North Tongu MP and whistleblower in the expired rice scandal, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the Education Ministry of involvement in the distribution of expired rice to senior high schools nationwide.
According to him, the Ministry either actively participated in or knowingly allowed the act to take place.
Mr Ablakwa disclosed that Ghanaian-owned company, Lamens Investments Africa Ltd, imported 22,000 bags of rice in 2022, repackaged and distributed it after expiry to several SHSs in February this year.
He explained that several schools in Greater Accra received the expired rice and may be at risk of serious health complications including cancer.
Speaking to JoyNews, Mr Ablakwa stated that he had brought the issue to the attention of the Deputy Minister of Education, John Ntim Fordjour, in January 2024, yet the expired rice was distributed in February 2024.
He explained that the Food and Drugs Authority’s investigative committee had discussed the matter with the Deputy Minister, and he expressed surprise that the Ministry was acting as though it was unaware of the issue.
“Why are they pretending that I have brought this to their attention? That is why I insist that we need an independent impartial investigation. The Ministry of Education is complicit,” he said.
His comments follow an acknowledgment by the PRO of the Ministry of Education, Kwesi Kwarteng, that the allegation of expired rice distribution to SHSs provides valuable feedback for the Ministry.
Mr Kwarteng clarified that the Ministry itself does not handle food distribution and supply, as this responsibility falls under the National Food Buffer Stock Company and the Ghana Commodity Exchange.
Mr Kwarteng stated, “It is important to reiterate that we take these allegations very seriously, and we have immediately commenced investigations.”
“We are jointly looking into the concerns or the matters that have been raised. We need certain responses from them,” he said.
“But the most important thing is that we take the feedback as a very positive feedback. We are glad that the Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is bringing this to our notice and we are working on it,” he added.
However, the North Tongu MP argued that political pressure to distribute the expired rice originated from the Ministry of Education.
“It came from the Ministry of Education. And I know exactly who did that. We will smoke them out soon,” he stressed.
Mr Ablakwa reiterated his belief that the Ministry is complicit and criticised the Ministry’s investigation into the issue, asserting that it could not be trusted to be independent.
“I cannot trust that it will be independent,” he stated.
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