Expired Rice: Deputy Education Minister exposes Ablakwa over claims of meeting FDA

The Deputy Education Minister, Reverend Ntim Forjour has denied holding any meeting with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) over the distribution of ‘expired’ rice to Senior High School(SHS) students across the country.

During an interview on Metro TV,  Reverend Ntim Forjour disclosed that his attention was drawn to some allegations levelled against him by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Chairman of the Assurance Committee of Parliament.

According to him, Ablakwa has alleged that he (Mr Ntim Forjour) received the expired foods from buffer stocks and had a meeting with the FDA but failed to act on it as the head of the Education sector.

Reacting to the report and debunking the claims,  the lawmaker stated “I wish to state categorically that FDA did not have a meeting with me on the expired foods. Whether they were at the storehouses of schools or on the way to schools. There were no instances like that or any engagement that has gotten to my notice”.

He urged Ghanaians to stay calm and wait for the results of the investigations that is currently ongoing before attaching his name to the alleged scandal.

He expressed his disappointment in Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for trying to defame him by attaching his name to the Moshosho rice scandal.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, claims 22,000 bags of expired and repackaged rice were distributed to Senior High Schools (SHSs) across the country in February this year.

According to Ablakwa, in an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on Thursday, 14th November, the National Food Buffer Stock Company conspired with a company known as Lamens Investments Africa Limited to carry out the disservice.

He noted that the rice was repackaged into locally made sacks which bore ‘ECOWAS’ and ‘Made in Ghana rice’, however, there were no expiry dates written on them.

He added that the rice was distributed to various schools before receiving crucial clearance from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

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