'I don't regret my actions' - Simon Osei-Mensah defends 2023 school feeding saga

The former Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has said that he has no regrets over his conduct during a confrontation with school feeding caterers at the Regional Coordinating Council in 2023.

Speaking on Owia TV and sighted by GhanaWeb on June 27, 2026, Osei-Mensah said the caterers failed to engage his office before staging the protest over unpaid allowances.

According to him, the caterers mobilised and demonstrated at his office instead of seeking dialogue.

I didn’t become a minister to pamper lawless people – Osei-Mensah to School Feeding caterers

"I have never regretted my actions towards the school feeding caterers. They know they have an issue, but they never came or approached me for us to have engagements. They instead mobilised themselves in numbers to my office, protesting," he said.

He explained that the Regional Security Liaison Officer called the police without his knowledge after the protest began, but he opposed the decision.

According to him, he feared the situation could worsen if the police attempted to remove the protesters from the premises.

"The regional security liaison officer had unknowingly called the police to make a report about what was happening. I disagreed with his decision, trying to make him understand that, should the police arrive and try to evacuate the protesters from the offices, they could claim they had been abused," he narrated.

Osei-Mensah said he suspended a meeting to listen to the caterers and address their concerns.

However, he claimed one of the caterers interrupted him with what he described as ‘silly comments’, prompting his reaction.

"I had to suspend my meeting to at least listen to their concerns and speak with them. Immediately, I began talking, and one of the caterers, Mari Cruz, made some silly comments. So I also told them to fuck off and leave since they were not ready to listen to what I had to say," he stated.

The former minister maintained that he acted appropriately because the protesters did not give him the respect to explain the steps already taken on their behalf.

He said the caterers were unaware that he and the Regional Coordinator had already written more than six letters to the government requesting that their arrears be paid.

"I don't regret my actions. If you know you won't listen to my words, why come there and protest in the first place? So I sacked them. They didn't accord me respect. Meanwhile, the regional coordinator and I had written more than six letters to the government asking them to pay the caterers. If they had gone to engage with the coordinator, they would have been informed of the steps that had been taken in their favor," he insisted.

The incident occurred on April 3, 2023, when school feeding caterers gathered at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council to demand payment of arrears owed them under the School Feeding Programme.

'I’ve not regretted my actions' - Simon Osei-Mensah on 'snubbing' School Feeding caterers

A video of the encounter went viral on social media, showing Osei-Mensah ordering the caterers out of his office.

The incident attracted widespread criticism and backlash directed at Osei-Mensah, with many arguing that he should have handled the situation more calmly and respectfully.

🇬🇭I will never apologise to school feeding caterers, I told them to fvck off because of what one woman said

- Former Regional minister Simon Osei Mensah. pic.twitter.com/Em8Z0ndd85

— we love ghana (@weloveghana042) June 27, 2026