The Concerned Youth Groups of NPP in the Tamale Metropolis have accused the board chairman of the Northern Development Authority (NDA) Dr Hakeem Ahmed Wemah and the party’s regional Chairman, Mohamed Samba of instigating the dismissal of Dr. Alhassan Sulemana Anamzoya as CEO of the NDA.
The youth in expressing their surprise at his dismissal, alleged that the board chairman and the NPP’s Northern Regional Chairman masterminded the dismissal of Dr Anamzoya due to his resistance to their unlawful demands.
According to the group the authority some time ago secured a $3 million fund to invest in agriculture within the NDA’s catchment area. However, in their words “Dr Wemah wanted to play smart on this project by wanting Dr Anamzoya to award the contract to his own company –the Tamale Implement Factory Limited (TIFL).
They indicated that Dr Anamzoya rejected his proposal since this would amount to a conflict of interest situation and that led to sour relationship between these two personalities. Hence Dr Hakeem started working against the former CEO of NDA, Dr Anamzoya.
The convener of the group Mohammed Abdul Manan, in a press statement indicated that the NDA consists of 12 member board of which Northern region has no representative “this is unfair treatment to northern region,” Abdul Manan addressing the media, however called on president Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo to immediately reinstate Dr Dr Anamzoya and dissolve the board as it has over stayed its usefulness.
Story By: Alhassan Yakubu
Read the full statement below:
STATEMENT PRESENTED IN A PRESS CONFERENCE.
14TH APRIL 2021.
THE NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY STORY AND NORTHERN REGION CEO IN PERSPECTIVE.
Good morning distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the press and thank you for honoring our invitation to be part of this press conference. We called you here this morning to help carry our grievances to those who matters as far as Northern Development Authority (NDA) is concerned. The NDA was established by NDA Act, 963, 2017 to provide a framework for the comprehensive and long-term development for Northern Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana.
Dr Alhassan Sulemana Anamzoya was appointed CEO of NDA on December 2019 barely a year and four months and was dismissed in a very controversial circumstance. The time period he served was so meager for one to use as a baseline period to assess the efficiency of Dr Anamzoya. The question that then needs to be answer is why was he sacked?
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, the first issue that comes to mind is the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Projects ( IPEP). The Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) is a new development approach which aims at providing basic socio-economic infrastructure at the constituency level. This innovative approach is designed to help accelerate the eradication of poverty and address the various forms of inequalities manifesting itself in the country. IPEP is in two folds; Government priority projects and Constituency Specific infrastructure needs. The Development Authorities namely; the Northern Development Authority, Middle Belt Development Authority and the Coastal Development Authority are special purpose vehicles for the disbursement of $1 Million into cedi equivalent to each of the Two Hundred and Seventy-Five (275) Constituencies to undertake Infrastructural projects across the country.
Another issue that led to the sacking of Dr Anamzoya is criminal intent of the board chairman of the NDA, Dr Hakeem Ahmed Wemah. The authority some time ago secured a $3 million to invest in agriculture in the NDA catchment area. Dr Wemah wanted to play smart on this project by wanting Dr Anamzoya to award the contract to his own company called Tamale Implement Factory Limited (TIFL). Dr Anamzoya rejected his proposal since this would amount to a conflict of interest situation and that develops a sore relationship between these two personalities. Dr Hakeem has since been working against the CEO Dr Anamzoya.
Dr Hakeem wrote to the public service commission requesting for Dr Anamzoya to be call for interview, knowing very well that CEO’s in general are supposed to serve for 6 months to 1 year before they are called to be interview. This was the first move of Dr Hakeem to sabotage the CEO of NDA for rejecting his proposal to award a $3 million Corn Sheller machines supply contract to Tamale Implement Factory Limited (TIFL) which is a well-known registered company belonging to Dr Hakeem.
Dr Anamzoya refused to attend the interview because that was not the right time for the interview, ten (10) month later upon assumption of office Dr Hakeem again wrote to public sector commission to call Anamzoya for the interview but failed to notify him on time. He only notify the CEO in three days to the interview date. Dr Anamzoya attended to the interview but the Board Chairman again failed to inform the CEO and the board members the outcome of the interview. After all these the board chairman wrote to the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo without informing the CEO again only for the board to serve him a dismissal letter.
So ladies and gentlemen of the media this is not just a sabotage to Dr Anamzoya but rather collaborated disservice to Northern region
The 18 constituencies of Northern region had it fair share of the $1 million per constituency but some political influential persons wanted to grab the said projects to the detriment of society. Chairman Samba sometimes ago approached Dr Anamzoya to award the said projects of the 18 constituencies to him and his cronies. But the CEO of NDA knowing the number of projects chairman Samba is holding on to but failed to work on them denied him the projects and rather awarded same to various contractors in the region and that became debacle between chairman Samba and Dr Anamzoya. The regional Chairman (Samba) threatened to get rid of Dr Anamzoya CEO of NDA because of the said projects he denied him.
He form a cabal with the board chairman of the Northern Development Authority and got Dr Anamzoya Sacked. Now, why should Chairman Samba the NPP northern regional Chairman Feels relief to connive with the board and got Dr Anamzoya the only person from northern region among the top hierarchy sacked?
Looking at the composition of NDA its consist of 12 member board of which Northern region has no representative this is unfair treatment to northern region, we have well educated chief and other well equally educated personalities who are more than qualify to be part of the board. The board is not whole heartedly serving the interest of people in the NDA catchment areas, we therefore call on His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo to bring back Dr Anamzoya and dissolve the board as it has over stayed its usefulness.
Thank you for coming.
Ass. Secretary ( CORNCERN YOUTH GROUPS OF NPP TAMALE)
……SIGNED……
Mohammmed Abdul Manan
0243888133/0261118866
