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In March this year, I saw a story in the The Weekend Today newspaper that said Zoomlion was to partner the Zongo and Inner Cities ministry to clear filth.

I called the sector Minister, Abubakar Sadique Boniface, and told him that I had seen the article but I wanted to provide him with some information before he went on to engage in any contractual arrangement with Zoomlion, if that was his intention. We agreed to meet and discuss the matter. Since that day, all attempts to reach him have failed.

I am not saying he has done something wrong, but whoever is close to him should just alert him that it will be scandalous if he should use the meagre budget to sign any sanitation contract with Zoomlion or any of its subsidiaries. Zoomlion has multiple contracts with all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in Ghana. The Zongos and inner cities are covered by these contracts so he should not sign further contracts. It will amount to duplication and wilfully causing financial loss to the state.

If he needs to spend in the area of sanitation, he should go to his own constituency, Madina, and ask the municipal assembly how they are managing waste there and he will agree with me. It will be better to invest the money on the young men in the Zongos who use the tricycles (borla taxis) to help cart waste from the communities. When the state allocates money in the name of Zongos and inner cities, the money should stay there. It should not be channelled to East Legon or Cantonments or Dzorwulu. We should not see the Sad SADA Story in any form in this government.

Note once again that I am not accusing him of any wrongdoing. As a citizen who cares about the development of the country, I'm only giving information to my minister of state and cautioning him against possible pitfalls.