Amoako Tuffuor Exonerated

I was very happy to have read an article published in the chronicle and on this same medium captioned “ is Ghana Worth dying for- the case of Dr Kwame Amoako Tuffour. After having personally chanced on the Audit report dated April 2009 and signed by the deputy Auditor General, i have taken the personal pain to explore in an intellectual matter the issues at stake.

It is often said that the spirit of a good man can never be dimmed. For sometime now the politics of Ghana has taken a new but dangerous trend where deceit, propaganda and vindictiveness have taken over decency and constructive criticism in the scheme of things.

Over a year ago, the nation’s airwaves were bombarded with serious allegations of financial misappropriation, embezzlement and full scale corruption at the Headquarters of the Ghana School Feeding Programme where the then Executive Chairman was sacrificed to save the face of some highly connected staff and some government officials. At the time so much mud was thrown at the then Executive Chairman to the extent that nobody wanted to hear his side of the story due to the incessant pressure that was brought on him by the CJA.

Thankfully the Forensic Audit Report is out and has exonerated Dr. Tuffuor of all financial misappropriation. Reading the Chronicle publication of Thursday April 30th 2009 did not only give me goose bumps but saddened my heart on why a man through whose efforts and initiative propelled Ghana to the top just within two years of the commencement of the programme and was rated the best in Africa by NEPAD. I am still at a loss why someone would deliberately frustrate such a viable programme with lots of future prospects. Among the many initiatives of the Kufuor administration, the School Feeding Programme has been the most successful in terms of operations and results. I have said time and over again that we should decouple politics from Ghana’s fight against hunger and poverty. In handling issues of such national importance one should be mindful of its rippling effects. I have been an ardent fun of the School Feeding Programme and see the children who are the direct beneficiaries as the most affected whenever we politicise such a humanitarian based institution.

I am confident that, if all of us had enjoyed this programme when we were kids there wouldn’t have been any excuse for us not attending school because our parents and guardians could not afford to give us “chop money”. I continue to ask myself lots of questions with the leakage of the Audit Report, If Dr. Tuffuor was not part of the transfer of funds to the districts and caterers then can we single out just the accountant? What of the Ministries responsible? The then Director of Finance, Mr. Kwame Nuako at the School Feeding Secretariat? I believe that the accountant could not have acted alone in this scandal. Now after all the vilification and maltreatment meted out to Dr. Amoako Tuffuor for a parochial political interest, I ask myself who will be next.

I will urge Dr. Tuffuor in the spirit of the season to forgive all those who might have masterminded his dismissal and encourage up and coming young ones to help shape the body politics of our nation. I suggest he even be made a Consultant to the programme to offer advice and put his wealth of experience at the disposal of the nation.

For posterity will never forgive us, if we allow this programme to die off like the many other initiatives of governments. Long Live Ghana!

Amo Kwateng Nkoranza