The Member of Parliament for Afram Plains South, Joseph Appiah, has claimed former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo starved his bodyguard, leading to him fainting.
It will be recalled, on Friday, January 3, 2025, during President Akufo-Addo’s final State of the Nation Address, Colonel Isaac Amponsah, the personal security guard and Aide-de-Camp (ADC), collapsed in Parliament.
According to reports, Colonel Amponsah reportedly suffered a medical emergency while the President was addressing the House. He later regained consciousness and was escorted out of the chamber.
Colonel Amponsah served as the President’s ADC since February 2023.
Speaking on the floor of parliament, according to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP, Akufo-Addo plunged the country into a state of hardship, adding that everyone in Ghana under the former president, including the former President’s close associates, experienced hunger.
He claimed that Colonel Amponsah fainted because he was starving.
Joseph Appiah stated, “Always his people go hungry. That’s why we were starving. And it was manifest in this chamber when the former President’s bodyguard fainted because he was hungry…under Mahama’s administration, this would not happen, that is why he is serving free fertiliser”.
However, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, immediately compelled the Member of Parliament for Afram Plains South to withdraw his comments.
Bernard Ahiafor ordered, “Honourable Joseph Appiah, please withdraw that… kindly withdraw”.
The Afram Plains MP responded by withdrawing, saying, “Okay, I withdraw”.
Still in parliament, Mahama Ayariga, the Majority Leader in parliament, has boldly declared that the former government’s contract with Zipline for the drone delivery of essential medicines was a total waste of money.
According to Mahama Ayariga, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has the capacity to procure its own drones to deliver critical drugs to communities.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga stated, “It’s a total waste of money. The most expensive drones don’t even go beyond twenty thousand dollars. By now, we would have had drones for every district in this country managed by the Ghana Health Service. Let’s do a total calculation on how much money we have wasted on this Zipline contract.”
“I call for a cancellation of the contract. The contract should be cancelled. The Ghana Health Service should develop its own in-house capacity to deliver the blood through its own drones,” he added.
His remarks come on the back of Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the minority leader, calling on the Leader of Government Business to summon the Health Minister to parliament to update the house on Zipline operations following three centres being shut down due to the government’s GH₵175 million unpaid debt.
It will be recalled, the former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, launched the drones-for-medical-supplies initiative at Zipline’s first distribution centre at Omenako in the Eastern Region.
The $12.5 million contract was to enable the Ghana Health Service to fly blood and other essential medical supplies to deprived and hard-to-reach areas.
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