I Didn't Control School Feedings Programme - Awutu Senya West DCE Fires Back

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Awutu Senya West District Assembly in the Central Region, Stephen Kwame Quaye, has denied media reports of hijacking caterers' jobs for the Ghana School Feeding Programme (SFP) at Awutu Senya West District for his families and friends.

According to him, the allegation was a sinister plot being hatched by the so-called concerned members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to tarnish his reputation to look bad in the eyes of the general public.

"I never controlled the Ghana School Feeding Programme in the Awutu Senya West District," he said.

"This programme is being run by the National, Central Regional and District Coordinators and that there is only Desk Officer in Awutu Senya West District Assembly Mr Annode Nanor who normally briefed me about the implementation of the programme.

"I am not directly involved in the programme, but l can state on the records that l only have my wife working with the Ghana School Feedings Programme by providing cooking services to the pupils at Papase Basic Primary School. 

"So it never true that l gave all the school feedings careering providing works to my families and friends in the area," the DCE further denied.

Mr Quaye made this statement via a telephone interview with Soireenews on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in reaction to the current allegations levelled against him by the group calling itself Concerned members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Awutu Senya West.

It would be recalled that the Concerned Members of the NPP of the area called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Addo-Addo not to retain Mr Quaye because he diverted coconuts and other seedlings meant for planting for good and Jobs to his farms at Nyarkokwaa.

They revealed that DCE has given all the school feedings job to his wife and his family and friends in the constituency.

But an in quick response, the DCE stated that he didn't directly involve in the work of the school feedings programme in the area, saying that although his wife was employed to cook for one of the schools she was given the job after the due diligence was done by the District Coordinator of the programme.

Mr Quaye described as fancy and untrue the allegations levelled against him that he diverted coconuts and other seedlings meant for planting for food and jobs to his farms at Nyarkokwaa.

He stated that he planted only one coconut in his house and the evidence are there to be seen and stated that coconut and other seedlings meant for planting for food and jobs are sent to their designated communities earmarked for the project.

He stated that the coconuts and other seedlings programme called Climate Change Mitigation (CCM) is the World Bank-funded project which is ongoing in some coastal communities within the district.

According to him, the implementation of the project is being monitored and supervised and control by the committee of the Assembly headed by the Desk Officer, Mr Sagito Musah and a team of the World Bank.

He stressed that the project is being implemented without any corrupt practice and called on President Akufo-Addo to retain him to continue his good works to transform the area.

Mr Quaye called on the general public particularly the people in the area to immediately disregard the statement of the so-called concerned members of the NPP since they were peddling these falsehoods to suit their pay makers because they want his position as the DCE of the area.

He used the opportunity to call on all sectional leaders in the area to bury their differences for the development of the area.

Mr Quaye said development can be accelerated with a united front and it is imperative for us to put aside our partisanship lens to come together to address challenges that confront us.

 Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu