Some disgruntled caterers of the School Feeding Programme in the Lambussie District of the Upper West Region are up in arms against the District Chief Executive and Member of Parliament for the area, George Naluri Gerald and Bright Bakye Baligi for allegedly terminating their contracts without serving them any prior notice.
At a press conference in Lambussie on Friday, the group accused the DCE and MP of allegedly replacing them with their cronies.
According to the visibly angry caterers, they have a contract with the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP) “and none of us have been notified officially by the GSFP terminating our contracts and in furtherance to that, there’s a letter from the GSFP dated 17th January 2022 from the head office directing only caterers on their pay list to prepare and start work on Tuesday 25th January 2022”.
The 26 caterers, who are known supporters of the New Patriotic Party, are demanding an immediate reversal of the alleged decision by the duo.
They have vowed to remain at post until their names are restored.
Read below the full press statement by the group:
PRESS STATEMENT BY ILLEGALLY DISMISSED CATERERS – LAMBUSSIE DISTRICT.
Good morning friends of the media. We wish to express our deep seated gratitude for honouring this our invitation to Lambussie here today.
Today we have invited you here to share with you some worrying developments in the Lambussie district regarding the Ghana school feeding program in the district.
On Monday 17th January, 2022 our attention was drawn to a purported list posted on the notice board of the assembly in which over twenty-six (26) of us were allegedly sacked for no apparent reason.
Some attempts to reach Hon. George Naluri the ( DCE) on phone on the matter as he was not in office on Monday proved futile as he refused to pick calls or return them.
Friends of the press, it will interest you to note that per our checks, across the entire country, it is only in the Lambussie district that the DCE, MP and their cohorts colluded to carry out this malicious and inhumane act.
The reasons that are being peddled around by Hon. George Naluri (DCE) are that, we this allegedly dismissed caterers are not cooking which is a pathological liar.
We wish to indicate without any shred of doubt that this was premeditated and executed by the DCE and MP to take away our livelihoods unjustifiably.
Below are further and better particulars regarding the schools of we the affected caterers:
- Billow Primary
- Happa Primary
- Dahile KG
- Dahile Primary
- Banwon primary
- Buu Primary
- Nabaala Primary
- Samoa KG
- Kokya R/C Primary
- Hakyagan Primary
- Sina Dindee Primary 4 – 6
- Koro Primary 4 – 6
- Tapumu Primary
- Karni Dampuo
- Karni Zumara
- Karni Primary A
- Girgan Primary
- Kulkani Primary
- Kokoligu primary
- Suke Primary 5 – 6
- Lambussie T. I
- Hamile D/A Primary
- Sentu Primary
- Hamile R/C Primary
- Hamile T.I Primary
This information is provided for you the media and any interested persons who will want to cross check and get the facts yourselves in order to confirm our story or otherwise.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, this action by the Hon. Member pf Parliament (Hon. Bright Yelvieldong Baligi) and the Hon. District Chief Executive (George Naluri ) is not only inhumane but malicious, capricious and despicable to say the least. We shall resist this action with all our might and strength.
We want to ask the duo these questions:
- Which letter from the GSFP authorize them to sack us
- What was the reason(s) for sacking us?
- Has the GSFP in the district queried any of us for non-performance? If any provide evidence to that effect
Media personnel present, we want to send a word of caution to the people who have illegally been sent to our schools as caterers to note that we are still at post and will not condone any illegality on Tuesday at our various schools as we go to start work.
We have a contract with the GSFP and none of us have been notified officially by the GSFP terminating our contracts and in furtherance to that there’s a letter from the GSFP dated 17th of January 2022 from the head office directing only caterers on their pay list to prepare and start work on Tuesday 25th January 2022. Attach is copy of that letter for your perusal.
We want unequivocally that, the two personalities behind this shameful and humongous act are the MP and the DCE and we will not sit down and allow us to be treated this way as it will amount to travesty of justice.
We also want to further admonish the Hon. MP and the Hon DCE to know that the NPP in Lambussie constituency does not belong to them and for that matter we will not watch them derail the gains of the party in the constituency through their actions that seek to only satisfy their selfish and parochial interest.
We want to seize this opportunity to thank his excellency the President for sustaining and expanding the school feeding program in the country.
Addressing the media, a former NPP Deputy Constituency Women’s Organizer, Ibrahim Hanatu, who is the Vice-Chairperson for the Wa Municipal School Feeding Caterers Association, explained that the majority of their members were awarded the contracts because of their roles in the fortunes of the NPP in the Wa Municipality and that any attempt to disengage them will spell doom for the party in the next general election.
Source: Modern Ghana
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