- Scholarship Secretariat denies awarding scholarship to him
The National Scholarship Secretariat (NSS) has denied awarding over a hundred scholarships to the MP for Obuasi, Hon Edward Ennin for the benefit of students in his constituency.
The denial has put paid to wild speculations gaining currency in Obuasi that the MP had secured about 130 government scholarships for JSS and SSS students in his constituency.
The speculations gained credence when the MP recently told listeners of the local Shaft FM Morning Show program, hosted by Francis Boateng that, he had secured about 130 scholarships for needy students and asked students who were interested to see him.
The Chronicle has learnt that, due to the MP?s pronouncement, some people were going round the constituency, selling scholarship application forms to unsuspected students, ranging from ?500,000 to ?1 million.
Reacting to the concerns of the public, the Deputy Registrar of the NSS said, although MPs from different political divides at times tried to obtain scholarships for needy students in their constituencies, the secretariat had not awarded any scholarships to the Obuasi MP as was being alleged.
?In fact, nothing of the sort has happened,? the deputy Register told the paper last Monday afternoon.
The paper gathered that apart from this speculation, Ennin, in June this year, had made a pronouncement on the same Shaft FM and at several places that, he had managed to obtain over 130 scholarships from the N.S.S.
Presenting the scholarships as a feat he had personally achieved for the people of Obuasi, he said beneficiaries would have to see him for forms which they would complete and return to him.
However, when the paper spoke to the MP last Monday after our contact with NSS, he said ?What is wrong if I am trying to get scholarships for needy students in my constituency?
"Are they not Ghanaians? Why are you questioning me?? he asked, when questioned about the veracity of the claim.
According to him, what he had managed to obtain were scholarship application forms for students in the constituency, which would have to be processed and at no point did he say he had secured the scholarships, as was being speculated.
He denied making such a statement on Shaft FM but said, ?I will do everything to help the needy students in my constituency; I will not be deterred by what some people are trying to do against me,? he asserted.
According to the MP, it was some people in his constituency who wanted him to fail, that were going round speculating that he claimed to have secured some scholarships for students in his constituency.
He said he had heard speculations that some people were selling the application forms but when he contacted some constituency executives for the authenticity of the allegation they told him it was not true.
MP Ennin however warned that action would be taken against anybody caught selling the application forms. Meanwhile, in June this year, when the paper?s undercover reporter contacted Hon. Ennin like an interested resident of Obuasi, he had confirmed having secured the scholarships and promised offering one to him on his next visit to Obuasi.
As well, The Chronicle sources at Shaft FM have confirmed that, the MP had told the listeners on the FM?s Morning Show programme that he had secured scholarships for the needy students in the constituency.
It later turned out that what he was in possession of were only application forms collected from the Scholarship Secretarial, which anybody could pick from the secretariat at no fee anyway.
The paper discovered also that, claims by the Obuasi MP that he had obtained university scholarships in China and the United States for tertiary students in the constituency were also false. It is a fact that such foreign scholarships, when offered, are offered to individuals after a need assessment. The notion of a foreign body offering scholarships to an MP for the benefits of unknown beneficiaries is ridiculous.
When contacted, Hon Ennin could not state which institutions or donors made those offers.
