The Minority in Parliament, says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s rejection of reports that government blatantly misapplied funds intended for the country’s fight against COVID-19, is disappointing.
The Auditor General in its 2020 report on the government’s COVID-19 expenses, revealed that out of the US$ 2.5 billion mobilized for the fight against the pandemic, only 25 percent representing GH¢5.5 million, was used on health.
According to violations cited in the audit report by the Auditor General, the Information Ministry improperly compensated its employees with an amount of GH¢151,500 for COVID-19 insurance, while failing to deliver US$81 million worth of government-paid vaccines.
The state among other things, is said to have spent US$607,419.02 out of US$4,049,460.12 for the acquisition of 26 ambulances, but the vehicles were never delivered. According to the report, the remainder of the money, was spent on government programmes such as Free SHS, LEAP, among others. But President Akufo-Addo presenting the State of Nation Address on March 8, 2023, noted that the COVID funds were not misused.
“The economic consequences of the pandemic have been devastating. It is precisely because the economic fallout from the pandemic was so widespread and long-lasting, that it is important to show clearly that the COVID funds were not misused. It is critical that we do not lose the confidence of the people that a crisis that they were led to believe we were all in together was abused for personal gain.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Reacting to the matter, Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Governs Agbodza, said the President’s comment on the issue came to them as a surprise.
“I’m somehow extremely disappointed in the President who sought once again to even clear members of his government who are suspected of doing wrong things in the COVID-19 expenditure.
“It doesn’t lie in the mouth of the President to decide to become an auditor of his own government by pretending that nothing went wrong with the COVID expenditure. Mr. President, you are not an auditor, leave that to the professionals to do.”
Kwame Governs Agbodza
Akufo-Addo’s Defense On Misuse Of Covid Funds Distasteful
The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, of dishonesty and untruth on the application of COVID funds, when he appeared before Parliament to deliver his State of the Nation Address.
Though the Auditor General cited some misapplication in the use of COVID funds in its audit report, the President in his address on Wednesday, March 8, maintained that allegations that the government misused the funds, are false and a figment of one’s imagination.
The Ningo-Prampram lawmaker, described the President’s pronouncements as “the most distasteful comment one could make.”
“The President had the audacity to question the Auditor General’s report. President Akufo-Addo has been the worst when it comes to the fight against corruption, and it was distasteful hearing him make all those comments that he had not misused any COVID funds.”
Sam Nartey George
Sam George, further intimated that Akufo-Addo’s mismanagement and corrupt undertakings have taken the country to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), begging for a $3 billion loan facility and as such, the country is being handled by “small boys at Wall Street, all because of his extravagance.”
He also took the President on his assertions, that his government has been the one with the most projects executed and said the President must be challenged to present facts and figures to back his claims.
“It is becoming unbecoming that the President has the effrontery to stand before former president Kuffour and say he had constructed more infrastructure than any other government in the history of Ghana.”
Sam Nartey George
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