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The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has advised President Akufo-Addo to muster courage and commission massive projects bequeathed to him by his predecessor, John Dramani Mahama.

 The NDC is unimpressed with deliberate attempt by the President and his administration, not to commission completed projects by the previous government dotted around the country.

The party lists some of these projects which need to be commissioned as the Kotoka International Airport’s (KIA) Terminal 3 and the 1500 Sagleme Housing Project.

About 1,500 housing units, costing $180 million built under the Saglemi housing project, near Tsopoli in the Ningo-Prampram District in the Great Accra Region, have remained unoccupied, almost two years after the facility had been inaugurated.

Though many of the projects especially the Terminal 3, have received both local and international praise, the NPP government has failed on a number of occasions to officially commission it regardless of the fact that it has been opened for business.

On his first day of the three day tour of the Greater Accra Region, the President has been tasked to do the needful by ensuring that he commissions some of these projects instead of indulging in mediocrity by commissioning lesser projects such as KVIPs, while monumental ones are left to rot.

“We further urge the President to shun celebrating mediocrity by commissioning private-owned Astro Turfs, KVIP toilets and JB Danquah Memorial Centres, and rather commission two monumental projects in the Greater Accra Region, namely the Kotoka Airport Terminal 3 and the 1,500 Sagleme Housing Project bequeathed to him by his predecessor John Mahama”, the party has said.

It is not clear why the current administration has refused to commission some of these projects but it is speculated that, it is so because, while they were being built, the opposition then claimed that they were Photoshop and that it was never true that they were being constructed.

While in the region, the President will inspect on-going and commission different projects numbering 10.

In a statement issued by the NDC’s Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, the party challenged the President to ensure that projects such as the New Ultra Modern AMA Office Complex, the Tema Motorway Interchange ongoing construction works, New Assembly Building and School Complex at Anyaa Sowutuom which form part of the projects he will be commissioning, due recognition is given to the initiator, former President Mahama.

The statement said “Once again, it is clear that the Greater Accra Regional tour of President Akufo Addo will bring to the fore the palpable and incontrovertible investments of the Mahama administration in infrastructure development. It is our hope that President Akufo-Addo will for once acknowledge the facts and credit his predecessor where credit is due.

However, due to government’s unbridled penchant for plagiarizing and appropriating credit for projects of the NDC-Mahama Administration, we deem it prudent to lay the facts surrounding these projects bare to ensure that the unsuspecting General Public are not hoodwinked by the deceptions of the Akufo-Addo government”.

Sammy Gyamfi added “For the avoidance of doubt, we would like to put on record that funding for the Tema Motorway Interchange project which President Akufo-Addo will be inspecting as part of this tour, was secured by the Mahama Administration as far back as June 2016 (check out http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2016/june-25th/govt-secures-loan-to-construct-interchange-at-tema-roundabout.php).

Also, both the New Assembly Building and School Complex at Anyaa Sowutuom which President Akufo-Addo will be commissioning as part of this tour are all Mahama legacies commenced on 1st August, 2014 and 1st January, 2014 respectively, both of which were about 90% complete at the time the NDC exited office in January 2017.

Also, it is an incontestable fact that the New Ultra Modern AMA Building which the President will be commissioning as part of this tour was commenced by the Mahama Administration and was about 95% complete by December 2016. These projects are but a few of the many infrastructure achievements of the Mahama Administration in just the Greater Accra Region”, he said.

Sammy Gyamfi said, the party has had to issue the reminder because of the government’s penchant for appropriating to itself, projects that were executed by its predecessor, whose infrastructural credential, is argued to be unprecedented in recent history.

“Tour of President Akufo Addo will bring to the fore the palpable and incontrovertible investments of the Mahama administration in infrastructure development. It is our hope that President Akufo-Addo will for once acknowledge the facts and credit his predecessor where credit is due.”

“Despite the fact that the NDC subscribes to the principle of governance being a continuum, and that successive governments must pursue projects commenced by preceding governments in line with the Directive Principles of State Policy, we believe in giving credit where credit is due.

We think that successive governments have a moral duty to be fair and candid in how they appropriate credit for projects initiated and commenced by their predecessors”.

The statement which catalogued other projects that were undertaken by the Mahama administration in areas such as road, communication, transport, health and water said the President tour and listing of his predecessor’s projects have exposed his government when it comes to infrastructure as they have performed abysmally.

“Another critical issue which has been brought to the fore by this tour is the fact that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has performed poorly and has accomplished very little relative to infrastructure development within the two (2) years that they have been in power.

Thus, the regional tours of the President are only a glorification and celebration of mediocrity and a waste of the taxpayers’ money. Apart from the fact that government has borrowed a whopping GHc50 Billion in only two (2) years, they have gotten more revenue (both in oil and taxes) than any other government in the history of Ghana”.

He continued “Yet all they can boast of is a private-owned Astro turf facility, inherited Mahama projects and a handful of insignificant projects.

Though they remain the most resourced government in the history of Ghana, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has woefully failed to invest in key capital projects which can create sustainable jobs and improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the Ghanaian.

This confirms our long-held view that President Akufo-Addo is visionless, inept and a monumental failure”.