'Chop chop' at Fire Service; donations, contract monies missing

Corruption has started germinating from the stables of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), leaving many people to wonder whether the canker is likely tobseize in the public sector.

Information intercepted by this paper indicates that about Six Hundred and Twenty Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Three Ghana Cedis Forty Six Pesewas (GH¢629, 993.46) was paid to a food supplier company for half work done.

The company according to the information was contracted by GNFS to supply food stuff to the Fire Academy and Training School for the National Youth Employment Agency (NYEA) under training for 24 weeks, meanwhile it was found out that they only delivered for 12 weeks.

An amount close to two (GHC2m) cedis for renovation prior to the commencement of NYEA training at the Fire Academy and training school is a matter of concern to the Instructors at the School.

Since the director of logistics and the store keeper are tight lipped over the issue, some concerned personnel of the GNFS have become suspicious about the whereabouts of the rest of the money.

The suspicion is that the company under some fraudulent means is believed to have been paid all their monies in bulk and that explains why those in charge have kept quiet.

In the same stables, the GNFS have been accused of not being able to account for an amount of Eighty Nine Thousand Eight Hundred and Sixty Seven Ghana Cedis (GH¢89, 869.00) collected from NYEA.

The said amount which cannot be traced was collected for a week capacity building but the purpose was not achieved and the monies not returned.

Again, GNFS is not able to meet a quarter of its Internally Generated Fund (IGF) through the Fire Safety Certification. A huge loss of IGF for nation development.

According to sources, ever since Albert Brown Gaisie became Chief Fire Officer in 2014, companies and factories and agencies are not happy with him sending his close aides to come for monies instead of the designated officials of the GNFS.

Again, it is been rumored that a donation of GH¢1.2 million from the National Insurance Commission to the GNFS for training cannot be accounted for.

This allegation of corruption comes on the heels of a publication in an Accra weekly, the DAYBREAK newspaper that an account GH¢2million realized from the sale of forms during the 2016 recruitment exercise cannot be accounted for.

The concerned are calling on the government to institute investigations and find the whereabouts of those monies and punish those involved if it has been squandered.