It did not come as a complete surprise when Minister of Roads and Highways, Hon. Joe Gidisu was caught pants down with a BMW 740Li saloon car as his “official car”. Barely, one year into office, Hon minister embarked on a legendary “tro-tro ride” from Madina-Zongo to the Ministries on a hot sweltering morning. As he put it; to ascertain what “ordinary folks” endured. On October 28, 2009, he parked his newly registered Land Cruiser as did other high ranking officials in the Mills administration and joined public transport to their various offices. This was in commemoration of the World Transport Day.

After the harrowing experience, he commented that since leaving the Ghana Education Service 15 years ago he had never used public transport. Well, Honorable, this is what head teachers, teachers, nurses, and all other well-meaning Ghanaians have to endure every day. Morning and evening. We should note that Hon. Gidisu taught at the Bontibor Local Authority Primary School and also at the Dormaa Secondary School. So he is well versed with the plight of teachers. He was elected as Member of Parliament in the December 2000 parliamentary election and was appointed as Minister for Roads and Highways in February, 2009 by John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana. AsomdweHene might have been of the opinion that with Hon Gidisu’s humble background as a teacher he might empathize with Ghanaians. Little did he know that this appointment was going to be one of the nails in his coffin. With this appointment, Hon Gidisu most likely danced to the Jamaican aphorism, “Never see; Come see” (When one chances upon an unexpected fortune).

What has been his impact?

After the legendary tro-tro encounter he told reporters that by the early part of 2010, his ministry would embark on a pilot project to create special bus lanes for high occupancy vehicles to reduce congestion on the roads. We are in September 2011, has this been done? He made other remarks such as broadening the road from Kasoa through Mallam to Accra by creating a special bus lane for high occupancy vehicles. Some would be express roads. Yes, this is September 2011. Has this been done? He even made reporters aware that he had been to the UK, Columbia and Brazil to see how their transportation system works and was sending a group of engineers to the Netherlands, Columbia and Ecuador to learn how those countries manage their transport systems in order to replicate them in Ghana. Has this been done?

This is what his own NDC party member said of him,"Our current (and failed) MP, Joe Gidisu, who hails from Devime and Akramador, has not done much to develop his constituency. Central Tongu and for that matter Devime, is a constituency among the least developed rural areas in the country. Roads are impassable, schools are neglected and there are no self-help projects to empower poor villagers. Our member of parliament has nothing to justify his presence in parliament.”, “Our youth are so despondent and frustrated and yet no one cares about them. If you doubt that Joe Gidisu has failed, just look at the scars of despondency, scars of disappointment and frustration on the faces of our party youth in the constituency. Look at how much the constituency has been flooded with gross neglect and hardship.”

Adding “salt” into our injuries.

After, his own party members from his constituency chastised him, this same man purchased a saloon car allegedly, and it is a very common practice for vehicles to be included in project procurement by agencies and departments for the use of project teams and the sector ministry. This is supposed to be traditional in the public service. (What a rip off) The purchased vehicles which are supposed to be public assets and appear in the register of the agencies and or the sector ministry to the best of my knowledge are later auctioned off to these ministers at ridiculous prices when they leave office. Any wonder he wanted the top of the line vehicle? But even the question that begs to be asked is, “Where will he be driving this car?” As his own constituency members claim, “Joe Gidisu had not only neglected the constituency, but also failed to fulfill his promise to construct the road that link Mepe and Sogakope. He only tends to pay too much lip service to the youth and forgetting that his integrity and personal brand must be non-negotiable. There has not been any significant development in the communities within the constituency under his reign.”

The gesture of Asomdwehene “seizing” the car is not enough. It does not heal the wounds that Ghanaians are living with daily while sector ministries acquire luxurious vehicles for each and every project under the guise of “project vehicles” or “contract vehicles” and later selling it to themselves.

How could Joe Gidisu attempt to insult the intelligence of Ghanaians by explaining that, “I mean that car was never a gift to me as Joe Gidisu in office as Minister for Roads and Highways. It was a car bought by an agency under the ministry, that is, the Ghana Highways Authority where we have documents covering the request and the delivery of the vehicle to the Ghana Highways Authority on behalf of the ministry.” “The car is for the office use of the ministry for the state minister and it is not peculiar to the Ghana Highways Authority nor the Ministry of Roads and Highways,”

Mr. Gidisu had the temerity to tell Ghanaians that he is conferring with his legal team to decide legal action. If Ghana Highways Authority can afford a $170,000 saloon car, why can’t they afford to fix our roads? Greedy bastards INDEED!!! (Thanks to Ex-Pres. Rawlings for identifying and labeling them). The contract in question has not even been completed and is on pace to equal the slow progress of all road contracts in the country. Yet, this minister feels he has arrived. Therefore needs to ride in a top of the line BMW 740Li. The Achimota-Ofankor road has still not been completed because of lack of funds. Yet Ghana Highways Authority can find the funds to purchase luxury cars and trucks. It is this same Joe Gidisu who reported that the 7.9 kilometer Aflao- Denu segment of the highway, would cost more than GH¢10 million and that was too much !!!

Joe Gidisu, your dream of riding a $170,000 state-of-the-art BMW 7 series, 2010 model has been dashed. We join the descent people of Central Tongu in demanding a replacement of the minister for roads and Highways and MP for Central Tongu. It is my hope that the people of Tongu will reject this charlatan come 2012 elections. It will be a great service to the nation if HE President Atta Mills finds a replacement soon. This will definitely let Ghanaians know that his pledge to stamp out corruption from his administration is just not lip service.

Kwame Dwamena Dakwa

Indiana, USA