The Afenyo-Mankin led nine-member Parliamentary Committee probing the acquisition of Sputnik V Vaccines for the country and matters arising thereof, took a dramatic turn along the line as, tempers rose between the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, and the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh. This happened last Monday during the committee’s sitting.
At the heat of matters Afenyo-Mankin, who doubles as the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Efutu, had to step in, not only to stamp out his authority, but also to forestall order at the hitherto peaceful ongoing probe.
“Don’t let emotions take the better part of you. Calm down your nerves, take some water and don’t hit back. It’s the Vice-Chairman’s job to hit hard for answers to nagging questions. As past Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), you endured same. So let’s avoid this banter, by hitting hard and back,” he pleaded on the Minister, who had charged on the Vice-Chairman for pushing him too hard to the wall.
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It all started when the Vice Chairman, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh who also doubles as Ranking Member for the Parliamentary Committee, in his probing questions on the acquisition of the drugs, pressed hard on the Minister.
“I put it to you that your responses are not accurate!” “Akandoh charged on the Minister. “I also put it to the Vice-Chairman that we are not talking about one specific drug,” The Minister retorted, hitting back at Akandoh. It was at this stage that the Chairman had to come in strongly to maintain peace and order.
At the end of it all, the Minister admitted that he had committed an error in the agreement, acquisition and partial distribution and administration of the drug to a section of Ghanaians.
He indicated that it all happened because we were not in normal times. Also, the desperate request by Ghanaians for the drug following the surge in numbers of affected persons made him commit those errors. He however promised not to repeat those errors. He said he would approach Parliament to seek approval for the 20,000 vaccines that had so far been supplied by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmock Al Maktoum, the Middleman at the centre stage in the supply of the vaccine.
By S. O. Ankamah
