www.padfm.com.gh / Savannah region, Ghana
The NPP Communication Director for Salaga South Constituency of the Savannah region, Hamza Abdul-Mumin Harruna says the NDC in Salaga South should stop deluding themselves with the statement that President Akufo-Addo lied on the construction of a port in Makango in the East-Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region. According to the NPP, there is no where in the full text of President Akufo-Addo’s State of Nation’s Address (SONA) presented in parliament on March 9th 2021, where the President made mention of Makango Port construction. The President actually mentioned of the Tema, Huni Valley, Boankra Inland Port and Takoradi ports but not Makango’s.
In a statement, the Communication Director said “yeah, there is going to be Ports at Debre and Mankango, under an initiative of a private business, LMI.
The President of Gonjaland Youth Association and Uncle Sally are very integral in this initiative.
We can understand the desperation of Hon M.P for Salaga South- Hajia Zuwera Ibrahim to appear relevant, but she should take her time and do some research before coming out on some of these things.
What indeed President Akufo Addo actually mentioned of Makango, in the SONA, was “the removal of tree stumps along the navigable pathway at the Dambai to Dambai-Overbank, Yeji-Makango, and Yeji-Aworjekope has been completed to improve the safety of navigation, and reduce accidents on the Volta Lake”. I am quoting President Akufo-Addo verbatim/word-to-word: “The construction of ferry landing sites along the Volta Lake at Dambai and Dambai Overbank is sixty-eight (68%) complete, whilst that of Yeji, Makango and Agodeke is forty-six percent (46%) complete”. president Akufo-Addo did not mention of Makango port. A port is different from a ferry landing site. For the Hon M.P for Salaga South to say “the Makango Ferry Site is otherwise known as Makango Port” is a misleading pronouncement intended to create a state of higgledy-piggledy if not a political hue and cry. For the purpose of clarity, the Makango ferry landing site is otherwise known as pontoon landing site and not Makango port. A landing site and a port are parallel and for that matter two different things. Now! listen to the truth and end of the matter; the news about Makango harbour, if you like it Makango port, is not initiated by the government. The former Savannah Regional Minister who doubled then as Salaga South M.P did negotiate a private company to construct an inland harbour at Makango so that the Volta Lake Cargo can be transiting at Makango for the offloading and loading of supplying goods to the East-Gonja and the Northern Region. This in the former M.P’s wisdom will boost socioeconomic activities in the East-Gonja and most especially, Makango community. The issue of Makango Harbour is completely private and not government business.
It was so scandalous and mysterious to see the Hon M.P for Salaga South rise to misquote the President out of context regarding the ferry landing site. The mentioning of a Makango Port by the M.P for Salaga South was not only a well orchestrated and calculated attempt to damage the image of the NPP in Makango, but a slanted, polemical and partisan propaganda in its apex prejudice and narrow-mindedness to dribble a political football passed the entire populace of Makango just to get them thinking of a scandalous corruption by nobody. To set the records straight, it was Hon. Hajia Zuwera Ibrahim who added “otherwise known as Makango port” to the statement “Yeji, Makango ferry landing site”. I challenge the Hon. M.P for Salaga South to pinpoint from the original full text of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s State of Nation’s Address on the 9th March 2021 where it was stated categorically, that work on Makango port was 46% complete. The President never mentioned of Makango port but Yeji, Makango, and Agodeke ferry landing site with reference to travelling passengers on the Volta lake. I am even shocked that the Minister of Transport did not notice the mischief in the question raised by the Hon M.P; I expected the Minister of Transport to have called for point of correction before responding to the misleading and ridiculous question. One cannot mark their own exams script with their own questions and marking scheme.
I am therefore calling on the Transport Minister to call back to parliament the Hon M.P for Salaga South to prove from the source of the 09-03-21 SONA where the President mentioned a 46% of Makango Port work complete. Until that prove is conspicuously pointed out, I rest my case and call on everyone, who heard or yet to hear the cock and bull story about Makango port by the M.P for Salaga South, discard it with a comprehensive contempt deserves it.
Hamza Abdul-Mumin Harruna
Com. Dir for NPP, Salaga.
020-4039043
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