The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has said his ministry is replete with “thieves” and “corrupt” people.
These people, according to him, are aiding and abetting haulage truck drivers who enter Ghana’s borders with loads that weigh way more than the standard requirement.
He complained that these truckers from neighbouring countries manage to bribe their way through with their excessively heavy loads and park along the ears of the highways, thus, destroying Ghana’s road infrastructure.
A very angry Amoako-Attah told journalists that while the truckers are afraid to overload their vehicles when entering their own countries, they freely flout Ghana’s laws with impunity through the connivance of port, customs, and police personnel.
Mr Amoako-Attah wondered how the truckers find their way into the country with excess loads when there are axle load centres dotted around the Tema Port and along the highway.
“There are people in my own ministry who are involved in this kind of thing. We have a number of axle load centres from here to Paga, but they pass through,” the Minister lamented.
He said those who connive with the truckers do so in exchange for bribes but philosophised that no matter how much money they make through such unethical conduct, they would, like all human beings, die and leave everything behind.
“There are a lot of corrupt people, there are a lot of thieves in my own ministry. You sack them, employ new ones and when they come the new ones are even worse than those that you sacked”, the minister said.
Mr Amoako-Attah also expressed disappointment in the police for looking on while the long haul truckers flout Ghana’s traffic laws with impunity.
He said whether the truckers have to pay or not for the excess load, “somebody should be apprehending them first”.
“Who is apprehending them?” he asked.
“And if they are driving, whether in the day or at night, you and I will not be there. You’ll be working. I’ll be working. Those whose duty it is to check them and apprehend them are disappointing this nation,” he pointed out.
“I expect that, surprisingly, the police should come in and arrest all the drivers”, he exclaimed.
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