Leave Health Minister's fate to his appointing authority - Nana Akomea tells critics

STC Managing Director, Nana Akomea, has shared his view on calls for Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to resign as a result of his involvement in the Sputnik V vaccine shady deal.

There are incessant calls on the Minister to vacate his office after entering into a contract for the Sputnik V without Parliamentary and Cabinet approval.

During a Parliamentary Committee probe, the Minister said, “I was in a desperate and helpless situation with the management of the covid numbers. In February, we had 78 deaths; by March, we had 56 deaths, and these were the numbers that pushed me to act…if you were the Health Minister, I think you might have taken certain decisions that in hindsight you may not have done those things. The country was not in normal times . . . this was the environment I found myself in and out of desperation, frustration, and so many things".

"I was seriously in a situation that could not make me think properly. I dealt with the Sheikh before the frantic efforts to get the vaccines from the right source. I made efforts, but I did not juxtapose the timing with the efforts that I made. I made that error and in hindsight, it won’t happen again.”

Pressure group ''OccupyGhana'' and other Ghanaians want Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to resign or be fired over the controversial deal through a middlemen, Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum and S. L. Global.

"It is clear to us from the above that the Health Minister entered into an international business transaction and paid or supervised the payment of monies under the transaction without parliamentary approval, without cabinet approval, without Public Procurement Authority approval or ratification and without the endorsing advice of the Attorney-General.

" . . we demand that the Health Minister resigns from office. Even if he meant well under emergency circumstances, those did not justify bypassing our constitutional and statutory processes. If the Health Minister does not resign of his own accord, then we call on the President to relieve him of his post," the group said.

When asked by broadcaster Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' about his position on the matter, Nana Akomea left the decision in the hands of the President, who is his appointing authority.

According to him, Mr. Agyeman-Manu has apologized for his actions, therefore the final decision doesn't lie with him (Nana Akomea) to suggest whether or not he must resign or be fired.

''Now, it's up to the appointing authority. The man has admitted his fault and apologized; it's the appointing authority who will decide whether to accept his apology or not," he said. Read Full Story