Efutu MP threatens to sue gov’t

A legal practitioner and Member of Parliament for Efutu, Alex Afenyo Markin has threatened to sue the state over its decision to employ the services of West Blue Consulting to solely operate a national single window at the nation’s ports.

The lawyer is asking the Minister of Finance to withdraw the decision to contract the company to solely handle the project.

A letter dated 12^th  May, 2015 and signed by the Chief of Staff early on directed the Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper to solely engage the West Blue consulting for the purposes of the single window implementation project.It also asked the Minister to explore the possibilities of ensuring that the procurement processes were followed.

The lawyer, on Eyewitness News, however posited that  government’s decision to resort to the comapany to solely undertake the project is illegal since it is “not experienced enough to be in the sole sourcing process.”

“We are writing to the Minister of Finance to draw his attention to the illegality contained in the directive by the Chief of Staff,” said Afenyo Markin.

The Effutu legislator believes government should rather open the process up to equally competent companies with track record to participate in the project.

“The concerns by some businessmen who have interest in participating in the tender process hold the view that they have many more years of experience than West Blue. They believe that West Blue does not have the exclusive technical know how in the single window implementation and for the purposes of fairness and competition, … Government should therefore open the process up,” Afenyo Markin explained.

According to him, government will be breaching the procurement act if it goes ahead with its decision to solely rely on the services of the company.

Afenyo Markin is not the first to raise concerns over government’s contract with the company.

Critics and industry players have kicked against the decision,  arguing that West Blue had failed in Nigeria for which reason the Nigerian government is working to kick them out of that country and recalling some Destination Inspection agencies to come back and work in Nigeria.

The President of the Concerned Freight Forwarders Association, Dennis Effah earlier asked government to scrutinize the activities of West Blue before signing the contract.

“Do we need West Blue now? What is it that the DICs and GCNET’s single window platform is doing that is not right; that necessitates awarding a contract to West Blue?” he quizzed.

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By: Marian Efe Ansah