Transport Minister Joseph Nikpe Bukari has announced that an investigation is underway into the auctioning of more than 300 Metro Mass Transit buses by the previous administration. According to Haroun Apaw Wiredu, Deputy Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit, the buses were auctioned in the run-up to the 2024 general elections, with some reportedly selling for as little as GHS2,500. Addressing journalists in Accra on Monday, January 19, the Minister stated that the ongoing probe aims to establish whether the auction process was transparent and based on merit.
“With respect to the auctions, this is what we discovered, but the boards are reviewing the process to determine if the prices were justified,” he said. He added, “It is not something that I can just say that it was whether over or it was not unduly priced, but it was auctions that they did, and if we need to question or to go into it, I’ve instructed all the management and boards to have a second look at it and then we’ll see what happens next.”
The minister also noted that the current priority is to address the immediate transport challenges facing commuters. “But the reality today is how do we improve on the situation we have at hand, and we have come out with these measures with the unions, and I believe that this will bring some relief to our commuters,” he said.
Source: Nii Ayikwei Okine
