The Minority in Parliament has called for the arrest and prosecution of the Directors of Lamens Investment Africa Limited, as well as the sanctioning of the Board and Management of the National Food Buffer Stock Company, following allegations that they distributed expired rice to Senior High Schools across the country.
The call comes after North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, accused the two institutions of conspiring to distribute 22,000 bags of expired and repackaged rice to schools. Ablakwa further revealed that Lamens Investment Africa Limited had previously been cited by the Auditor-General in 2021 for supplying unwholesome food items to schools, but no action had been taken by the government to address the issue.
Addressing the press on Monday, November 18, on behalf of the Minority, Ablakwa stated that, “The NDC Caucus also demands the immediate arrest and prosecution of the directors of Lamens Investments Africa Limited. The board and management of the National Food Buffer Stock Company must be sanctioned for allowing their storage facility to be used for this atrocious act and operating unregistered storage facilities across the country.
“Such recklessness which sacrifices the health of our students for corrupt transactions must not go unpunished,” the minority stated. The group also called for the mass screening of Senior High School students for any health implications following the consumption of the alleged expired rice.
“Immediately after this scandal broke, public health officials announced a major screening exercise because the doctors have told us about the medium to long-term implications of this insect-infested, highly acidic and contaminated rice. But here we are, they are all playing ostriches. The Ministry of Education should open its doors for this screening to be done,” he stated.
