Nana Akomea, the Vice Chairman of the Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia 2024 campaign, has called for a public inquiry into the controversial ‘expired rice’ allegedly distributed to Senior High Schools, which has raised concerns across the country.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, November 21, Nana Akomea suggested that Parliament would be the ideal body to investigate the allegations thoroughly and provide answers to the public.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who exposed the alleged scandal, has called for the heads of all involved in what he described as the ‘criminal conduct’ of re-bagging expired rice and distributing it to Senior High Schools across the country.
He claims that a number of schools and students have reported complications from eating the contaminated rice, originally imported from India.
Government officials, including the Chief of Staff and the Ministry of Education, have dismissed the allegations as mere propaganda.
However, Ablakwa has produced documents in which the police and the Food and Drugs Authority have questioned the wholesomeness of the rice and called for its destruction.
Nana Akomea argues that a thorough parliamentary probe is required to get to the bottom of the matter, given the contradictory positions and claims.
He noted that Parliament, being the representative body of the people, is best placed to scrutinize government actions and hold the responsible parties accountable.
According to him, a detailed inquiry would help restore public confidence in the education sector and prevent further damage to its reputation.
The Vice Chairman also raised questions about the health implications of the alleged expired rice.
Despite the widespread reports of the rice being distributed to schools, he pointed out that there have been no reports of students falling ill after consuming it.
Mr. Akomea expressed concerns over why no such incidents had been reported if the rice was indeed contaminated, which would have been a key aspect of the investigation.
He further questioned the lack of immediate action to address the situation and urged greater transparency from the authorities.
Mr. Akomea stressed that an inquiry into the matter should not only focus on the quality of the rice but also investigate the distribution processes and accountability of the agencies involved.
“I am interested in what the public is interested in—if there was contaminated food, which is the primary concern, and was the food that was fed to students contaminated even though we haven’t heard of any adverse reports?” he said.
“Was the food contaminated? Was it expired? And if it was, how come it was still fed to the schools? I’d like to see a proper resolution of these matters, but unfortunately, Parliament isn’t sitting. That would have been the best institution to conduct a public inquiry into this issue and summon all those involved,” he added.
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