As details emerge of how the John Mahama led government sunk GH¢15 million into an NGO owned by Roland Agambire, of rLG fame, for a Guinea fowl project which has so far only 600 birds and 20 eggs to show for the money, he has been associated again with another ‘scandal’ of gargantuan proportions.
Asongtaba Cottage Industries, the NGO owned by Mr Agambire, was handed GH¢33 million to plant trees in a re-afforestation project. Thus far, there is little on the ground to show for the huge investment sunk into this project.
According to details emerging from this project, the John Mahama government, through SADA, gave GH¢33 million to Asongtaba for the planting of five million trees. This puts the cost per tree planted at GH¢6.60, a cost insiders claim has been inflated by as much as 70%.
But even then, those who took part in the tree-planting exercise in the North say that less than 300,000 trees were planted in the project which took off in the second half of last year.
It is recalled that on November 27, 2012, the Chief Executive Officer of SADA, Gilbert Seidu Iddi, claimed that it had cultivated 4,200,000 seedlings of tick, mahogany, cassia and shea in the five regions of the SADA ecological zone aimed at greening those areas and reducing climate change effects.
This claim, the New Statesman can reveal, is not true but was only made a few weeks to the December 7, 2012 elections, solely to boost the electoral chances of then caretaker President, John Dramani Mahama.
Evidence available to the New Statesman shows millions of Ghana cedis of cheques were issued from Ghana Government accounts into accounts of Asongtaba in Stanbic Bank, Access Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank just weeks before the election.
Ongoing investigations by this paper suggest that hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis was spent in the last few weeks to the election to allegedly “buy and steal votes.” The details are shocking and go to show how much of the taxpayers’ money was used by the NDC to influence the election, only to come back after the election to demand of the people to tighten their belts and pay for the record overspending of 12.1% of the budget. |
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The Face Behind GHc12m Guinea Fowl Project RLG BOSS
The New Statesman can disclose that the Chief Executive Officer of Ghanaian Telecommunications company, rLG communications, Roland Agambire, is the face behind Asongtaba Cottage Industries & Exchange Programme, the company behind the GH¢12 million Guinea fowl project.
The guinea fowl project is a joint partnership between Asongtaba Cottage Industry and Savanna Accelerated Development Authority.
Chief Executive of SADA, Gilbert Iddi, in justifying the investments, said model farms had been established in five regional capitals, with many more farms expected to be established in all the regional capitals.
SADA is the initiative of President Mahama, who is said to have influenced all projects, as well as major decision, of the Authority.
Checks conducted by the New Statesman at the Registrar General’s office indicate that Mr Agambire, a businessman with very close links to the President John Mahama, is the member of the Executive Council of this Asongtaba Cottage Industries and Exchange Programme, which was incorporated in the year 2004 and registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation.
A Joy FM news report, filed yesterday by its Upper East regional correspondent, Albert Sore, revealed that the incubators on the guinea fowl farm, for which government sunk GH¢12 million, housed only 20 guinea fowl eggs.
Also, through Asongtaba, the John Mahama-led NDC government took out GH¢33 million and said it used that to plant five million trees. This puts the cost per tree planted at GH¢6.60, a cost insiders claim has been inflated by 70%. But even then, those who took part in the tree-planting exercise in the North say that less than 300,000 trees were planted in the project which took off in the second half of last year.
Further evidence available to the New Statesman shows millions of Ghana cedis of cheques issued from Government accounts were paid into accounts of Asongtaba in Stanbic Bank, Access Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank just weeks before the election.
Ongoing investigations by this paper suggest that hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis was spent in the last few weeks to the election to allegedly “buy and steal votes.” The details are shocking and go to show how much of the taxpayers’ money was used by the incumbent to influence the election, only to come back after the election to demand of the people to tighten their belts and pay for the record overspending of 12.1% of the budget.
The objectives of Asongtaba (translated from Guruni to mean ‘You scratch my back I scratch your back’) as spelt out on the ‘Form 3’ of the Company’s registration documents include: “To establish and train the youth in cottage industries like basketry etc., with the view to making them self employed; To help members in times of need; and To engage in cultural exchange programmes.”
The business occupation of Roland Agambire, as stated on the form is that of an “Exporter” with residential address “H/No. 485/3, Madina, Accra”.
As of 2004, four other Directors of the company included Miriam Ajavon, Lucy Ajavon, Paul Ajavon and William Asare. Strangely enough, all four directors have the same residential address as Mr Agambire and are all “Exporters”.
The Secretary of the company, as stated on the registration form, is one Gregory Yeye, who is also an “Exporter”. “Eddie Nikoi Accounting Consultancy” is the company that has been provided on the registration document as the Auditor of the company.
However, a notification in the change of directors was made to the Registrar General’s Department on October 30, 2009, where the original directors in the persons of Lucy Ajavon, Paul Ajavon and William Asare, all resigned from the company. George Yeye also resigned as secretary of the company and was replaced by Miriam Ajavon.
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