John Mahama reacts ‘expired rice’ in SHSs scandal, says NDC will do better

The presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has expressed grave concern over allegations that expired and contaminated rice has been supplied to Senior High Schools.

Describing the situation as unfortunate, Mahama assured that the next NDC government would “review the food procurement system for Senior High Schools to ensure the safety of students.”

His comments were in response to a recent exposé by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Ablakwa claimed that the criminal act was being carried out by a company identified as Lamens Investments Africa Limited in collaboration with the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO).

According to the report, over 33,000 bags of 50kg rice were imported from India by Satya Balajee Rice Industries PVT Ltd. Of these, 22,000 bags were received at NAFCO’s storage facility in Kumasi, while the remaining 10,000 bags were stored at a bonded warehouse in Tema, Lynbrok. When it was discovered that the rice had expired, Lamens Investments and Buffer Stock allegedly repackaged it from the original yellow 50kg polypropylene bags into white 50kg polypropylene bags labelled “CEDAO ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve.”

Speaking during a community engagement in Asawinso, in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality of the Western North Region on Thursday, 14 November 2024, Mahama criticised President Akufo-Addo’s administration for endangering students’ health. He reiterated the NDC’s commitment to decentralising the food procurement system for Senior High Schools.

“When the NDC comes to power, we won’t buy the rice for the schools. The money assigned to feeding the students under the Free SHS policy will be sent to headmasters of the schools like Asawinso SHS to buy the food items like yam, gari, and yaw,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has announced that it has launched a thorough investigation into the allegations. In a Facebook post, the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Kwasi Kwarteng, stressed the seriousness with which the matter is being addressed and pledged that the issue would be pursued to its logical conclusion.

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