Local director of STX sacked

The country director of STX Engineering and Construction Ltd, Mr Bernard Kwabena Asamoah, has been dismissed, deepening the uncertainty over the execution of the government's affordable housing project.

The latest development is the culmination of a long-running dispute between the company's Ghanaian and Korean directors over funding for the housing project.

Joy News' Cyrus de-Graft Johnson visited the STX company premises at the Airport Residential Area in Accra on Thursday where he was told by some men, supposedly guarding the company that “he (Mr Asamoah) is no more here”.

The decision on him might have been taken during a board meeting on Thursday. It was believed Mr Asamoah was around while the meeting was underway.

An unsigned notice was posted on the entrance wall of the company detailing his dismissal.

The notice read: “Dear Guest, on August 18, 2011 the Board of STX Engineering and Construction Ghana Ltd has approved a resolution to remove Mr B.K. Asamoah from the Chief Executive Office and Mr George Padi from the position of Deputy Chief Financial Officer. They are not working in the office anymore.”

It was not clear if his dismissal had anything to do with a recent court case by Mr Asamoah to stop moves by his Korean partners to remove him from office.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Works and Housing Committee of Parliament, David Tetteh-Assumeng, although downplayed the effect of the latest twist, he conceded that the sector Minister “has a huge task ahead of” him.

He told Joy News' Dzifa Bampoh on Top Story that funding, a key component in executing the project, has already been secured.

He however refused to provide details as to how much has been contracted and from where, when he was quizzed.

“Oh Anty, what is very important for you to know is that funding arrangement has been secured. And I am speaking on authority that the funding arrangement has been resolved, so the issue of funding is nothing to talk about now, now the execution is what we are talking about.”

Moreover, he said the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Bagbin and his deputy must at all cost find a solution to the impasse between the directors of STX or be forced out of office.

“And I am saying that we are going to give the minister and his deputy some ultimatum to resolve this impasse between these two partners, otherwise, they would have to exit their positions.”

Mr Tetteh-Assumeng was unhappy that the ministry had been unsuccessful in solving the turf war between the partners, admitting it has been a “worrying issue”.

The Minority Spokesperson on Housing and a former Minister of State in the erstwhile NPP administration, Cecelia Abena Dapaah thinks the development was “unfortunate”, stressing that the deal, from its inception, had been flouted with myriad of problems.

He challenged the government to be more candid in telling Ghanaians that the project has failed.

“So far as I am concerned, the STX deal is dead and should be buried,” she maintained.

She also contested claims by Mr Tetteh-Assumeng that funding has been secured for the project.

Meanwhile, Mr. B.K. Asamoah has told Citi FM that he is still at post, stating, "How on earth can I be fired?”. However, attempt by the station to reach him on phone for further comments proved unsuccessful. "BK Asamoah has since turned his mobile phone off," it reported on its website.

Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com