IMANI Africa President Franklin Cudjoe has described the back and forth over roads constructed by the government as an exercise in futility.
Speaking on The Big Issue, he described it as “political showmanship.”
Mr. Cudjoe believes the people on the ground will be the judges of the government’s claims on the roads constructed.
During the State of the Nation Address this week, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo claimed that the government had constructed some 10,875 kilometres of new roads in the last five years.
“If new roads have been constructed, there are human beings who live in the communities where these roads have been constructed,” Mr. Cudjoe retorted.
“They will be the ones to vindicate the president or otherwise. So, for me, I think this exercise is an exercise in futility. At a point, I thought we were even going to count footpaths as well,” he added.
The Roads and Highways Ministry sought to clarify the President’s figures by saying the 10,875 kilometres of roads constructed included ongoing works on unpaved roads.
According to the ministry, any activity on the road amounts to construction.
The construction work the Ministry said it does on unpaved roads includes grading, gravelling, re-graveling, and spot improvement.
But Mr. Cudjoe intimated that he remained unconvinced by the explanation.
“The language was clear. They said new roads and if there are new roads constructed, we should see them.”
Members of the Minority in Parliament have also challenged the government to provide more details on the new roads it claims to had constructed.