It is currently largely unoccupied and the compound is overgrown with weeds, but the Mills-led administration says that it so far blown a total of one billion, two hundred and twelve million (GH?121,443.71) on renovation works carried on the unoccupied Flagstaff (Jubilee) House between 2009 and 2011.
According to EnockTeyeMensah sector minister for the Water Resources, Works and Housing ministry, fumigation of the entire edifice cost 485million old Ghana cedis (GH?48,956.99) whilst maintenance and repairs of Central Air Condition systems (Water-Cooled Chillers) also cost the state 415m (GH?41,554.57).
He has further revealed that maintenance and servicing of generators and minor renovation works on electrical fittings also cost 262million old Ghana cedis (GH?26,291.15) whiles supply and installation of 2 air conditioners and re-routing of server room also cost 46million (GH?4,641.00).
The minister made these revelations while answering questions in Parliament on renovation works so far done at the Flagstaff House and how much has been spent from 2009 to date. The question was posed by Stephen Yakubu, MP for Binduri. The Minister stated that there is nothing wrong with using the said amount to renovate the edifice in spite of the fact that it remains largely unoccupied.
On the affordable houses which have been taken over by squatters, the minister noted that, to be able to complete the project, the ministry had to undertake a number of very important tasks including technical audit of why the program has come to a standstill, the exact status of each single unit of housing, who were the contractors working on the project and how many were on site.
He further noted that the technical audits also includes how much more it will cost to complete them and where the money will come from and the revaluation of the housing units and the determination of the mode of allocation.
Enoch Teye Mensah told Parliament that their investigations revealed that the project had been held up due to a host of reasons. One major reason according to him is that the previous administration for some strange reason asked the ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing to procure the building materials for the project and supply them directly to contractors working on the project.
This he claimed was a disincentive to the contractors and consequently compromised the diligent execution of the works. He added that, it also meant that the rate of construction depended on the ability of the ministry to mobilize financial and other resources to supply the building materials.
The minister further claimed that, 61 contractors out of the total 388 contractors who were paid advance mobilization did not move to site at all or did very little work. The minister told Parliament his ministry has initiated action to get those contractors to refund the monies paid to them.
He told Parliament that government has decided to source funding to complete these housing projects as a result of which a committee has been put in place to advice government on how to proceed to complete the project and ensure that the initial investment by government does not go waste.
Report by Joan MENSAH / Daily Searchlight Newspaper
