<<Print>>

It has emerged that some food items recently supplied by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to flood victims in the Upper West Region had expired, resulting in some beneficiaries becoming ill after consuming the affected products.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) first brought the issue to public attention at a press conference in Wa today, Tuesday.

The regional branch of the Upper West National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has since confirmed to Citi News it received reports suggesting that some recipients indeed complained of being sick after consuming some of the food items.

Speaking to Citi News, the Upper West Regional NADMO Chief, Issac Seidu, said subsequent investigations by his office established that some of the food items which formed part of the supplies from the Vice President had indeed expired.

At the press conference held in Wa, the Upper West Regional Communications Officer of the NDC, Prosper Puo-Ire, flanked by some regional executives said “after several complaints from some of the victims, we noticed with shock and dismay, right after the donation that the items were expired products given to them”.

He added that “today the love for kingly power and it’s associated glamour has blinded Dr. Bawumia to our plight and further hardened his heart to the extent that he serves our people with expired food items at their times of vulnerability and sincere need”.

The Communications Officer further took a swipe at the Vice President for allegedly taking advantage of the flood situation to doll out money and other freebies to sympathizers of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), saying “little did we expect that the Vice President will exploit our vulnerability and use our times of grieve to further his political whims and caprices.”

The NDC has thus called on President Nana Addo, on whose behalf Dr. Bawumia donated the alleged expired items, to apologize to the people of the Upper West Region, and the affected flood victims who say they were ” left in greater pains” after consuming the items.

The party also demanded the removal of the Upper West Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) for the incident.
“Government must immediately remedy the embarrassment the Vice President caused by coming to the aid of the disaster victims in a more dignified and proper manner”.