Axim-based 2015 National Best Farmer, Ebenezer Afful of the Western Region, has made some revelations about outboard motors subsidised by the government for fishermen.
Speaking exclusively on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Wednesday, Mr Afful said as a fisherman at Lower Axim, he was never given an outboard motor even after going through the due processes.
“This outboard motor that government delivered to fishermen, I can tell you on authority that I never got some. I have no idea how it was distributed because I applied for it but still never got one. Even to get a form and fill was an issue, a fisherman at Lower Axim told me he has been given forms so I should fill one which I did but when the final list came my name was not part,” he said.
Mr Afful said he did not get any tangible reason why he was not given the outboard motors even after his application.
However, he noticed they were rather given to party fanatics, a situation he described as very worrying.
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He added that even after trying to secure one for himself, some government officials sold it to him at a higher price between GH¢ 14, 000.00 and GH¢15,000.00 when the price was GH¢10,000.00.
Mr Afful’s comment follows an investigation by freelance investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, which revealed that the Mfantsiman Constituency Second Vice-Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) sold an outboard motor subsidised by the government for fishermen at a higher price.
He also accused government officials of deliberately taking details of fishermen with the intention of getting them outboard motors but end up sharing among themselves.
Mr Awuni and his team went undercover to expose the practice.
They got contacts at Apam, Moree, and Biriwa in the Central Region and one in the Western Region, who had the government’s outboard motors to sell above the subsidised price.
At Biriwa in the Mfantsiman Municipality, the undercover team was first led to the NPP constituency women’s organiser who was said to have some machines for sale.
However, the Municipal Chief Executive of Mfantsiman, Kenneth Kelly Essuman, who spoke on the same show, said the Criminal Investigations Department has taken over the case and is investigating the matter.