NDC Owes Congress Drivers

Information reaching Daily Guide indicates that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is yet to pay some commercial drivers for engaging their services during the party�s national Delegates� Congress held in Sunyani about three months ago. Local drivers in Sunyani say party officials have refused to pay their wages though they were contracted to convey party supporters and delegates from nearby towns and villages to the venue. One of the affected drivers, Richard Larbi, a 207 driver, is threatening to sue the NDC in order to retrieve his money. He told Daily Guide that he contacted party officials at the NDC office several times to demand his money, adding that the last time he went there he was almost assaulted by some party people who warned him not to come to the office again to demand money. According to him, in his attempt to retrieve his money he reported the matter to the wife of the regional minister and other high-ranking party officials, including the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Kwasi Oppong Ababio but nothing positive has come out of it. �My car owner constantly demands the money, he thinks I have secretly squandered it, a situation which is threatening my job. �I am now compelled to drag the party to court to retrieve my money because that is the only option left since their action is deliberate.� Mr Larbi told Daily Guide that he was first asked by the party officials to convey some delegates and party supporters from the Sunyani Airport to various locations in the municipality on July 8 and was paid GH�100 just after finishing the day�s job. He mentioned that on the second day, July 9, he was asked to go to Wawasua and its environs, near Sunyani to convey delegates and party people to the venue, stressing that the day�s wages of GH�100 was not paid to him and efforts to get it has led to some verbal and physical attacks. When contacted, the Sunyani East Constituency Secretary of the NDC, Adamu Mohammed aka Ahmed, who engaged the services of the drivers, confirmed the story. �It is true that we hired his vehicle. As a delegate I gave the money to one Bob Zicko to give to the drivers, but the money that should have been given to him was given to somebody else,� he said. According to him, on the congress day all the party officials left the party office for the Coronation Park, where the congress was held so when the driver came to the party office there was nobody to attend to him. �We have decided to pay the money to him because we wasted his day. We are aware of the problem and we are looking for money to pay him,� Ahmed added. The secretary could not state when the NDC would pay the poor driver, but stressed that the party was expecting some monies.