Mahama accepts Dzifa Attivor’s resignation as Transport Minister

President Mahama is convinced he will win a second term come November 7.

President John Dramani has accepted the resignation of Dzifa Attivor as Transport Minister.

A two-paragraph statement from the Flagstaff House Wednesday evening said, “President John Mahama has accepted the resignation of Mrs. Dzifa Aku Attivor as Minister for Transport.”

“Her resignation follows concerns raised over a contract to spray and brand 116 new buses procured by government to improve transportation in the country’s major cities” the statement ended.

Madam Dzifa Attivor announced her resignation today [Wednesday] over a bus branding saga.

Government’s decision to spend a whopping GHC 3.6 million on re-branding 116 buses has angered many  Ghanaians, with the majority questioning how that outrageous expenditure could be approved under the watch of the President.

The buses are embossed with pictures of Ghana’s incumbent President and Ex Presidents both alive and dead.

Her resignation comes barely a day after a report was presented to the Chief of Staff; Mr. Julius Debrah, following an investigation he demanded into the controversial contract.

Details of the investigative report have not been made public yet. It is thus unclear why the Minister has decided to resign even before the report is made public.

There are suggestions Madam Attivor may have been forced to resign since information available to Citifmonline.com indicates that the Minister was not marked out for punishment although there were suggestions she was negligent.

Citifmonline.com is also informed that some persons may be prosecuted for the wasteful spending as recommended in the report.

A statement signed by the Minister’s Personal Assistant, Egypt Kobla Kudoto, to confirm her resignation said “Hon. Mrs. Dzifa Attivor, Minister of Transport wishes to inform the good people of Ghana that, as the Minister with oversight responsibility for the activities of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) she has tendered in her resignation due to the current issues surrounding the branding of the 116 buses.”

Dzifa Attivor

“She further wants to take the opportunity to thank her party for the opportunity offered her to serve, first as a Deputy Minister of Transport under the late John Evans Atta Mills, and later as the Substantive Minister.

Mrs. Attivor also wishes to thank the President sincerely for the honour to serve in his government.

The Minister’s action also comes a day after some seven Ghanaian citizens instituted a court actionagainst government over the controversial contract. A detailed pro-forma invoice for the re-branding of the buses has revealed that stickers on each bus cost Ghc11, 000.

The pro-forma invoice dated 17th July 2015, and signed by the Accounts Officer of Smarttys Management and Productions and copied to the Ministry of Transport; put the total cost of branding for each bus at Ghc30, 420.00.

Smarttys Management and Productions is owned by Selassie Ibrahim, an actress cum entrepreneur and TV personality.

Some advertisers have told Citi News the charges were inflated considering the charges that pertain in the industry for such services.

Government has been harshly criticized for wasteful spending considering that the state could have raked in nearly Ghc5 million cedis a month if it had given out the spaces on the 116 buses for commercial advertisement.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana