The woes of Deputy Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit (MMT) appear unending after an investigative committee indicted him in the disappearance of buses from the company’s yards across the country.
A draft report sighted by Nhyira FM cites John Awuku Duazah for ordering the movement of the buses from the MMT yards.
Nhyira FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah’s investigations traced some of the buses to private automobile shops in Kumasi and Tamale in the Ashanti and Northern Regions respectively, where they were being repaired.
The five-page report established that Kumasi office of the company was not operating the system of disposal for the first time and was, therefore, conversant with guidelines.
However, out of the six buses declared unserviceable, only three were cut into scraps as required.
The other three, with fleet numbers 2028, 2042 and 2085 were towed to private auto shops for repairs.
The report noted the buses left the premises under the instructions of the Deputy Managing Director, John Awuku Duazah.
He is said to have directed the Assistant Workshop Manager, Nana Tawiah Manu, to fix rear axles and gear boxes on some of the buses to facilitate their movement from the yard.
As a result, the people involved in the schemed relocation of the buses managed to avoid the occurrences being recorded by security personnel.
Mr. Awuku Duazah has denied the allegations.
He told an Accra based radio station that there was no way he could be involved with the alleged disappearance of the buses.
“There was no point in the report that you could find that I have given any directives. First of all, it was wrong; I did not give any instructions or any directive to anybody to move any bus. That is not true. It is false and is calculated to give me a bad name.” Mr. Duazah insisted.
But in a sharp rebuttal, Deputy Operations Manager in Kumasi Alhaji Stephen Abucari who also doubles as Regional Manager, told Nhyira FM the Deputy Managing Director had verbally instructed him to allow the buses out of the yard because, “party people” were involved.
He wondered why Mr. Awuku Duazah will issue instructions and run away from it.
“The buses in question to the best of my knowledge are auction buses. This is what I was told and under the strict directions of the Deputy Managing Director; Mr. John Awuku Duazah instructed that we should allow those three buses to be sent out. And this is not the first time he’s given me [such] a direction.
“He told me they were party guys and that he has no option than to allow them to send the buses. So I don’t know where he is coming from saying that he has not instructed us. You don’t give an instruction [and] when problem starts coming you try to run away,” he said.
Meanwhile, the report indicts managers of the Wa and Bolgatanga offices in the Upper West and East Regions respectively, as well as Tamale, for claiming to be ignorant of the company’s policy on disposal of buses.
Auctioneering company, Big Alhassan Mart, is also fingered in the report for not following due process.
The eleven-point report has angered members of the senior and junior staff who are contemplating reactionary actions.
Vice Chairman of the Senior Staff Union, David Teye Tekutey said the union is not satisfied with the report.
“The reason, why we are not satisfied with the report, is that there are certain details we think the report should have captured but it didn’t capture. We have our agenda but we will not disclose it for now. When the time comes, the whole world will hear of us”, said Mr. Tekutey.
