I won’t resign over ambulances, vows PS

I won’t resign over ambulances, vows PS

 By Tony Nkhoma

EVEN if I am not able to deliver I will not resign, Local Government and Rural Development permanent secretary for technical services Nicholas Phiri has said in a dramatic U-turn.

Phiri yesterday developed cold feet and told the nation despite publicly vowing that he would resign from government if the ambulances procured under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) were not delivered before May 2025.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Phiri refused to bow to public pressure to honour his promise, saying he would not resign despite the failure by the supplier to deliver  the 156 CDF ambulances on time.

“So the point we were trying to outline at that particular time was to emphasise that by the 1st May they’ll be delivered, all things being equal. And I said, if we don’t, we’ll come back to you and tell you that we are not able to,” Phiri said.

He said he had a job to ensure that he was accountable to the people and to make sure that he delivered the 156 ambulances.

“So I’m not able to deliver. I procured 156. I’m not able to deliver because it is beyond my control. So what do you want? Okay, I resign because I said I’ll resign? Then the ambulances don’t come? Will it bring the ambulances? No,” Phiri said.

He said many of his colleagues in the United Party for National Development (UPND) were confident that despite his lies to the people of Zambia, he was not going to resign.

“And I can tell you that many of the people have the confidence that I’m not resigning because I have a job to ensure that these ambulances are delivered to you at the right price, at the right quality. I think that was about it. About failure to deliver and resign? No,” Phiri said.

He said public trust was built by being open, having frank dialogue without any malice behind.

Failure to deliver did not mean failing to procure.

He said people were fighting interests that they did not know because the issue of ambulances was a roller coaster.

“So, resigning? No. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here until I deliver those ambulances. And I’ll deliver them,” Phiri said.

Government has failed to honour its political statement tied to integrity made to the people of Zambia that it would deliver all the 156 ambulances by May 2025 but has only managed to procure 79 ambulances and not yet delivered.

Zambians have questioned the capacity of the supplier with many suspecting corruption in the manner the tender was awarded, which government has vehemently parried.