The Irony Of Ironies: Why Bole Roads Have Potholes

Former President John Dramani Mahama couldn’t be forgiven even when he wasn’t physically present at Ghana’s Parliament House last Friday. Mr. Mahama got booed and jeered by the Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP). The road to his hometown Bole is reported to be in bad shape. They’ve developed potholes perhaps as deep as bored holes. The Deputy Minister of Roads & Highways Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi had appeared before the august house to brief the lawmakers about his ministry’s work plan.

And like a theatrical stage the current Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi in the Northern Region, Yusif Sulemana stood on the floor of the Chamber to ask the minister what his ministry was doing about bad roads in his constituency. All eyes at the Minority side had already rolled at his direction. The eyes spoke... Don’t say anything that would bring us into shame. But it was too late. The roads at Bole/Bamboi need to be fixed and they must be fixed. And this is where the irony rears its ugly head.

Bole is the hometown of Mr. Mahama who was also the MP for the constituency from 1996 to 2008 on the ticket of the NDC. He served as MP for 12 years, vice president for more than three years and president for six years. This, in part is what drew catcalls from the Majority. They couldn’t understand why the president failed to fix his own hometown roads. What in the world was the Mahama administration doing all these years?

Were they building Ghana’s first ever spacecraft to Mars?

Was Friday June 23 2017 the right time to ask about the status of the Bole/Bamboi roads?

As I struggled myself to make sense out of the whole theatrical episode a man who describes himself as Mr. Mahama sympathiser told me the former president had a lot of things to do other than fixing the Bole/Bamboi roads. You’re right!

His other argument was that, the former president couldn’t do the roads to his home town and the constituency roads because he’d run out of time. Who are you kidding? I broke into laughter.

Mr. Mahama had time to cut sods and commission many projects across the country. From KVIP’s, markets, roads, schools to bored holes, hospitals, colleges, super malls, runways, highways, motorways and many more. The question is: Don’t the people of his constituency like many others deserve to have their roads paved and upgraded or have their fair share of the national cake?

I know for sure presidents are not road contractors and they don’t award road contracts. But they‘ve executive powers. And by such powers they can do and undo, make and unmake anything under their watch. They can grant amnesty and clemency. You know about that. In fact president Mahama had the political capital and by that clout he could have easily had the roads to Bole, if not the entire constituency’ roads paved and upgraded.

And who would have cried foul or criticised him? Are Boleans not citizens of Ghana?

What could have been too difficult for the former president to do given the clout he wielded as the Chief Executive at the time?

At the parliament house the Majority shamed the former president and also heckled MP Sulemana. The NDC Minority wouldn’t sit aloof they responded, throwing jabs as well. So is Mr. Mahama to blame for the poor state of the roads in his area?

Don’t t things happen and don’t they happen for a reason?

Former president Kwame Nkrumah built the Tema Township but failed or couldn’t develop Nkroful his hometown in the western region. Wouldn’t that be viewed as comparing apples and oranges in this scenario? Don’t forget it is irony of irony, no matter how you see it, no matter what you think about it. It is what it is. Some things are created to be like what they are, ugly or beautiful they may appear but they serve a great purpose in a grand scheme of things.

Indeed the Bole/Bamboi story fits into this scenario. After a hard day’s work a baker goes to a convenience store to purchase bread. His co-worker sees him and raises an eyebrow. He’s lost of words, completely left open-mouthed. The reason, Kofi is the manager at the store and he’s basically the one who calls the shot.

What’s wrong with this guy? Kofi’s friend wonders.

Kofi has been giving friends; strangers and neighbours free bread every day and even awhile back. So why would he end up at the store buying bread? It’s simply the irony of ironies.

Good news is that the Bole township roads will get done this year. It’s about 80 per cent nearing completion. The Bole township roads had been awarded on contract since September 2014. The contactor abandoned the project. I guess it was payment issue.

The Deputy Minister in response r to the MP’s question said the Dakrupe-Kabilma road, Mandari-Charche road, Mankuma-Kenasibi road and Bole township roads would be completed as planned.

He explained that the Dakrupe-Kabilma, Mandari-Charche and the Bole Town Roads are part of the feeder roads network in the Bole/Bamboi constituency.

According to the minister the Dakrupe-Kabilma feeder road which commenced on May 6, 2016 was expected to be completed on May 5, 2017 but delay in payment for work done had affected the progress of work. The story wasn’t different from the Mandari-Charche road which was also awarded on contract on September 14, 2016. It was expected to be completed on September 13, 2017, noting that the project was behind schedule.

He said the upgrading of the Bole Township Roads and the rehabilitation of the Cocoa Research Institute road at Bole was also given on contract on June 30, 2016 and was expected to be completed on June 30, 2017. However, he hinted work had not been completed because of scarcity of quarry products in the area.

Meanwhile, the Majority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh had questioned why most of the road projects in that particular constituency were awarded between May and September 2016 and whether the Deputy Minister knew that there was enough money to execute those projects awarded at a stretch in 2016.

Mr. Owusu Aduomi said he would not be able to tell whether indeed at the time of the award of the contract there was enough money to execute those road projects in the Bole/Bamboi constituency. So, in conclusion it will be safe to say that Bole roads have potholes because the kitty at the time was as dry as Sahara desert.