NDC National Communications officer, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi ESQ
Story by: Ishmael Barfi
In the wake of the Auditor General’s report on Government mismanagement of the COVID-19 funds, the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate all Ministers and public officials who have been cited in the report.
According to the opposition party, it is prudent to launch a serious investigations into how COVID-19 funds was spent by Government thus, accountability.
The call was made by the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi ESQ at its Moment of Truth press conference held at the party headquarters in Accra on February 1, 2023.
As he called on the Special Prosecutor, he also called on the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) to expedite its public hearings on the Special Audit Report into COVID-19 expenditures.
The hearing he noted should be televised live for the Ghanaian populace to have the privilege to watch and listen to how Akufo-Addo led government have mismanaged COVID-19 funds.
To ensure accountability and punishing wrong doers, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi ESQ also urged Parliament to compel the Auditor-General to exercise his power of surcharge and disallowance to retrieve all COVID-19 funds that have been misapplied or misused through various infractions and veritable acts of criminality.
To that effect, he also called on the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to relieve the Finance administer, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta of his duties, the Health Minister, Hon. Kweku Agyemang Manu.
Also, should relieve the Minister of Information, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company and all other officials who have been cited in the report for violating the laws of the country in their expenditure of COVID-19 funds.
“We cannot and will not accept any situation where the Ghanaian people will be further punished and made to suffer for the willful mismanagement and destruction of our economy while the thieves in government who continue to milk the state coffers dry are left off the hook to enjoy their loot”, he reiterated.
Adding “We shall not sit aloof and watch the mother serpent of corruption, President Akufo-Addo and his Appearance-Fee-Collection Vice, Alhaji Bawumia whitewash this audit report and sweep it under the carpet as they have done in time past. Enough is enough”.
He urged President Akufo-Addo to act as the world witnessed how the Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera cracked the whip on officials who mismanaged COVID-19 funds and not continue to be the Chief Corruption Clearing Agent he known for.
Interestingly, the Malawian President is on record to have fired his Labour Minister, Ken Kandodo together with nineteen (19) other Officials for using less than $800 of the COVID-19 fund on allowances for a trip to South Africa in the company of the President.
This act by the Malawian President according to the NDC National Communications officer is what decisive leadership is all about, but bemoaned that, in Ghana, officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government receive promotion and patting at the back for engaging in acts of stealing of public funds.
He further to stated that, while COVID-19 was a national health disaster for Ghana, it was a bonanza and an avenue for officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and the New Patriotic Party to engage in the most obscene plundering of state resources never seen before in Ghana’s history.
Explaining that, about GHS82,500,000 of COVID-19 funds were dashed out to New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidates and Constituency Chairmen in all 275 Constituencies across the country.
“As we speak, government has announced a total freeze on public sector employment while our secondary schools are battling with hunger due to shortage of food supplies from the Government. Our children don’t even have access to basic curricular-based text books almost four years after the introduction of a new curricular”.
COVID-19 Mr. Sammy Gyamfi hinted, brought the biggest financial windfall that have ever accrued to a sitting government in the history of Ghana and that, the country would not have been plunged into the economic mess presently find in, if the resources have been judiciously and prudently utilized by the duty-bearers.
“It is a fact beyond dispute that Ghana is now bankrupt and our economy has finally collapsed under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Alhaji Bawumia”, he said.
“Having run down our economy through reckless and inordinate borrowing, stealing, and outright abuse of public funds, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government in a desperate move to clinch an IMF deal which appears to be their last gasp for breathe, has resorted to a Domestic Debt Exchange program which seeks to expropriate the live savings and hard earned monies of government creditors including Ghanaian citizens”.
The above Is as a result of reckless and mismanagement of the numerous resources and funds at their disposal.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
