*ALL MEDIA HOUSES*
*Immediate Release*
*Date 5 September, 2019*
*___________________WE ARE NOT PERTURBED BY THE COURT ACTION AGAINST US—FIRST GHANA CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION TO MR FRANK AKULLEY OF GHANA FIRST COMPANY LTD._*
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About 150 aggrieved contractors working under the auspices of Ghana First company known as First Ghana Contractors Association how vowed to meet Mr Frank Akulley CEO Ghana First company in court after the later sued the aggrieved contractors for GH 5billion old cedis for defamation of character.
In an with journalists in Accra,Kumasi ,Techiman ,Sunyani etc the Deputy General secretary of the aggrieved contractors Mr.LISTOWEL ATIEMO said the contractors cannot be intimidated by GHANA First hence are preparing to meet him square failure to pay them,would be a massive nationwide demonstration against Ghana First and the Government of Ghana under whose supervision the contracts were awarded.
*reference*
It will be recalled that the then running mate of the NPP, Dr Bawumia on 9th October, 2016, at the launch of their 2016 manifesto said that *”no village will have water and toilet problem in our first 2years when voted into power”*.
In fact, Dr Bawumia, reiterated this call *on the 19th July, 2019 at a special breakfast meeting with the Caribbean and African Heads of Mission in Havana, Cuba where he emphasied that “this ₵1m per constituency is implemented to cater for the basic needs of the poor like toilets, drainage and dams”*
In 2017, Mr Frank Akulley, the CEO of Ghana First Company Ltd went into a Public Private Partnership with the Government of Ghana through the *Local Government, Sanitation and Special Initiative Ministries* of which the Special Initiative
Ministry finally issued out a letter of recommendation *(with their letter head)* directing all the assemblies to give their support to this company to roll out a nationwide automated toilet facility under the ₵1m per constituency.
The fishy aspect of this contract is that, the Ghana First Co. Ltd demanded an upfront payment of 2% of the contract sum (which is ₵3m) from these affected individual contractors prior to the issuing out of the award letter for each project.
In all about ₵12.6m has been paid to Mr Frank Akulley, the CEO of GFCL.
The intriguing part of this worrying situation is that, the GFCL assured these contractors of securing 60% fund to pay them after executing these projects. Strangely, not a pesewa has been paid to these 150 contractors who have fulfilled their part since 2018 as Mr Dickson Yaw Tawiah, the Public Relation Officer of these aggrieved contractors alluded to in their press conference on 29th August, 2019 in Koforidua, in the Eastern Region Mr ATIEMO noted.
The question are; *what due deligience did these 3 ministries :Local government, sanitation and special development undertake before undergoing into a partnership with this company?* the government must answer this because it though the endowment received from various MMDCES that made us believe Ghana first was a genuine entity he quizzed.
*what measures did these 3 ministries put in place to ensure that the financial documents (guarantee) presented by the company to them were genuine to prevent a possible scandal?
The contractors have vowed to demonstrate against Ghana first authorities and government by end of September 2019 and lock up their facilities as well if they are not paid .
Mr ATIEMO have charged all affected persons to join them to know their next line of action.
Call
LISTOWEL ATIEMO DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY FIRST GHANA CONTRATORS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA(AGGRIEVED CONTRACTORS) —-0244125742/0268120578
KWAME OWUSU BAMPOE PRO GHANA FIRST COMPANY(The company in question)
—-0248687644.
For details.
