Former Volta River Authority (VRA) Chief Executive, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey has called on President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss from office the National Security Coordinator for authorizing the demolition of a toll booth at the University of Ghana.
Col. (rtd.) Larry Gbevlo Lartey, on Tuesday dawn, ordered the demolition of the yet-to-be completed toll booth at the entrance to the University at Okponglo erected by the school’s authorities to collect road tolls from motorists entering the university.
The University started collecting user charges to recoup a $2.3 million loan it says it contracted for infrastructural development on campus. The toll collection has incurred the displeasure of the public resulting in two students of the University taking the matter to court. The case is yet to be decided on though.
The National Security Coordinator told the media that the structure had to be pulled down because it was a “public nuisance” and was wrongly cited.
“They have started some construction at that point which I can see the intent to turn into a toll booth when completed and that has been removed because it cannot be there…there are two parts of this, the first thing is that it shouldn’t be there in the first place because they are causing complete nuisance to everybody and the second is that their intent to construct a toll booth there must be stopped now before they complete it,” Larry Gbevlo-Lartey said.
But commenting on the issue on Asempa FM Tuesday, Tarzan, who doubles as the Chief Policy Analyst at the Ghana Institute for Public Policy Options (GIPPO), opined that “If the president doesn’t fire him (Gbevlo Lartey), then it means he ordered him to do what he did”.
“Prez Mahama must show the people of Ghana that he has not lost control and did not bless this act of ferociousness and hooliganism. We voted for him so if he refuses to hang on his authority to fire Gbevlo…we will vote him out,” he said.
He added that, “we don’t operate by jungle laws anymore. He (Gbevlo) has no business doing this under civilian rule”.
He described the recent demolishing acts being carried out by some state agencies with the tacit approval of the security services as an action being perpetrated by “indiscipline army and police force”.