GETFund scandal: Disappointment of Ghanaians justified - Samson Ayenini

Private legal practitioner, Samson Lardy Ayenini says the general disappointment of Ghanaians that has met revelations by the Auditor General that some government officials benefited from the GETFund scholarship, otherwise meant for brilliant but needy Ghanaian students is justified.

He said persons who have jumped to the defense of the officials indicted by the Auditor General’s report due to their political affiliations may not have the “fear of God” in them.

Lawyer Ayenini made this comment on Hello FM’s afternoon news on Tuesday, monitored by GhanaWeb.

“If you ask me whether people are justified in being angry and disappointed about how the funds for scholarships have been disbursed over the period as the Auditor General’s report has shown, I will say yes they are absolutely justified. If you are someone who doesn’t see anything wrong because people whose names have been mentioned belong to your political party then I must say you don’t fear God.”

He added that contrary to the dictates of the mandate of GETFund, about 80% of scholarships issued according to the Auditor General’s report were issued to persons who cannot be said to be “needy.”

He mentioned that whiles there may exist some caveats within the laws which gives room for officials and politicians to benefit from the GETFund, it is important that such advantages are not abused to the detriment of ordinary Ghanaians who are supposed to benefit most from the fund.

The Auditor General’s report on the performance of the administration of scholarships by GETFund has been a major topic of discussion for Ghanaians this week.

According to details of the report, some government officials including members of parliament received scholarship funding from the GETFund in order to pursue various academic courses outside the country.

The report among other things states that GETFund failed in its mandate by issuing scholarships to individuals who did not qualify as “needy” persons.