The Managing Director of A. Zurkalaini Enterprise, Akilu Mohammed has accused the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Builsa South District Assembly in the Upper East region, Daniel Kwame Gariba, of being the reason the balance of his money from the a contract his outfit executed for the assembly has not been paid.
A. Zurkalaini Enterprise was awarded a contract to construct a three-unit classroom block in Kasiesa in the Builsa South district.
According to a letter dated October 24, 2022, which was signed on behalf of the DCE, the total sum of the contract was Three Hundred and Forty -Six Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight Ghana Cedis, Fifty Pesewas (GHS346, 328.50), and it was to be completed within a period of Six (6) calendar months.
“This is to notify you that, following the concurrent approval by the District Tender Committee, the Builsa South Assembly has accepted your bid for the construction of 1No. 3-Unit Classroom Block at Kaseisa in the Builsa South District of Ghana under the above programme in the corrected sum of Three Hundred and Forty -Six
Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight Ghana Cedis Fifty Pesewas(GHS346,328.50) to be completed within a period of Six(6) calendar months”, portions of the letter read.
Mr Mohammed claims he had only been paid Two Hundred Thousand, Forty-two Ghana Cedis and Ten Pesewas (GHS200, 042.10) out of the total sum of the contract, leaving the balance as One Hundred and Forty-Six Thousand, Two Hundred, Two Hundred and Eighty-Six Ghana Cedis and Seventy Pesewas (GHS146, 286.70) after handing over the completed project to the assembly did not understand the delay of the payment of the remaining balance.
Speaking to the media, the MD of A. Zurkalaini Enterprise who was fuming with anger said, all his attempts to get the assembly pay him the balance of the contract had proved futile.
He said, the banks have been chasing him for the loans he took to execute the project, a situation he said, had affected the image of his company and his family.
“The loans I took from the banks have accrued interests, and the banks have threatened totake a legal action against me”, he lamented.
On what he thinks could be the reason for the assembly’s refusal to pay him, he alleged that, the DCE, who is the parliamentary candidate of the New patriotic Party (NPP) in the Builsa South constituency was responsible for the non-payment of his money.
According to him, he found out recently that, the DCE had not given approval yet for the payment of his balance to be made. “My checks at the assembly recently showed that, Mr Kwame Gariba is the reason my money has not been paid to me,” he said. “I was told by a worker at the assembly that, the DCE needs money to run his campaign, and that is why he has halted all payments including my own for contracts executed for the assembly”, he further alleged.
He said, he and his family cannot suffer because of somebody’s political interest. He, therefore, called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah to, as matter of urgency intervene in this matter to avoid any legal issues.
All Attempts to reach out to the DCE through telephone calls to either deny or confirm the allegations levelled against him proved abortive as his two phones rang without response.
