Low key, the director-general of NLA, Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw was asked to go home after his one-year post-retirement contract expired a month earlier. For the many issues that came out during his tenure, below is the one incident that made me and perhaps many Ghanaians lose a great deal of respect for this man. Unfortunately, I have to say it.
The NLA contracted Rams Kitchen, a company owned by a sister to Mr Ameyaw by the name Rama Hassan to Supply & Distribution of End of Year Packages for workers.
By the regulations of the NLA, the Executive Director cannot approve tender worth more than 100,000 Ghana Cedis. This is a conspicuously separated contract worth more than 500,000 Ghana Cedis when put together.
Mr Ameyaw found a way to keep the contract within his domain. He divided what should be one contract to supply end of year packages to workers into eleven (11), each falling below his approval threshold of 100,000 Ghana Cedis to be able to approve it right in his office for his sister, Rama Hassan
Below are the 11 ’distinct’ contracts Mr Ameyaw signed for his sister on the same day.
CONTRACT DESCRIPTION
Supply and Distribution of ……
- Vegetable Oil -47,000
- Plastic Mineral Beverage – 47,124.00
- Perfumed Rice – 99,234.00
- Perfumed Rice- 99,470.00
- Perfumed Rice- 99,120.00
- Tinned Tomatoes – 18,468.00
- Beta Malt Drink – 42,100.00
- Canned Drinks 15,600.00
- Mackerel – 40,040
- Corned Beef-Lele -45,500.00
- Olive Oil – 25,920.00
Total = 579,576.00
For the first time in the history of procurement in Ghana, one person won 11 different contracts on the same day and in the same entity.
Check the above and tell me how all these products were treated as separate contracts with no link on the same day if not with the dubious intention of skillfully circumventing the law for personal gain.
He broke no law by doing this but in this, he showed the whole world how as the head of a state institution he can use dubious means to play around the law without breaking it in what is a glaring dubious behaviour in the minds of right-thinking members of society. In principle, the president could have sacked him but that didn’t happen. The next year, after his official retirement, he was given an extra year contract to work in that office.
The above is one of many eyebrow-raisings deals associated with his stewardship at NLA. Sensing the chances of his contract being renewed, some workers of NLA embarked on a demonstration to call for his head, citing mismanagement of NLA and corruption. With a poisoned environment, the president had no choice but to ask him to step down a month after the expiration of his contract and his deputy, sacked.
Mr Ameyaw’s record would show that he retired and served his nation with one more year of his life but the reality is, he showed us exactly how not to handle a position given in trust of the people.
He got a year contract after his retirement but Nana could not live with Domelevo for three more months. It says a lot about our once upon a time incorruptible government.
That said, it is refreshing to have someone like Mr Ameyay leave the scene. In our system though, you can never say never, before you know it, he is a board chairman somewhere determining who is a Ghanaian and who isn’t and asking younger people to retire.
This is Ghana, we love it regardless.
Isaac Kyei Andoh
