The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Second Vice Chairman, Henry Nana Boakye, has questioned why Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa remains in office despite allegations of financial discrepancies in documents relating to the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
Mr Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, argued that President John Dramani Mahama should have dismissed the minister or asked him to resign if the government was committed to enforcing accountability among political appointees.
Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s Badwam, he cited alleged discrepancies involving GH¢16.4 million in documents obtained by the Minority through a Right to Information (RTI) request.
“The Minority made an RTI request, and the same documents given to them by the Foreign Affairs Ministry showed discrepancies involving GH¢16.4 million, which they couldn’t account for,” he said.
Nana B further referenced a JoyNews investigation, which he claimed had reinforced the concerns raised by the Minority and identified additional irregularities, including repeated names and signatures in the documents.
He said the allegations raised questions about the minister’s oversight of the evacuation exercise and his suitability to remain in charge of the ministry.
“The minister is superintending over criminality. The man himself is a potential criminal. Why is he still at post?” he asked.
The NPP executive also questioned the circumstances surrounding a press conference held on Monday, October 26, by some Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa to address concerns about the exercise.
Describing the event as an “eyesore,” Nana B alleged that the Foreign Affairs Ministry sponsored the press conference.
“The press conference that happened yesterday was an eyesore. How can someone who came to Ghana and lacks the financial muscle have the money to organise a press conference? It was sponsored by the Foreign Affairs Ministry,” he alleged.
His comments come amid growing controversy over claims that some evacuees received less than the GH¢5,500 support package announced by the government.
Mr Ablakwa has denied the allegations of payment shortfalls, insisting that all persons on the evacuation list received the full package, comprising GH¢5,000 in reintegration support and GH¢500 for transportation.
Nana B maintained that the minister should step aside to allow the concerns surrounding the evacuation exercise to be addressed.
The allegations of financial discrepancies and the claim that the ministry sponsored the evacuees’ press conference have not been independently established in the information provided.
