Friday, 17th June, 2022

Page 4
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 17th June, 2022
The Church
Of Pentecost
Headquarters
employs honest
taxi driver
36-year-old Kwesi Ackon, the honest taxi driver who has
been celebrated the world over for returning a huge amount
of money he found in his taxi to its owner, has been employed
by The Church of Pentecost General Headquarters in Accra,
Ghana.
On his first day at work on Thursday, June 16, 2022, Ackon,
who could not hide his joy over the job offer, expressed his
heartfelt thanks and appreciation to God and the leadership
of the church, particularly the Chairman, Apostle Eric Nyamekye,
and the General Secretary, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw
Kumi-Larbi, for the opportunity to work at the head office of
the church.
According to him, working at the church’s headquarters
would further build his Christian faith and values.
A letter of employment dated June 15, 2022, and signed by
the Human Resource Manager, Elder Samuel Mantey Addo,
stated: “The Church of Pentecost Headquarters hereby offers
you employment as Driver Grade-II…”
Kwesi Ackon also thanked many Ghanaians who donated
various sums of money and items to him when the news
about the issue broke out.
The news of Kwesi Ackon went viral a few weeks ago after
he returned an amount of GHS 8,400.00 he found at the back
of his car to the owner. He picked the trader, an old fishmonger,
from the Mallam Atta Market in Accra to her residence at
Teshie on Easter Saturday.
The old woman, who had no hope of retrieving the said
money, wept profusely and invoked the blessings of God upon
Kwesi Ackon when he voluntarily traced her at her residence
on Easter Sunday to return the money to her.
This act by Kwesi Ackon which was captured on video
went viral and subsequently caught the attention of the Vice
President of the Republic, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia, who donated GHS 20,000.00 to him. Some organisations
and individuals who were touched by the gesture have
since donated several amounts to him, prominent among
them was Rev. Lawrence Tetteh who donated a brand-new
Daewoo Matrix to him.
The icing on the cake is the employment offer given him
by The Church of Pentecost Headquarters.
Kwesi Ackon is a member of The Church of Pentecost and
fellowships at the Onyeametease Assembly in the Kokomlemle
District in the La Area of the church.
Pay 68 days of feeding
pupils to caterers
Story: Prosper Kwaku
Selassy Agbitor
Member of Parliament
for Builsa
South, Dr.
Clement Apaak,
has urged the
government to pay the 68 days
of feeding owed caterers.
He also added that the payment
must reflect the amount
of Ghp 0.97 per child per day.
The Builsa South MP explained
that the payment of
the amount owed the caterers
would enable the affected pupils
to return to their classrooms.
His call follows the government's
decision to place a
premium on building a Cathedral
to keep over 1.67 million
Ghanaian children in school
and failure to increase the demeaning
GHS0.97 per head per
day to a dignified feeding fee.
The situation, according to
the deputy ranking member,
was dire such that any further
delay in holding back monies
owed caterers under the School
Feeding Programme would affect
the academic calendar.
The caterers, he added, have
registered their displeasure and
indicated their resolve to discontinue
the programme some
six weeks ago, a situation which
would likely erode the gains of
the programme and completely
ground it.
The sad situation, he
continued, has kept some 1.69
million Ghanaian children out
of school.
According to him, the ripple
effects of the government's
reneging on the payment would
be unbearable for the present
and future of the country.
The Builsa South lawmaker
said the government has in lieu
of payment reneged and has
taken preference rather on the
building a Cathedral to feeding
Ghanaian children.
"Monday, June 13th, marked
the sixth week since caterers
under the School Feeding
Programme placed on record
their plight to government on
their inability to continue to
render services, while the government
decided to arrogantly
continue to erode their meagre
savings spent to sustain the
programme which is affected
and whittled away by registered
micro economic indicators", he
sadly said.
"These caterers have since
embarked on an industrial
action to register their abhorrence
and protest of the ill and
unfair treatment meted out to
them by the government.
...This action was meant to
bring to the notice of heads of
the concerned ministry and
agency if the above-raised
issues haven't yet reached
them,", he added.
He, therefore, urged the
government to do the needful
by making immediate payment
for the feeding of pupils for 68
days at the current rate of Ghp
0.97 per child per day.
He further proposed an
increment in the allocation
from Ghp 0.97 per child per day
in light of the high cost of food
items.
It would be recalled that the
then Kufuor administration
established the school feeding
programme for good reasons.
The feeding programme housed
under the Ministry of Gender,
Children and Social Protection,
is to amongst others, increase
school enrollment, attendance
and retention of school children
in school. The programme
is also meant to reduce hunger
and malnutrition amongst
pupils in addition to enhancing
domestic food production,
especially in deprived and rural
agrarian communities across
the country.
Sadly, but legitimately, Dr
Apaak noted that caterers engaged
to provide these services
have been on strike for the
past six weeks with legitimate
demands which include:
a) immediate payment for
the feeding of pupils for 68 days
at the current rate of Ghp 0.97
per child per day; and
b) an increment of the allocation
from Ghp 0.97 per child
per day in light of the high cost
of food items.
The caterers, according
to the ranking member, have
contracted loans from various
financial institutions and taken
supplies of food items on credit
from suppliers to meet the demands
of their contract.
He, therefore, urged that
the immediate payment by the
government would enable the
caterers pay off their debts and
sustain a credit-worthy status.
"Their situation is exacerbated
by their creditors who
are on their necks each day
and night. In addition, if the
payment must be at the cur-
rent rate of Ghp 0.97 per pupil
per day, it will be practically
impossible for them to prepare
a decent meal at the prevailing
current economic conditions",
he observed.
"Accordingly, the caterers
have a legitimate case. What
decent meal can be provided at
Ghp 0.97 in Ghana today; with
this high cost of living and with
galloping inflation, particularly
the exponential growth rate
of inflation on food items, at
these dizzying levels? This is
particularly worrying and calls
for responsible leadership to
address these pertinent legitimate
calls," Dr Apaak said.
The absence of those service
providers, the Builsa South
MP revealed, has so far affected
school attendance as the
absence of the caterers has had
a direct relation to the attendance
of pupils, especially those
in the lower primary in the
rural and deprived poor communities.
"In other words, several
numbers of the 1.69 million
pupil-beneficiaries of this
programme delivered through
these caterers, who were fed
before the curtailment, brought
about through the strike, are
currently not attending school
and may not return if the
government does not address
the pending issues raised by
these service providers, “he
cautioned.
"It beats my imagination
how the attitude of government
seems lethargic in addressing
this urgent matter. Those who
share this position cannot be
faulted when the government
continues to exhibit these
hardcore traits of insensitivity
to the plight of the deprived
and the most vulnerable in our
society", he lamented.
He maintained that the
government could not claim
funding was the issue when it
has become evident that huge
sums of taxpayers’ money have
been clandestinely released
towards the fulfilment of a
private and personal pledge to
build a cathedral.