The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has summoned Ken Ofori-Atta, Bryan Acheampong and Dr Yaw Osei Afutwum, Ministers of Finance, Agriculture and Education respectively to appear before parliament over the issues of the picketing food suppliers who are demanding the payments of their two years arrears.
This was after North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa requested the Speaker to summon the ministers.
“Mr Speaker, I want to appeal to you that the Honorable Minister for Education and the Honorable Minister for Agric should be programmed to appear before this House urgently, and possibly, we should add the Minister for Finance because we are hearing the Minister for Education made a request for Financial releases and it has into been acceded to,” Mr Ablakwa said on the floor of the House on Friday, July 7.
In his ruling, the Speaker said “As the leader of this House, it is important that I keep drawing your attention as the representatives of the people so that you can properly represent the interests of your constituents,” Bagbin said.
“Now this is where we are. So I agree that the Business Committee should schedule for the three ministers to appear before the House. The three ministers are the Ministers of Finance, Food and Agriculture, and Education. They will tell us why the challenge.”
The picketing food suppliers said that they were owed two years’ arrears.
A spokesperson for the National Food Suppliers Association Koku Amedume said that this situation is putting pressure on them because they took loans from banks to enable them to meet the supply needs of the Buffer Stock.
Speaking on the Ghana Tonight Show with Alfred Ocansey on TV3 Tuesday, July 4, Amedume indicated that the suppliers who spent the night at the premises of the NAFCO as part of the demonstration are more comfortable sleeping at the premises of NAFCO than sleeping in their homes because of the pressure on them.
He also said they are worried about the interest being accrued on the loans they took because of the nonpayment by NAFCO.
“The pressure on us at home is massive. Most of these people go to contract loans from banks with huge interests with the sole aim of supporting their business and engaging in this supply business.
“Buffer stock had taken supplies from them for two years, for two years we have not been paid,” he said.
