Special Development Ministry’s response to our 1V1D claims ‘barefaced lies’ – NDC

The National Democratic Congress has rubbished the Ministry of Special Initiatives’ response to some concerns it raised over the implementation of government’s One Village One Dam initiative.

The Opposition National Democratic Congress at its 8th edition of the party’s “Moment Of Truth” series held on Wednesday [March 12, 2020] toured three of the dam sites in Adibo and Nakpache in the Yendi constituency and at Zakpalsi in the Mion constituency.

Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the NDC who led the delegation for the tour claimed that the dams they visited were not properly constructed and were not fit for purpose.

But the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives debunked the claims saying the NDC only meant to score cheap political points.

Communication Director at the Ministry for Special Development Initiatives, Kabori Awudu Moro said the dams cited by the NDC had already been declared uncompleted by the government.

“We disagree with their conclusion that the dams are not fit for purpose and that it has not been properly constructed….It is kind of a surprise to us that the NDC will rather choose to go and do the press conference at the dam site that we have already given the indication that we have not completed. I think they got it very wrong and we believe that their action is clearly aimed at scoring some cheap political points,” he said.

The NDC is however sceptical about the clarification from the sector Ministry.

The party in a counter statement signed by Sammy Gyamfi described the Ministry’s rejoinder as “barefaced lies.”

“We are not in the least surprised by the farcical response from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives because President Nana Akufo-Addo and his appointees have demonstrated time and again that they have no respect for truth and for the people of Ghana.”

“The penchant of the Akufo-Addo government to openly lie and spread falsehood even in the face of overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence is very well-known by Ghanaians. We wish to state emphatically that claims in the press statement from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives are nothing but barefaced lies and a desperate attempt to cover their shame relative to the fraudulent implementation of their much-vaunted 1V1D programme.”

Sites visited were all completed 

The NDC further stated that the sites its officers visited were all completed 1V1D projects.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the 1V1D sites we visited, in the company of journalists, in the Adibo and Nakpachie communities in the Yendi constituency, are all completed 1V1D projects. Contrary to the government’s claims, these so-called dams, which are part of several poorly constructed dugouts by government, harvested and retained water during the 2019 rainy season but quickly dried-up at the early stage of the dry season. This was confirmed by members of the two (2) communities.”

The NDC further indicated that it will in the coming days provide evidence to buttress its claims.

“The NDC will in the coming days release additional evidence to buttress this fact, as well as evidence of several other completed but dried-up 1V1D projects in the five (5) northern regions of Ghana,” the statement added.

One Village One Dam Policy

The One-Village-One-Dam policy is one of the Akufo-Addo administration’s flagship programmes aimed at ensuring all-year-round agriculture in the regions of the north, through the construction of irrigation dams in every village in that part of the country.

Under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme in the 2017 budget, GHc94, 446,132 was earmarked for the One-Village-One-Dam policy.

Read the NDC’s statement below:

NDC responds to claims by the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives on fraudulent 1V1D Projects

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken note of a response from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives to our Moment of Truth press conference on government’s fraudulent 1Village 1Dam projects.

We are not in the least surprised by the farcical response from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives because President Nana Akufo-Addo and his appointees have demonstrated time and again that they have no respect for truth and for the people of Ghana. The penchant of the Akufo-Addo government to openly lie and spread falsehood even in the face of overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence is very well-known by Ghanaians.

We wish to state emphatically that claims in the press statement from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives are nothing but barefaced lies and a desperate attempt to cover their shame relative to the fraudulent implementation of their much-vaunted 1V1D programme.

For the avoidance of doubt, the 1V1D sites we visited, in the company of journalists, in the Adibo and Nakpachie communities in the Yendi constituency, are all completed 1V1D projects.

Contrary to government’s claims, these so-called dams, which are part of several poorly constructed dugouts by government, harvested and retained water during the 2019 rainy season but quickly dried-up at the early stage of the dry season. This was confirmed by members of the two (2) communities.

The NDC will in the coming days release additional evidence to buttress this fact, as well as evidence of several other completed but dried-up 1V1D projects in the five (5) northern regions of Ghana.

We wish to place on record that the Akufo-Addo government has not constructed a single meaningful small-scale irrigation dam anywhere in Ghana such as the ones constructed by President John Mahama and his government in areas such as Sakpe and Zakpasi, just to mention a few.

This fact is amply buttressed by the Minister of Special Initiatives Development, Hawa Koomson’s own confession that, the amount of GH256,000.00 allocated by government for each 1V1D project is woefully inadequate to construct “any meaningful Dam”.

In the spirit of promoting a facts-driven and evidence-based public discourse on this important subject, the NDC demands that:

1. Government explains the basis of its claim that the 1V1D projects in the Nakpachie and Adibo communities are uncompleted. Government must tell the good people of Ghana in very specific terms, what makes the said 1V1D projects incomplete. Simply put, government must explain to Ghanaians, what specific features these (2) projects lack and how different they are from completed 1V1D projects.

2. In line with the principle of transparency and accountability, the Akufo-Addo government should publish the full list of their so-called completed 1V1D projects so that the opposition, the media and Ghanaians at large can fact-check and ascertain the veracity of the claims being made by the Ministry.

It is an indisputable fact that President Akufo-Addo is serving the people of the North with poorly constructed dugouts instead of the small-scale irrigation dams he promised.

The NDC maintains that President Akufo-Addo’s 1V1D promise is the biggest scam ever to be perpetrated by any government on the people of the North. The poorly constructed dugouts he has so-far delivered have failed to serve their intended purpose and have occasioned a huge financial loss to the state, for which reason the next NDC government will ensure that all those responsible for this stinking scam are prosecuted.

SIGNED
Sammy Gyamfi
National Communications Officer
Thursday, March 12, 2020.