The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Tricycle Motor Operators (Motor king) Association in the northern region is accusing the authority of failing to adhere to the agreement both parties signed.
The operators and SADA signed a two-year agreement on the payment modalities and one year maintenance of the motor kings which were sold to them on high purchase. SADA under the agreement was supposed to service the tricycles for a year with subsidised spare parts but has not been doing that.
The association also accuses SADA officials involved in the tricycle project of extorting monies from them through inflating prices of spare parts. The motor king operators, mainly unemployed youth groups were sold the tricycles at fourteen thousand four hundred Ghana cedis (GH¢14,400.00) and were required by the terms of the agreement to make a monthly deposit of six hundred Ghana cedis (GH¢600).
In addition, the operators under the agreement were also bound to make weekly deposit of one hundred and fifty Ghana cedis (GH¢150) and daily deposit of twenty-five Ghana cedis (GH ¢25) which they have fulfilled.
Other complains the operators outlined is that the motor kings were given sold to them without crash helmets and tools, a move they consider unusual. In the open market, however, the motor king is about five thousand Ghana cedis depending on the dealer.
According to them, the support was a good initiative by SADA but the issues stemming from the agreement will not benefit unemployed youth and will ultmately defeat the purpose of the initiative.
At a crunch meeting on Saturday at Gurugu in the Sagnariu District, the operators threatened to stop making further daily and weekly deposits to SADA if the tricycles are not maintained by the authority as agreed.
Chairman of the association, Mohammed Damankung, warned all agents to desist from threatening operators that they will repossess the tricycles. After Zaa News broke the story, some agents who were involved in getting the tricycles for the youth started issuing threats of repossessing the motor kings.
But Mr Damankung who is also a mechanic told Zaa News that any attempt by any agent to repossess the motors will be a recipe for disaster. He urged all those operating with tricycles to stay strong.
Responding to the concerns, the communications officer of SADA, Paul Twum-Barimah in an interview with Zaa News said the authority has not reneged on its responsibilities and urged tricycle operators to exercise patience. According to him, experts are auditing the tricycle project and assure operators that SADA’s aim of addressing poverty among the youth is still intact.