Koforidua -- Rumour mongering in the Koforidua Municipality, particularly in branding rich people as possessing blood money, is currently throwing away business-oriented persons who want to initiate projects to the eastern regional capital, The Chronicle can say.

What has become common these days is that, whenever one tries to initiate a project, the person's wealth is either linked to blood and evil, locally known as 'Sikaduro', or attributed to assistance from a politician.

These 'glaringly unacceptable' acts have made many persons, who have business ideas to shelve them to save their hard-won reputation.

A clear example of such rumours making the rounds here is the one to the effect that the Mobil 3 filling station project initiated by the manager, Mr. Isaac Brewu, was solely financed by the regional minister, Mr. Yaw Barimah and Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyeman, both of whom are MPs of Koforidua and New Juaben South constituencies respectively.

This 'falsehood', according to the manager, has dented his image so much that at a point he thought of abandoning the project.

In an exclusive interview, he said, when he took over as the Koforidua Mobil manager in 1996, the filling station was so bad that even the New Juaben Municipal Assembly (NJMA) decided to revoke its permit of operation.

He noted that with hard work and determination he managed to win a contract for the rebuilding of the station, adding that arrangement was that he rebuild the station with his own capital for repayment after which he did.

"I do not know them and if identification parade is to be conducted now,I can not make them out whiles they can not also make me out", he contended.

He said, through his hard work had raised the image of the area by employing 35 youth in the area, and hoped to employ another 25 when the new station becomes fully operational.

Mr. Brewu, asked whoever wanted to know more about how he managed to initiate the project to come for clarification instead of peddling lies to dent his image.

The Chronicle also observed that others who have already started their projects in the area, some of which are 50% complete, and have had their images dented, due to the stigmatization of 'Sikaduro', are planning to put them to a halt. The said projects include hotels, schools, restaurants, fuel filling stations and financial institutions.

The Mobil 3 station, apart from employment, has created a healthy competition in the fuel business in the municipality.