The former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has questioned government’s credence and credibility as far as disseminating accurate and factual information and data for public consumption is concerned.
According to him, it is quite disturbing how figures and information quoted by various government officials in various regards turn out to be incorrect in some instances. Citing the recent proposal for an extension of the Ameri deal by the Energy Ministry, he questioned how that the deal was approved by the President and on a later date, reversed for reasons that there was an urgent need to have a bill laid in Parliament before it’s rising. For him, it is a clear indication that government is not in command of what information goes to who and how factual the data is.
“Today we got the response on the infamous Ameri renegotiated agreement and The Statesman, the official newspaper of our friends on the right say that the President was misled into granting an executive approval so the President is being misled on so many other things.
‘’Who is misleading the president?...........The data is ‘nyamaa’, ‘all over the place’” Ablakwa said.
His comments come after reports from the Office of the president leaked to the Daily Statesman Thursday suggested that the Energy Ministry’s solo-driven revised deal with the Dubai-based energy equipment provider AMERI will not see the light of day.
The former Deputy Education Minister who was speaking at the IPPR forum on Free SHS on the theme: ‘Towards a sustainable Free SHS programme – The best way forward,’ also made references to the Finance Minister’s budget presentation to parliament:
“when you come to Ghana and you ask for the Free SHS beneficiaries number, the data, you get different conflicting figures all over the place… 2018 financial year budget statement on economic policy paragraph 621, the Finance Minister told parliament that the SHS beneficiaries, the figure is 353, 053.. In this same budget, paragraph 799, the figure suddenly jumps to 396,951 a difference of 43,898”, he said.
“So this year only a year ago the finance minister came to parliament and presented the mid-year review. Page 56 a third different figure of 362, 118 again a difference of more than 34, 833”, he added.
