is not true that the
facility was given to a private company after the UN project ended.”
Security
Concerns
Dr. Salifu said the facility will be part of the
graduate school soon to be established by the CSRI saying “we don’t know how it
is going to be because it is very close to where the official residence of the
Vice President is being constructed.”
He said that the institute was renovating the
dilapidated storey building close to the Police Headquarters to form part of
the graduate school.
There are concerns that CSRI lands are being taken over
by developers including the government. Currently, there is encroachment on lands
for Animal Research Institute, Water Research Institute, Crops Research
Institute among others.
The source cynically remarked that “certainly, this
government does not recognize that science and technology can solve the
country’s problems and bring increased productivity to the country.”
The GHC218, 565.50 Ebby Mays Furnishings contract involved furnishings the residency including the down stairs corridors which is costing the tax payer an amount of GHC67, 220.00, GHC1,669.00 for coffee room curtains, voile and trimming, GHC5995.00 for reception curtains, voile and trimming, GHC6,455.00 for the main living room voile and trimming, GHC2,261.00 for bar voile and trimming and GHC9, 755.00 for the dining area.
The rest include an amount of GHC2,461.00 for a recreational room- formal coffee room, GHC171.00 for an informal kitchen Venetian blinds only, GHC2,850.00 for gym remote control blinds, GHC3, 604.00 for a family dining room, GHC1,925.00 for the main kitchen, GH8,380.00 for the meeting area and GHC3, 243.00 for the waiting reception/visitors lounge.
Others include an amount of GHC5,940.00 for a playroom and lobby, GHC31,270.00 for the upstairs corridors, GHC7,212.00 for what was described as Madams room and library, GHC7,212.00 two master bedrooms and libraries, GHC11,540.00 for the private lounge of suites and GHC4,562.00 for a supposed prayer room.
An amount of GHC11, 900.50 is also to be used to furnish four family bedrooms while an amount of GHC1,323.00 is scheduled to be used to furnish two VIP bedrooms at the Presidents residence, not to talk about GHC2,156.00 for the VIP lounge, GHC1,323.00 for two security rooms, and GHC1,568.00 for the two guest rooms at the downstairs of the Presidential villa.
An amount of GHC15,750.00
is earmarked for workmanship, delivery and installation by the company
contracted for the job.
After spending this
huge amount of money, it has become a drain on the public purse because
President Mahama refused to move.
No comments:
Post a Comment