Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Lante Vanderpuye says the NPP Minority in Parliament is engaging in an exercise of frivolity over its demand that the brother of the President, Ibrahim Mahama, pays for the State’s earth moving machinery his company used in dredging the Odaw drain.

According to him, the Minority Caucus has reduced itself to the level of nursery school children publicly asking certain questions some of which are trivial, knowing that they could easily get answers in Parliament.

The Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus insists that once the equipment and or machinery procured by the State found its way into the hands of a private firm (Engineers & Planners), it was important for that firm to pay for the full cost of the items.

In October 2014, the government entered into an agreement with GP Gunter Papenburg AG, a German Equipment Company, for the supply of equipment and, or machinery.

Among the equipment and or machinery to be delivered were; Big Motor Grader 240T (40), Big Motor Grader 200T (20), Komatsu Bull Dozer (5), Komatsu Wheel Loader (20), Komatsu Excavator (10), Man Diesel Dump Trucks (20) and spare parts.

They were meant to be distributed to the 46 newly created District Assemblies to enhance service delivery.

However, after taking delivery of the items, some of them, according to the Minority, were spotted at a road construction site of Engineers and Planners owned by the President’s brother, Ibrahim Mahama, at Tafo and Klago.

Some of the equipment and or machinery were also spotted being used by the company to desilt the Odaw drain some weeks after the June 3 flood and fire disaster.

However, speaking on Okay FM, Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuye said he found it difficult to comprehend what the Minority’s concerns were as the machinery were used to work in the various districts as the minority demanded.

“I know what the Minority’s beef is, they claim the machinery was meant to be used to work at the various Districts Assemblies, they were used to dredge the Odaw River which is in Accra, and within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is an Assembly and also used in Kumasi, which falls under the KMA, so exactly what is their worry”.

“The Minority, by their action, kills the spirit of patriotism, Ibrahim did a good job for the country and instead of we celebrating him, he is rather being vilified. Enough of this kind of jealousy coming from the Minority”.