Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison believes there is some level of sabotage and foul play in recent reports about the alleged politicisation of free hot meals meant for final year Junior High School (JHS) students.

The president in his 15th address to the nation on measures taken to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus announced plans by his government to distribute one free hot meal to JHS 3 students each day.

However, social media was awash with images and videos of branded food packs and students being forced to recite the campaign slogan of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) before they were handed the packages.

According to Cynthia Morrison, though her ministry has launched investigations into the said reports, she is convinced, based on her interactions with some individuals linked to the reports that they are innocent.

While responding to questions on the back of this, Wednesday, September 2, 2020, the Minister insisted that such cases were carried out by some “overexcited teachers” who had no intentions of malice.

She said, “I saw another teacher, I believe out of excitement was saying 4more4Nana...Those children are not even voting so I’m sure the teacher but we’ve issued a communique that I don’t want anybody to politicise it, because it is a national assignment not politics…”

The Minister also insisted that she had honest conversations with a member of parliament whose campaign pictures were slapped on food packs. Per her narration, she indicated that the said MP had no idea of whatever had been done in his name.

“I called him (the PC whose picture was placed on the food) to find out and he had no idea, he told me what is it, where is it and I said in your constituency…He had no idea. What made me believe him was that two weeks ago they used his picture and the NDC candidate together…So I believe that there’s a sabotage somewhere but we’re still looking into it…,” she recounted.

Mrs Morrison expressed her willingness to follow through with investigations on the identified cases and brief concerned Ghanaians on the outcome of the investigations.

Cynthia Morrison was speaking at the Gender Ministry’s meet the press event held at the Information Ministry.