A member of the National Democratic Congress Communication team in the Upper East Region, Maclean Ayamga has called for a quick prosecution of persons who are caught in the act of smuggling “Planting for Food and Jobs” fertilizers outside Ghana.
According to Mr. Ayamga for sometime, there have been reports about people caught smuggling fertilizers and these are fertilizers impounded. Unfortunately, nothing is heard about the prosecution of these smugglers.
“When these fertilizers are impounded, the persons behind the goods must also be arrested and prosecuted for their offense. It doesn’t matter whether they are NDC or NPP members or supporters. What we want to hear is that, people have been arrested and prosecuted, to serve as deterrent to others.
In Ghana when poor people offend the law, they are quickly dragged to court and punished, but when rich and influential people commit the same offence, we don’t hear any punishment against them.” He noted.
Maclean Ayamga was speaking on the Daybreak Upper East Programme on A1 Radio in the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East East Region as a panelist.
According to him, in as much as he has nothing against the Upper East Regional Minister’s decision to get some impounded fertilizers distributed to some vulnerable groups and poor farmers across the region, he also wants the smugglers to be punished.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has cleared some two companies that were initially implicated in a smuggling case in June 2019.
The two companies, Demeter and Intercontinental Companies were found not culpable after investigations into a smuggling case involving a distributor in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality where a total of 4000 (25kg) bags of fertilizers were impounded.
Demeter Company which is an imported has been cleared and a ban on it, lifted, likewise Intercontinental Company, which is also a distributor.
A member of the New Patriotic Party Communication Team and Regional Manager of NABCO, Khan Jambadu called on communities to be vigilant and report all cases of attempted smuggling through their areas, adding, “… we all have the responsibility to protect the investment government is making to subsidize the Planting for Food and Jobs fertilizers.”
Responding to persons blaming the Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage for not prosecuting the smugglers, Khan Jambadu said the Regional Minister does not prosecute, rather the Police and so the questions should be directed to the Police and not the Regional Minister.
Source: A1radioonline.com | 101.1MHz | Ghana
