Kofi Jumah dares Dep. Ashanti Regional Minister

*over dismissal of GSFP workers

Member of Parliament for Asokwa Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, says the decision to terminate the appointments of workers providing catering services under the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP) in the Ashanti Region was inappropriate.

Ms Animah Wilson, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister last week lay off workers in the region under the SFP and requested that they re-apply – a decision which has come under heavy criticism by local government experts.

According to Kofi Jumah, no minister has the power to hire or fire workers of SFP in their respective regions except the Regional Implementation Committee, maintaining that the Minister’s conduct violates local government laws.

He said “What a Minister does is to play a supervisory roll and see to it that programs and policies of the central government are implemented. And not to interfere in unnecessary things,” stressing that “no responsible minister will do this.”

The former Deputy Local Government Minister made these sharp observations on Adom Fm, a Tema based radio station, when he was commenting on Ms Animah’s actions.

He explained that “Grievances of workers or the schools involved are channeled to the door steps of the Regional Implementation Committees before they are forwarded to the Program’s Secretariat in Accra. And that is even done when the problem or the issue is beyond them.”

However, Hon. Animah on the same radio station swiftly rebuffed the former’s assertion saying “He (Hon. Kofi Jumah has no right to tell them (her ministry) what to do. The NDC is in the helm of affairs and have absolute right to take decisions in the interest of the nation.”

She explained that the motive was to ensure that one person was not given more than two schools to handle, adding that the erstwhile NPP administration abused the system.

“For political reasons there are instances were one person was given six schools to handle whilst others did not even have even one school,” the minister said, stating that government will ensure that contracts are equitably awarded to caterers.

According to her, the existing policy most often affects the standard of foods supplied to schools “this is because a caterer has been given two schools so he/she has to make sure the food is supplied on time.”

Kofi Jumah, who is popularly referred to as ‘Kofi Ghana,’ also took a swipe at the Mills-led administration saying, “Only irresponsible government that does not it left and right will behave in such manner. The Minister (Hon. Animah Wilson) should come out and tell Ghanaians whether this is the better Ghana the NDC promised,” emphasizing that square perks have been put in round holes.