PRESS STATEMENT

Mills Is Responsible For 48 Million Dollars Loss At Tema Oil Refinery

The Communications Committee of NPP UK and Ireland is deeply shocked and alarmed at the disappearance of 48 million US dollars to a group of so called Nigerian Companies. It beggars belief that the Tema Oil Refinery with a board and management being paid huge sums of money by the Tax Payer can just give 48 million dollars without any due diligence, checks and scrutiny. This is an act of lack of due diligence and theft and we are astonished at the lack of action from the security agencies. Where are the Energy Ministers Dr Oteng Adjei and Mr Emmanuel Buah, and Kofi Wayo the so called Energy expert? Where are the Ministry of Finance officials who are supposed to carry out due diligence checks? This is a typical case of causing financial loss to the state because of lack of care and due process.

The fact that the Tema Oil Refinery Management and its board paid this huge sum of money to people they claim they don’t know is dubious. If this is not financial loss to the state and economic sabotage then we don’t know what it is. Mr Ato Ampiah some of us remember was the board chairman of GHAMOT, a government company that sold and disposed of Pajero vehicles under questionable circumstances to some NDC ministers including Cecelia Johnson, Former General Secretary of the 31st December Women’s movement and a minister under Ex President Rawlings NDC regime. Mr Ampiah has some explaining to do in this sordid matter. We have in the past called for the Tema Oil Refinery board to be dissolved. We are aware that Mr Ato Ahwoi , Mr Tsatsu Tsikata and others on the board have major business interests and also oil companies that also trade in oil making it difficult for the refinery to carry out its operations effectively in the national interest which is in direct conflict of Article 284 of our National Constitution. We have also learnt that officials at the Energy Commission are engaged in a power struggle with members of the TOR board to gain a foothold in the petroleum industry to buy and sell oil. The lack of focus and the lack of proper and accountable management are allowing certain individuals and companies to engage in all manner of malpractices.

However there are questions that still need answering. For example, who invited Diamond Oil and all these other companies into Ghana? Who authorised the sale of the crude by these companies to TOR and was any due diligence? The comments made by the CEO of Diamond Oil in an interview on Radio Gold recently points to connivance and naked theft by government officials to use front companies to steal oil proceeds. If this is not an orchestrated scam then what is it? Once again there can be only one man we blame for this level of corruption and financial loss to the state and that is the President of Ghana, President John Evans Atta Mills. He has been so fast asleep on the job since January 7 2009 to the extent that he wasn’t even aware of this transaction until it was leaked. If 48 million dollars can disappear from our coffers and under the nose of the Presidency, If 277,000 teachers can be lied to and for the first time since independence in 1957,majority of their members boycott independence day celebrations; if over 30,000 nurses and doctors as well as civil servants can be lied to; if journalists can be arrested and detained in a bid to intimidate the press and curb Press freedom: if teachers can be whipped, handcuffed and tear gassed because they want to be paid well so they can pay their children’s school fees, rent and buy decent food; If Ministers and party Officials, such as Ama Benyiwa Doe, Hannah Bissiw, Johnson Aseidu Nketia and Samuel Ofosu Ampofo can collectively spend 60 BILLION GHANA CEDIS to build mansions in 2 years in various parts of Ghana without telling us where they acquired these monies from and be allowed to remain in office; If our National Security Agencies have been reduced to looking for dogs instead of criminals and doing land-guarding and debt collection, If police officers are allowed to use police stations as call centres for criminals by allowing them to use mobile phones and sell drugs; then what kind of President do we have in Ghana? Our banks have lost over 900 million Ghana cedis this year alone up almost 50% from last year, 200 million dollars has being stolen at our ports due to corruption as uncovered by Anas Aremeyaw’s investigations with no punitive actions, our traders and businesses cannot get credit to expand, our transport costs are still high with government increasing road tolls by 300%,our food prices, despite significant harvests last year are still high because of the 20% tax rises,20% increases in tariffs and the rampant smuggling at our borders. Ghanaians today are getting poorer in spirit, poorer in their pockets and poorer in their education. Our stadiums are always empty because sports fans even do not have money to go and watch their favourite football, hockey and athletics teams. Mills promised a better life for all but it has become a fruitless exercise in building castles in the air.

It is clear that President Mills lacks ideas and is still struggling to assert his authority in his government. He is soft on corruption and soft on the causes of corruption, he has allowed himself to be dictated to and be manipulated by certain individuals in his government for their own selfish ends. It is all becoming clear why we wrote our Press statement “President Mills, an emperor with no clothes” in which we alluded that Mills had ceded authority to faceless mandarins. Since then we have been vindicated by the cries of Ex President Rawlings and by the recently sacked Sekondi Takoradi MCE, Mr Kobina Prah that he is being manipulated. A manipulated person cannot think for himself, he cannot act with confidence and he cannot lead. These errors of judgement, these constant and legendary lapses are unacceptable! Faith without works is dead; Prayer without action is powerless Mr Resident President!!

NDC is abusing the mandate, the trust and the good nature of our people. They have shirked the responsibilities given to them by the people of Ghana. Ghanaians ,among the most humble, tolerant, peaceful and God fearing people on earth deserve better and deserve real change, a change in their economic and social circumstances, a change of government and a change of leader. We can only move forward if we change the NDC in 2012 and we in NPP UK and Ireland together with all well meaning Ghanaians will continue to make a case for that change which will move our beloved country forward.

Nana Yaw Sarpong

Communications Officer NPP UK and Ireland 07983302369