General News of Saturday, 27 July 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
Professor Kingsley Nyarko, the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Constituency, has accused his colleague lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, of deliberately seeking to rope Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, a daughter of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, into the ambulance spare parts scandal.
Reacting to Okudzeto Ablakwa’s latest revelations on the saga on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana program on Friday, July 26, 2024, Professor Kingsley Nyarko noted that the Member of Parliament for North Tongu embarked on an expedition to drag Gyankroma Akufo-Addo into the saga.
In the view of Professor Nyarko, the fact that Gyankroma Akufo-Addo has business relations with Stephen Okoro, who is a key director of the Service Ghana Auto Group, does not mean that she is connected to the awarding of the contract to the company for the supply of spare parts for the maintenance of the ambulances.
Professor Nyarko described as ‘disingenuous’ the actions of Okudzeto Ablakwa and urged him to desist from attempting to tarnish the image of the president’s daughter.
“We are all serving the country and we want the best for Ghana, so if we see some infractions, I believe that as good citizens we should bring them up and seek answers. Petitioning the OSP is a step in the right direction because you (Okudzeto Ablakwa) want the matter to be investigated and that is fair.
“We are dealing with Service Ghana Auto Group and when you were mentioning the names of the board of directors, I heard Stephen Okoro and others but didn’t hear Gyankroma Akufo-Addo. Subsequently, you brought up another registered company where her name was captured, but we have to be fair to our viewers.
“You disingenuously linked this particular Service Ghana Auto Group to the president’s daughter. I want to establish that Gyankroma Akufo-Addo is not part of the board of Service Ghana Auto Group, so why are you trying to link it? For this particular company, she is not part of it," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has confirmed Okudzeto Ablakwa's claims that an amount of $10 million was paid to the company for the maintenance of the ambulances.
It noted that the Ministry of Health subsequently wrote to the Ministry of Finance requesting the establishment of letters of credit for an amount of $34,904,505.00 on behalf of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited for the procurement of spare parts for the 307 units of ambulances.
The Ministry reiterated its commitment to ensuring a sustainable maintenance regime for all fleets procured for the National Ambulance Service to provide reliable, efficient, and safe emergency medical services.
EK