It’s Time To Call On The Judiciary To Bite Harder & Faster In The Saglemi Case – Ahiagbah

The Saglemi Affordable Housing project was a complete financial loss to the state, Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Richard Ahiagbah has said.

Already, some officials of the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration including former Works and Housing Minister Collins Dauda and four others are standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss to the state in the $200m Saglemi Housing Project.

To Mr Ahiagbah, it is time for Ghanaians to call on the judiciary to bite harder and faster in the Saglemi case before it.

In a statement, Mr Ahiabgah said “A complete financial loss to the state. Perhaps, it is time for Ghanaians to call on the judiciary to bite harder and faster in the Saglemi case before it.

“Note that: The Saglemi Affordable Housing was approved to construct some 5000 housing units at the cost of $200 million. Instead, the NDC spent $198 million to construct 1,509 housing units or so. Even the 1,500 housing units constructed by the NDC after expending $198 million are not readily habitable. There’s no water, electricity, and other required amenities. In other words, to make Saglemi habitable, the government must invest about $111 million to complete the 1509 units and to provide water, electricity, and related amenities, according to the Ministry of Works and Housing.

“If you add $111 million & $200 million it comes to $311 million, Now, how Affordable would the 1,509 Saglemi housing units be if completed at the cost of $311 million?

“Ghanaians must ponder this! Why did the NDC change the approved 5000 Saglemi Housing Units to be built at $200 million to build 1,509, on the blind side of Parliament?

“Why? The NDC must tell Ghanaians why they revised the project and quit the vain politics of seeking to blame this government for their gross misconduct.”

His comments come after Former President John Dramani Mahama has chided President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for failing to complete the Saglemi Affordable Housing project.

He said he knew the President would not touch the project because it was a National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration that initiated the project.

Commenting on the new housing project that the president cut sod for its commencement last week, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said “It is unacceptable that President Akufo-Addo spent over half a billion Cedis on a national cathedral project that has ultimately failed due to corruption and is now abandoned, yet refuses to commit funds to complete a housing project that will help thousands of Ghanaian families.

“Knowing the NPP government they did not want to complete the Saglemi Housing project simply because it was initiated by John Mahama and NDC administration.”

During the sod-cutting ceremony for the new housing project on Tuesday, August 1, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo revealed that steps had been taken to complete the Saglemi Housing Project, which stalled since the ousting of the John Mahama-led government.

President Akufo-Addo said that the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has been given the approval to search for a private entity with the financial and technical capability to complete the project.

The controversial Saglemi Housing Project began in 2012 in Prampram in the Greater Accra Region.

However, the new government led by President Akufo-Addo raised issues about the financial propriety of the project.

This led to criminal proceedings filed against some government officials including then Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Collins Dauda.

At the launch of a new affordable housing project in Pokuase on Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo revealed that Cabinet has tasked the Works and Housing Minister to ensure the completion of the Saglemi project in order to prevent it from deterioration.

He said aside the $198 million already pumped into the project, a total of $114 million is needed for the planned completion.

“Based on these assessments and having taken into account the project location and viability, Cabinet directed the resourceful Minister for Works and Housing, Hon Francis Asenso-Boakye, Member of Parliament for Bantama, to ‘explore the possibility of disposing of the Saglemi Housing Project covering 1,506 housing units at the current value to a private sector entity to complete and sell the housing units to the public and no further cost to the govt’,” President Akufo-Addo told the gathering at the sod-cutting ceremony of the new project.

He hinted that a technical working group was set up and already the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has given approval for a transaction advisor “with the requisite technical and financial capability to complete the project”.

“Indeed the lessons learned from the Saglemi Housing Project have been invaluable in shaping the approach and execution of this new affordable housing initiative.”