Hawkers pose as toll collectors at Kasoa tollbooth

Some hawkers at the Kasoa tollbooth have taken advantage of the free toll directive to extort money from unsuspecting motorists.

According to tollbooth attendants who were picketing at the facility on Friday, the hawkers told drivers who are not aware of the directive to drop their monies after which they scrambled for them.

“The hawkers are taking money from the drivers but I accosted them to stop. If they don’t stop it, in the end, we will be accused of doing it and that will add to our predicaments,” an attendant, Ms Susan Quaicoo, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The about 12 tollbooth attendants had gathered at the facility in anticipation of a directive for them to return to post.

This follows an order by Mr Sumana Kingsford Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament to Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, the Minister for Roads and Highways, to with immediate effect, reverse his directive for the cessation of the collection of road and bridge tolls in the country.

Mr Amoako-Atta on Wednesday, ordered all road and bridge tolls to stop effective midnight of Thursday after Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister of Finance had announced the decision in the 2022 Budget Statement which was to take effect next year.

But describing the directive as “illegal”, the Speaker of Parliament cautioned that “failure to do so will be a serious breach of the directives of the Speaker and that could amount to contempt of Parliament.”

Speaking to the GNA, some of the attendants, said they were waiting for Mr Amoako-Atta to retract his order so that they would return to post.

They said even though the cubicles of the booths were opened, they needed the green light from their supervisors to work.

“This is Ghana, we don’t back words by actions. If we say we are waiting for the Minister, we may end up staying at home forever. Some time ago some of our people were asked to stay at home and that they would be called back in no time. It took them one year to return,” Ms Eva Eugene revealed.

“If I stay at home, what am I going to eat with my children at home?”, she queried adding that they needed to demonstrate their seriousness by being at the post.

Mrs Grace Danful, another attendant, said they would not rest until they got a favourable directive.

“We heard we will be re-assigned us but at the same time, we hear the government’s the payroll is full. And so we have to be around in case we are recalled”, she added.

Source: GNA