Investigate allocation of tractors, equipment — PNF

Progressive Nationalists Forum (PNF), a pressure group, has called on President J. E. A. Mills to institute a Presidential Commission to investigate the allocation of tractors and equipment procured under the Kufuor Administration for sale at subsidised prices to underprivileged farmers across the country.
It said information at its disposal indicated that the tractors, which were meant to boost food production and security, were being abused ,especially by “some members of the government in both the executive and the legislature who are obviously not underprivileged farmers”.
The spokesperson for the group, Mr Richard Niamey, who stated this at the press conference in Accra yesterday commended the Mills Administration for expressing its willingness to embark on probity, accountability and justice on assumption of office.
“There is a clear abuse of office and conflict of interest in the allocation of these tractors to government functionaries, who are not underprivileged farmers at such ridiculously low prices,” he said.
He cited one alleged situation where Mr Mahama Ayariga, Spokesperson for President J.E.A. Mills, secured five of the tractors, valued at a total sum of GH¢ 90,000.00, but had paid GH¢ 10,000.00 out of the initial GH¢ 50,000.00 mandatory down payment deposit for the five tractors.
“Granted that he paid GH¢ 10,000.00 there is a shortfall of GH¢ 40,000.00. Evidence at our disposal shows that he paid GH¢ 1,000.00 and not GH¢ 10,000.00 as he claims. Meanwhile the underprivileged farmers who have not been able to make the GH¢ 10,000.00 down payment per tractor have had their tractors reallocated”.
Mr Nyamah again alleged that other high ranking officials of the government who were not poor farmers and therefore not qualified but had been allocated the tractors were Mr Alban Sumani Bagbin, Majority Leader and Alhaji Ibrahim Dey Abubakari, MP, among others.
He said the forum was also demanding that pending the outcome of the Presidential Commission, Mr Ayariga and the Minister of Agriculture should step down to avoid interference into the probe, the publication of the list of people who have received these allocations of the tractors as well as how much down payments have so far been made by each recipient and how much is left to be paid.
He said the forum was also worried about the issue of state vehicles bought by former ministers of the Kufuor Administration, because some members of the current government were beneficiaries.
“For example Mr Bagbin bought a Toyota Camry which was less than two years old but his has not been confiscated by the state as was done to other members of Parliament. We wish that the laws be equitably implemented and also seek an explanation from the Minister of Information as to why this is so,” Mr Nyamah.
He said just as the government was doing with the Ghana Telecom-Vodafon deal, PNF was of the view that President Mills must also institute commission of inquiries to investigate all diversified state owned assets since 1989 to date.
“We know that 59 state owned enterprises were diversified or sold between 1989 and 1992, 245 between 1993 and 2000 and 59 diversified between 2001 and 2008.”, he added.
He said Ghanaians would want to know those who bought those state owned enterprises, for how much and how was the money from the sales disbursed.