Transport Minister resigns over bus branding scandal

The Minister of Transport Dzifa Attivor, has resigned over the bus re-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.

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.

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Details of the investigative report have not been made public yet. It is thus unclear why the Minister has chosen the path of resignation even before the report is made public.

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.”

“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. She has already communicated this decision to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama through the Chief of Staff, Mr. Julius Debrah” the statement concluded.

The Minister’s action also comes a day after some seven Ghanaian citizens instituted a court action against 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 pertains in the industry for such services.

They have accused government of misplaced priority 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