Accidents split GPRTU

Kwabena Badu-Neoplan GPRTU Chairman The recent spate of road accidents, which has claimed hundreds of innocent lives in the last three months, and destroyed properties worth millions of Ghana Cedis, is not only a source of worry to government and the general public.

Tension has started mounting even among drivers across the country, with some at each other's throat over who is responsible for the accidents.

As at yesterday, DAILY GUIDE learnt that the level of controversy has reached such a crescendo that the main drivers' union, Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU) of TUC was rocked with a blame-game and counter accusations.

According to sections of the members of the Neoplan Station branch of the union, the unfortunate loss of lives on the roads could be attributed to the union chairman, Mr. Kwabena Badu, for his favouritism and nepotism.

They contended that instead of the chairman to address his inefficiency and woeful performance, he and his cronies had resorted to accusing the police for what is happening in the country.

The drivers are of the belief that, the internal corruption in the union is what had been extended to the roads; leading to avoidable accidents. They revealed that drivers who were tired and needed to rest were allowed to load, provided they were the cronies of the chairman.

The aggrieved drivers therefore appealed to the authorities to as a matter of urgency, carry out investigations into the conduct of the chairman to help reduce the unfortunate lorry accidents on the road.

A press statement signed on behalf of the aggrieved transport owners by Festus Effah, said the Commissioner of Police in charge of Technical and Services, Mr. Adu Gyimah, should not be blamed for his comments over the accidents.

“The GPRTU must live up to expectation, by calling Kwabena Badu to account for his stewardship and stop blaming Adu Gyimah and Mr. Ewiase, the Kumasi executive member whose role had led to building of properties for the union in Kumasi”.

The drivers accused Mr. Badu of favouritism and nepotism in allocating drivers to vehicles at the station to his allies. They claimed the chairman had sacked many efficient and competent drivers and replaced them with his cronies, whose driving skills, according to them, were questionable.

Mr. Effah said the national and regional executives of the GPRTU had since 2001 refused to bring Mr. Kwabena Badu, the chairman to order, adding that both executives had been implicated in audit reports.

“It is therefore erroneous to create the impression that the allegations of misappropriation and mismanagement of funds were being instigated by Mr. Adu Gyimah and Ewiase. Such issues should be told to the marine; for probity and accountability must always be a yardstick in running every administration.”

They alleged that due to the greed of the chairman, he acquired 20 of the newly distributed Chinese buses imported by the former NPP administration, and revealed that as a result of that, most of his vehicles were allowed to load even if his drivers were tired.

  By Bennett Akuaku