The NDC caucus of parliament is demanding answers to 20 questions concerning the supply of expired and contaminated rice to senior high schools in February across the country.
This was disclosed in a Facebook post by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa after the caucus presser on Monday.
Read his post below:
The 20 questions we demanded answers to from the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government when the NDC Caucus addressed the press in Parliament earlier today on the criminal and callous re-bagging of over 22,000 expired and contaminated Moshosho Rice from India which was deceptively re-packaged as ECOWAS Made-in-Ghana rice and heartlessly fed to millions of SHS students from February this year:
1. Why has the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government failed to initiate an independent, impartial and credible investigation into this heart-wrenching matter?
2. Why has the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government become spokespersons for the notorious Lamens?
3. Why was Lamens not blacklisted in 2021 when the Auditor-General made damning findings against the company about other unwholesome food items it distributed to schools?
4. Why did NAFCO led by Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab and Nana Boakye permit their NAFCO storage facility in Kumasi to be used by Lamens for this criminal re-bagging?
5. Why did NAFCO enter into this callous and criminal conspiracy with Lamens to put the lives of our students at risk?
6. Why did NAFCO not seek approval from the FDA for the dubious re-packaging exercise?
7. Why has NAFCO failed to comply with the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851) which requires that all NAFCO storage facilities across the country be registered? As at today, NAFCO has failed to comply with utter impunity and continues to put the health of our children at great risk.
8. Is the claim by the Education Ministry that the FDA extended the best before date from December 2023 to April 30, 2024 accurate?
9. If this claim is accurate, can the FDA explain to Ghanaians under what law and authority they extended the expiry date for Lamens as claimed by the Education Ministry. Why did Lamens engage in the criminal re-bagging if they indeed have FDA authorization?
10. What are the FDA’s protocols for such strange extensions?
11. How did Lamens manage to obtain this extension the same day it applied to the FDA?
12. Did FDA authorize the deceptive re-bagging into the ECOWAS bags which also changed the origin of the rice from India to Ghana?
13. Did FDA authorize the re-bagging into packaging that did not contain a best before or expiry date as required by LI 1541?
14. Why did the FDA not destroy the contaminated Moshosho Rice as its internal memo of December 29, 2023 initially recommended?
15. Why is the Ministry of Education compelling High Schools to receive unwholesome re-packaged food items without expiry dates?
16. Why is the Ministry of Education feigning ignorance and why has the Ministry failed to comply with recommendations from PIAC and the Auditor General on improving health and safety protocols on food distribution to our Senior High Schools?
17. Why has the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration not sanctioned any official involved in this grave matter?
18. Who are the shadowy government actors who ensured the release of officials of Lamens after their arrest in Kumasi, and who are the unpatriotic and dangerous government officials who put pressure on the FDA to change their original scientific and professional position on this matter?
19. How did Lamens move from a culpable and fined company to a darling company of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government?
20. Why have the directors of Lamens escaped prosecution all these years?
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
