334 BAGS OF MAIZE LEFT TO ROT ...In NADMO stores (BACK PAGE, OCT 23)

About 334 bags of maize stockpiled in the stores of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the Kassena-Nankana East District have been left to rot.
The maize, meant to be food aid for the 2007 flood victims in the district, was not distributed.
The newly appointed District Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Roland Ayalazoya, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic at Navrongo, said he only became aware that the grain was rotting after he took over the running of the office in September, this year.
According to him, he took over the office from the previous officer, Mr Sylvester Navrose, on September 17, this year, adding that the following day he went with the storekeeper to the stores only to see the 334 bags of maize which were meant for the needy rotting and having been evaded by weevils.
Mr Ayalazoya said the matter was reported to the District Assembly, which directed the District Environmental Health Officer to inspect it. He added that after the inspection, the maize was declared unwholesome for human consumption.
The District NADMO officer said though the maize was declared unwholesome for human consumption, it was recommended for feeding animals, so the assembly directed that it should be sold to farmers as animal feed.
The District Chief Executive for Kassena-Nankana East, Mr Emmanuel Andema, who confirmed the story, said after the recent flood, it was decided that authorities take stock of the stores in order to reach out to the affected persons only to realise that the food aid in stock since 2007 had gone rotten.
He said the decision was taken by management to sell the maize at a token price of GHc 5.00 per bag.
He said the previous officers had been negligent in handling the food aid but failed to say what action would be instituted against them.
The DCE disclosed that among those who purchased the spoilt maize was the MP for Navrongo Central, who bought 100 bags.
When contacted on phone, Mr Navrose conceded that the food items were received in 2007. He said some of the maize was distributed but as part of their operation, some of it was kept as emergency stock.
According to Mr Navrose, when the NDC party assumed power, the current National Co-ordinator of NADMO wrote to him that no items in NADMO stores should be distributed.
He indicated that at the time of leaving office, he was unaware that some reserved stock of maize had gone bad.