Governance Watch Ghana is surprised at the continuous stay in office by the Health Minister Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu following the outcomes of the probe that was undertaken by an ad hoc Committee of Parliament in relation to the Sputnik V contract he entered with Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum of Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Government and people of Ghana.
A couple of weeks ago, the Minister came out to inform the people of Ghana that the country was pulling out of the contract.
Prior to that, the Minister proceeded to enter into the said contract against public caution on the possible effects of transacting such a business. In addition, questions were raised on why the Minister could not use a government-to-government approach in reaching an agreement with the government of Russia for the supply of the said vaccines.
The minister, sometime past, made the claim that the state had expended no money in the said transaction for which the state lost no money. He further gave reasons for which he could not have taken the contract through the needed processes.
It had since emerged that the Minister was cautioned ahead of signing the said contract by the Office of the Attorney-General but blatantly disregarded the caution and went ahead to sign the contract.
It has also emerged that the state had made payments to the middleman contracted to supply doses of the vaccine.
Having regard to his stature as a legislator in addition to him having occupied the office of Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee before which heads of institutions and government parastatal organizations were brought and humiliated for minor infractions, we hold the view that he ought to have advised himself to leave office by now.
Unfortunately, the phenomenon where public officers act in blatant disregard to the sensibilities of the taxpayer continues to be entrenched. The conduct of the Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu is unacceptable, deceitful, and an insult in the faces of Ghanaians.
We wish to impress on him to leave office without further delay. Failure to act on his personal accord, we call on the President, the appointing authority, to show some candor and readiness to protect the meager resources of the state, by asking the Minister off his duty for this wasteful and unacceptable conduct.
We are mindful of the times in which we find ourselves. However, these times should be led with maximum reasonableness in entering into contracts that may come with consequences on future generations especially that Parliament could have urgently considered any such contracts and secure the best interest of the country.
Signed:
Stephen Kwabena Attuh
Fred Adomako Williams
Adotey Michell
054 734 9026