Stop twisting facts – Government to Mahama

The government has described as untrue, claims by former President John Dramani Mahama that public Senior High Schools (SHSs) have not been fumigated since the introduction of the Free SHS programme.

Mr Mahama, who is seeking re-election as the flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), criticised the Akufo-Addo administration for not fumigating public SHSs, which has led to the students enduring bedbug bites.

But Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, at a press conference in Accra on Monday, 5 November 2018, said the claims by the former president are not factual.

“It is worthy of note that former President Mahama has never supported the Free SHS idea and has always attempted to demonise it at every opportunity. This is not the first comment aimed at undermining the programme, and, so, we are not surprised. But for the avoidance of doubt, we want to state for the records that 678 Senior High Schools have been fumigated”, Mr Nkrumah said.

He said the fumigation exercise was completed last week. In a breakdown to the press, the minister disclosed that the exercise took place in 120 schools in the Ashanti Region, 80 in the Brong-Ahafo Region, 70 in the Central Region and 97 schools in the Eastern Region. The rest are 50 schools in the Greater Accra Region, 52 in the Northern Region, 34 in the Upper East Region, 21 in the Upper West Region, 100 in the Volta Region and 54 schools in the Western Region.

“This administration thereby encourages the former president that when it comes to state and national matters, it will be best if he speaks in the national interest, and speaks to facts,” he stressed.