The CHPS Compound, which was estimated to cost about Ghc36,000 on record, was to be constructed at Kologu-Zuo to augment the existing health facilities in that community.  However, no staff of the Health Directorate nor officials of the Municipal Assembly could confirm the existence of any such project as contained in the report of PIAC for inspection.

The PIAC uncovered this when its team visited Kologu-Zuo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region to inspect the facility expected to have been constructed in 2017. Dr Steve Manteaw, the Chairman of PIAC, told the Ghana News Agency that GHc35,840.32 of oil revenue was allocated for its construction at Kologu-Zuo in 2017.

“As it stands now there is no CHPS Compound here constructed with oil money and we don’t know where the money has gone to and we will find out during the validation meeting where we will bring all the relevant stakeholders together,” he said.

Authorities in the area, including the Municipal Assembly and the Municipal Health Directorate, said there was no oil money given to the Assembly nor the Directorate to undertake that project. Mr Benjamin Aggrey, the Municipal Director at the Ghana Health Service, said his outfit had no idea of the construction of any CHPS Compound and there was no document that suggested that oil money was used.

Mr Aggrey said there was one CHPS Compound in the area, which was ripped off by rainstorm in 2017 and was renovated by the Municipal Assembly upon request but added that the main construction was not done in 2017.

Alhaji Abubakari Inusah, the Navrongo Municipal Coordinating Director, indicated that the only CHPS Compound in the Kologu-Zuo Community was constructed in 2012 and was rehabilitated in 2017 using the Assembly's Common Fund.

He said in addition the Assembly constructed residential accommodation for the health personnel valued at GHc60,000.00, which was also funded from the Assembly’s Common Fund.  The team further visited the Kori and Zuedema Irrigation dams in the Builsa North District to inspect works in which an amount of GHc1,755,726.00 of petroleum revenue was allocated for their construction in 2012.

Upon inspection it was found that some works had been done including the construction of river banks, canals and fencing of the farmlands. However, Mr Moro Sumaila, the District Agriculture Officer in charge of Engineering and Mr Moses Akaribo, the District Extension Officer, could not explain where the funds came from because the Assembly was not involved in the award and implementation of the project.

Mr Manteaw and his team, in their effort to uncover the truth at the Upper East Regional Irrigation Authority, learnt that the contract was awarded to a company called Municso Limited in 2012, which included a dugout at Tankase in the same District.

Dr Manteaw stated; “The original contract amount was GHc2.5 million and later it was revised to GHc10.5 million. But the total amount at the end of the work amounted to GHc11.22 million.”PIAC was, therefore, unsure of what might have resulted in the increase from the initial amount.

The team further sought clarification from the Regional Irrigation Office to ascertain whether the work done commensurate the total cost, however it could not find answers as the office had no information regarding the contract.