The Chief Executive Officer for the Northern Development Authority (NDA), Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahaman, has refuted allegations of him forging signature of his predecessor to inflate a contract sum.
“Since I came to office, I have not signed a single contract and that I can tell you on authority and people at the authority can attest to that.”
He added, “We need to be cautious about some of these false publications because they bother on people’s integrity and the integrity of the Northern Development Authority”.
In an exclusive interview with THE CUSTODIAN on the sidelines of the NDA Strategic Engagement with Key Investors, the former Country Director of ActionAid Ghana said, “You can see the processes we are going through here, not for the sake that the development partners know who I am, you can imagine the collateral damages it would do to the authority and the personality of people”.
Background
A former CEO of the NDA, Dr Alhassan Sulemana Anamzooya, reportedly petitioned the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, over fraud involving him.
Dr Alhassan Sulemana Anamzoya, in the petition, is said to have accused his successor, Sumaila Abdul Rahman, of fraudulently falsifying figures and forging his signature to cash in a ¢10,400,000 contract.
“Quite recently, my attention has been drawn to a contract purportedly signed by me whiles I was in office as Ag. Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Development Authority (NDA), awarding a Consultancy Service contract to A&Q’s Consortium (A&Q’s) in the sum of ¢10,400,000 under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP),” portions of the petition stated.
Reaction
Responding to this, Mr. Sumaila said he has no idea about this particular contract, adding, “What I can tell you is that, those people are enemies of progress of the north because from what I have seen, anytime we’re making progress then they make destructions to the whole process.”
“And for me, if you look at how the allegation was captured, personally, my picture was put in the front there that I forged a signature and doctored contract documents and inflated the figures which is just completely false. I’m sure you saw The Crusading Guide retraction of what they said, because the petition didn’t even say that.
Otherwise, there are avenues for addressing this but then why go on media frenzy to try to defame people when you don’t even have the evidence” the NDA Chief Executive explained.
Meanwhile, THE CUSTODIAN has learnt, Private legal practitioner, Lawyer Martin Kpebu, has drawn the attention of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to accusations of irregularities at the Northern Development Authority (NDA).
Officer of the Special Prosecutor has commenced investigations into the award of contract for consultancy services to A&Qs Consortium.
A letter dated June 23, 2022 and signed by the OSP, Kissi Agyebeng, has directed the NDA to produce to the OSP all documents relating to the contractual relationship between the Northern Development Authority and A&Qs Consortium, including approval from the Public Procurement Authority.
