Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on the government to take immediate action against the directors of Lamens Investments Africa for supplying expired food items to Senior High Schools (SHSs) across the country.
Ablakwa expressed outrage over the disturbing revelation, urging the authorities to arrest those responsible for jeopardizing the health and safety of students.
He criticized the government for its failure to effectively oversee the food supply chain to SHSs, a sector that is vital to the well-being of the nation’s youth. The expired food scandal, which has raised serious concerns about the integrity of school food suppliers, demands swift accountability, according to Ablakwa.
Ablakwa’s investigation further reveals that political heavyweights within the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) were involved in the cover-up. Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab, CEO of NAFCO, and the NPP’s National Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye, are named in the scandal.
The MP’s statement comes after reports surfaced of Lamens Investments Africa providing food items that were past their expiration date to various schools, endangering the students’ health and violating food safety standards.
Lamens Investments Africa, which had no previous track record, was awarded a sole-source contract for the rice supply, raising questions about corrupt deals within the government, Mr Ablakwa wrote in his post on Facebook.
Despite admitting guilt and paying part of a GHS 100,000 fine, Lamens Investments has reportedly not paid the full fine, and pressure from above prevented the FDA from fully addressing the matter. According to an internal memo, the initial plan to destroy the contaminated rice was thwarted, and the rice was distributed to SHS students.
Meanwhile, Lamens Investments Africa is yet to react to the findings put out by the legislator.