News:
October 29, 2013
A Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, Murtala Mohammed, has downplayed claims that just as the STX housing project did not see the light of day, the 200 Senior High School (SHS) project by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will in a likely manner, not be executed.
The STX housing project was an initiative by the NDC government to provide affordable housing for the nations’ security services as well as Ghanaians working in the public sector.
But the STX Housing deal was abrogated by the government following reports of internal wrangling between the partners in the deal.
On Friday, President John Mahama launched the plan for the construction of 50 new SHS nationwide at Ofaakor in the Central Region.
But some critics have questioned the ability of government to build within four years, the 200 SHS across the country as promised by the NDC during the 2012 electioneering period.
The Deputy Minister defended the failure of the STX housing saying, “it was obvious to everybody, except those who want to be pretentious that our inability to provide those structures was not because government was not committed in providing it, but because there was a wrangling between STX Ghana and STX Korea.”
But confirming government’s commitment to the 200 SHS project, Murtala Mohamed said government “is committed in ensuring that we will put this up. We are hopeful that we will be able to put up the 50 schools in the first year. We [government] should be able to provide the good people of this country and students across the country with the 200 SHS.”
He argued that even if government is unable to do build the 50 schools this year due to the slow pace of development following the hearing of the election petition case, “what is important is to fulfill the promise and the commitment that we made that at the end of the four years.
The Deputy Minister also mentioned that the current challenges being faced “in the country will not prevent us from executing certain projects that we consider to be significant or important.”
Citifmonline.com