Expired NADMO products claims first casualty

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has suspended the Upper West Regional stores manager, Ali Sulemana, indefinitely after expired food items were distributed to flood victims in the region at the weekend.

The organisation’s regional coordinator, Seidu Issahaku Sulemana, has also been queried over the incident.

A three-member committee has also been instituted to investigate the facts about the incident that appears to have embarrassed Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia who visited the region to release the items to the affected communities and individuals.

The committee is expected to submit its report within 14 days.

Related: NADMO admits error in expired food items to Wa flood victims

Mr Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh Director General of NADMO, who announced these at a news briefing in Wa Wednesday, said any further necessary actions would emanate from the report of the investigative committee.

Mr Agyemang-Prempeh led a team of officials of NADMO to the region in the wake of news that some items among relief materials distributed to flood victims had turned out to be expired products.

While conceding that some expired items, particularly cooking oil, were indeed in the stores of NADMO, in the region, Mr Agyemang-Prempeh said “those that unfortunately were mixed with the distributed items were few”.

Related: Bawumia's food items to Wa flood victims expired - NDC

He apologised for the error, but stressed that anyone found to have compromised standards and procedures would be dealt with.

He denied that the rice distributed by NADMO to the flood victims had expired, and said although there were no expiry dates on the 25kg bags, the 5kg contents were embossed with the appropriate expiry dates.

He said none of the items distributed to persons in Upper East and Northern regions had been reported to have expired.

Read also: NADMO jobs need to expire - Gabby Otchere-Darko

The Upper West Stores Manager, Mr Ali Sulemana, has become the first casualty of a potential tsunami waiting to happen within the organisation.

Indeed, there are fears that a few heads could roll for the embarrassment that was occasioned the Vice President through the distribution of expired food items to the flood victims.

But although the regional coordinator remains at post, his query has been viewed by watchers as a precursor to an expected job loss.