RE: UNIVERSITY OF GHANA ROAD TOLLS; HEIGHTS OF HYPOCRISY AND MORAL INSUFFICIENCY


Knowing that the issue of the legality of whether or not University of Ghana has the legal authority to impose road tolls is quite debatable, I would rather pose a few questions to the moral conscience of Members of the University Council and Management of the University who approved such a policy. As it stands now, it is not clear whether the imposition of the road tolls will qualify as a tax under the article 174 of the constitution, 1992. Maybe the courts can clear that for us.

My first question is this, if there is the need to charge a road-toll at all, why would the University like to charge 100% higher than what the state charges on our major roads? On our major roads, private cars are charged 0.50p and the University of Ghana is proposing to charge GH¢ 1.00 for private cars and GH¢ 2.00 for commercial cars.

Secondly, what is the reason for the charge?  Is it to pay off the loan they contracted to repair the University roads or it is to control traffic inflow into the University community. If the road toll is meant to pay off the loan, then what is the justification for exempting university staff? Between University staff and students, who is wealthier than the other and who will use the road more than the other averagely? Should the poor student after paying his/her school fees also pay for construction of roads which are the property of the University? It is my opinion that if university management and staff are to be exempted, then students are to be exempted too. Let us take the wisdom in the words of John F Kennedy when he said “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."  It would be very ridiculous if parliament said that because it is the lawmaking body, all parliamentarians should not pay tax.
If the university answers my second question with the other option that it is charging the toll to control traffic inflow, this would be a good reason to charge anyway, but in that instance too, it would not be reasonable to ask students to pay since they are supposed to be the ones to be protected by such control measures.

I have posed these questions because; I find that, the corruption that has engulfed our nation is not only as a result of poor Political leadership. It is also attributable to the wrong moral education that we are giving as part of our experiences with the decisions and life styles of our teachers.

It is my hope that a careful reader of your publication will find wisdom in my few words.

Thank You.

Richard Nii Amarh
Concerned Student
University of Ghana, Legon.
niiamarh@gmail.com

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