Story by RACHEL QUARTEY
The Minority in Parliament is asking President Akufo-Addo to, with immediate effect, strip off the National Awards conferred on some individuals and institutions on Tuesday, March 14.
Addressing the media on issues arising from the national awards, the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, said the awardees, including the Minister for Information, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu; Frontiers Healthcare Services Limited, and others cited in the Auditor General’s audit of COVID-19 Funds, are undeserving of the awards.
“The Minority in Parliament is deeply concerned about the manner in which yesterday’s National Awards Ceremony held at the Accra International Conference Centre turned out to be a final attempt at clearing persons being investigated by a Parliamentary Committee of Enquiry on their stewardship in the management of COVID-19 funds,” the Ranking Member said.
In a statement signed by the MP for Juaboso, who is also the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh explained that the two ministers are subjects of a Parliamentary probe and that the President, by his move, has only lowered the standards of the national awards.
“We are of the opinion that yesterday’s event lowered the high standards previously set and maintained by previous awardees by commingling deserving and undeserving awardees at the event,” the Minority added.
The Order of the Volta is an honour from the Republic of Ghana which was instituted in 1960 and awarded to people for their outstanding service to the country.
