Premix fuel Sale At Exorbitant Prices Scandal: Probe Kwahu  East Kotoso Premix Fuel Coordinator Now Boat Operators Urge President Akufo-Addo

The Soureenews.com investigations have uncovered how the owners of the landing beaches of premix fuel at Kotoso in the Afram Plains of Kwahu East District in the Eastern Region have connived with Kotoso Premix Fuel  Coordinating Director, Mr. Baah Asiedu in succeeding in creating an artificial shortage in the distribution of the premix fuel to the boat operators and other intended users.

In this process, the big boat operators have embarked on the strike action since Tuesday, April 19, 2022, which situation has been affecting the economic and business activities on Kotoso market day.

Kotoso is a big market center where people from all over kwahu and even some part of Ashanti come to trade, the Days for the market is Tuesdays and Fridays.

However, the current strike action by the big boat operators has made the passengers, fish sellers, and residents along the Afram River stranded since the only means to transport of crossing the Afram River is by boat.

The passengers in the fishing communities on Afram River are Asempaneye Toklom, Agbokpakofe, Adelakofe, Abokyere, Skye, Sempra, Hehladzi among others would be hard hit by this strike of boat operators.

The leadership of the Boat Owners and Operators Association in Kotoso stated that their decision to go on the strike has stemmed from the fact that some individuals believed to be associated with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Kotoso market have hijacked the premix fuel and selling at exorbitant prices.

They accused these individual personalities of hijacking premix fuel and selling the yellow gallon to them at exorbitant prices of GH¢ 250.00 instead of GH¢ 55.00, making it very difficult for intended users to have access to premix fuel.”

"Some known members of the NPP would buy the premix fuel from the landing beaches at Kotoso at the price of GH¢55.00 and resell it to the fishermen and boat operators at the high price of GH¢ 250.00. This is the corruption that is currently ongoing in the distribution of the premix fuel in the fishing communities along Afram River in Kwahu East District. 

“These behaviors of the recalcitrant members of the NPP members in the district have greatly brought undefined hardship to people along the Afram River, thereby making it difficult for them to even feed their families. Boats are idle, fisher net is left to dry because there is no premix fuel available for them to carry out their daily activities,” the fishermen and boat operators along the Afram River noted.

What even angered them most, according to them, was the decision taken by Mr. Asiedu to lie to the executive leadership of the boat operators in the crunch meeting held in Kotoso on Thursday, April 21, 2022, in the presence of the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kwahu East District Assembly, Mr. Isaac Agyapong.

They argued that Mr. Asiedu lied that the dealers took advantage of the current shortage of the product in the system to hoard the premix fuel and sell at exorbitant prices to fishermen for the which the boat operators stated that there are abundant of the products in the system.

The boat operators described the statement of Mr. Asiedu as a cover-up and misleading, saying that their checks at the national level indicated that there is no shortage of premix fuel in the country.

Although the DCE in the meeting stated that he didn't know about the ongoing poor distribution of premix fuel on all landing beaches at the Kotoso fishing community, the leadership of the boat operators has proved him wrong.

According to the boat operators, they spelled in the letter the details of corrupt practices that had rocked the distribution of premix fuel on all landing beaches at Kotoso and called for an immediate investigation into the rot.

“It has become a lucrative trade for individuals who are not even fishermen who are hoarding and selling the fuel at higher prices," they complained.

In the past, according to them premix fuel in Ghana has always been sold at a subsidized to fishermen and other related users to support their business in other to increase productivity along the Volta lake. 

They pointed out that this has helped the users of premix fuel until the NPP members have created a cartel and hijacked the premix fuel, selling it at exorbitant prices in the dark, adding that this has made it very difficult for intended users to have access.

They lamented that the situation has worsened recently since the greater part of the consignment is sold to other users who are not captured under the scopes. 

They indicated that the National Inland and Boat-Owners Association which is supposed to supervise the sales and its regulations is set aside.

This, according to them has resulted in low control over the distribution of any premix fuel that comes to those who need it to be used along with the communities of Afram River.

They pointed out that this cartel which is been supported by people in authority has a malicious way of handling it. 

According to them, this development has brought a total hardship and low productivity both in fishing and efficient transportation of people and cargo from one community to the other.

The Boat-Owners and fishermen who operate along the volta lake are appealing to the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sit up as a matter of urgency to clear all this irresponsible cartel and NPP members so that the premix fuel can be used for its purpose and intentions.

Strongly, the association is sending a heartfelt request to the government to regularise and to put the right people to manage the premix fuel especially, the new landing beaches which are in the process to be formed. 

They also hope the government's intentions about the premix fuel will be enforced and utilized proportionally to alleviate the pending hardship along the Afram River.