Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and seasoned Lawyer, Obiri Boahen has opined that the existence of toll booths are good for a developing country like Ghana. He explained that the cessation of toll was problematic because the country was losing money that could have paid for the construction of good roads in parts of the country.
He said as someone who has travelled around the globe extensively, he has been able to see the development that has been achieved from monies collected at the toll points spread across several developed countries.
Lawyer Obiri Boahen continued to say that it sounds unreasonable for government to abandon a system that continued to support the expansion of road infrastructure in the country saying that “we are not being honest with ourselves. The existence of toll booths are good for us”.
He said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East on the back of comments by the Minister for Roads and Highways, Amoako Atta, to turn the existing toll infrastructure to public places of convenience.
It would be recalled that the Minister for Roads and Highways directed the cessation of tolls after the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy was read. The Minister, Mr. Amoako Atta argued that the directive was to prevent fisticuffs at the various toll collection points.
Lawyer Obiri Boahen who was displeased about the developments over the past few weeks said it is even more worrying “when you have people from your own political parties telling you off because you are making objective submissions; responsible and reasonable submissions. It is so painful, when you make these reasonable comments, some people in your own party will say Obiri Boahen speaks too much”.
He continued to say that Ghana could have opted to automate the toll collection system, as has been done in the Ivory Coast, to enhance transparency and accountability. “I have been reliably informed that in La Cote D’Ivoire, from 6 am to 6 pm, the total amount of money that has been collected through these toll booths, automatically, you have the results at the Finance Minister’s office”.
“Automate the toll booths, give the toll booths to private companies,” he opined.
Meanwhile, Former MP for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini said he finds it difficult to understand why the current Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako Atta would think that constructing places of convenience in the middle of the roads would be a practical use of the abandoned toll booths.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break upper East, Mr. Fuseini questioned when it became the prerogative of the Roads Ministry to consider the construction of public restrooms, a job, he [Mr. Fuseini] maintained only remained within the ambit of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
