The Ministry of Transport has been the centre of controversy in parliament as debates on the 2016 budget continued Tuesday.
Govt blows GH¢3.6m on branding Metro Mass buses
The minority leader drew the speakers attention to an item in the accounts of expenditures made by the Ministry of Transport in 2015 which had to do with the amounts spent on branding 116 Metro Mass Transit buses.
The minority leader drew the speaker's attention to an item in the accounts of expenditures made from the petroleum revenues fund by the Ministry of Transport in 2015 which had to do with the amounts spent on branding 116 Metro Mass Transit buses.
Referring to the 2015 Annual Report on the Petroleum Revenues Fund, the Ministry spent GHC31,000 on branding the images of eight former presidents on each Metro Mass Transit bus.
" Mr. speaker, the ministry at this rate spent GHC31,000 branding each bus. That is exorbitant and cannot be tolerated."
Osei Kyei Mensah- Bonsu then charged the Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor to " purge" herself of the apparent financial anomaly.
The speaker of parliament, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Ajaho, asked the minority leader to refrain from using the word " purge" in his demand for the minister of transport to clarify the expenditure. According to the speaker, it suggests that the minister of transport had engaged in some wrongdoing without proper investigation into the matter.
He then asked the sector minister to clarify the situation, but she did not have any answers readily available as to why the cost of the branding was that high.
" Mr. Speaker I don't have the breakdown readily available, I will have to check and get back to the house." she said.
" Honorable minority leader, I will put the question, after which the select committee on transport will take the matter up." he said.
Meanwhile, The budget for the ministry has since been passed. But public uproar is now just beginning.
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