Dr. Richard Boadu, a GETFund Administrator has cleared the air that it is illegal for the contractor of the Presbyterian Primary School at Oyibi, a suburb of Accra to lock the completed school premises citing lack of payment for the project by GETFund.

He said this in an interview with Dela Michel on Midday Live on TV3, Monday, February 22.

Dr. Boadu reacted to a report by TV3 that the completed Presbyterian school premises have been closed under lock and key, thus forcing students to learn in congested classrooms putting them at the risk of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

He pointed out that the contractor for the Presbyterian Primary School at Oyibi is one Chunabis 1974 Techniques Limited and the consultant for the project is Amalgamated Design and Infrastructural Solutions and have been paid adequately for their services hence have no reason to put the premises under lock and key, citing lack of payment by GETFund.

“The Oyibi Presby Primary School, the contractor’s name is Chunabis 1974 Techniques Limited and the consultant is Amalgamated Design and Infrastructural Solutions, for that one too, the last interim payment certificate that came here in 2019 was paid in 2020, for that contractor GETFund doesn’t owe him anything, I’ve learned that there were some remedial works that he had to do and the consultant told him to do that remedial works before an IPC will be raised here. So technically, looking at things, I don’t see why that project has been locked” he disclosed.

Dr. Boadu further stated that another project, “the Presbyterian Junior High School at Oyibi that has been locked by a contractor called Baltessan Company Limited, and the consultant is one Massoir Consult Limited, for him he brought the interim payment certificate and the contract value has exceeded the 10% fluctuation, so it had to go for ratification, it means that it had to go back to the regional coordinating council for them to ratify before we can do any payment for that project, so for that one, it’s procurement issue and processes that have to be completed before the contractor can be paid, which means that it has to go back to the regional coordinating council before we can do that”.

“When this report came to my notice, I had to do a project background check so I called for a meeting with the contractor and the consultant both to the assembly because I don’t see why this should happen, we’ve paid you as a contractor, I don’t see why a contractor should lock a building that he’s constructing. The project management doesn’t actually give the right to a contractor to lock up a facility, it’s against the law so the assembly should take it up” he charged the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly to pursue the matter.