An 18-year-old female recipient of 2018 President’s Independence Day awards, is allegedly yet to receive her prize a year after she was awarded.

Hassana Yakubu was one of the recipients last year after she excelled in the BECE.

Her guardians say although they have made several appeals to the education authorities, the young girl is yet to receive her prize.

Alhassan Weimer who is with Corruption Control Network and the family’s spokesperson told Joy News’ Latif Iddrissu that the authorities wanted to divert the award to another girl in Tamale.

“It was not the right thing so I pushed the issue and the Director-General of Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, called me last year prior to March 6, 2018 celebrations.

“He told me that because the award presentation is a day to the celebrations and Ms Yakubu cannot receive it but she will be added to the group which will receive the award this year,” he said.

The 2019 winners received their awards on Friday but conspicuously missing in the line-up of awardees is Ms Yakubu.

Petition

Every year, the president awards students who excel in the BECE from the 10 regions of the country ahead of the Independence Day celebrations on 6th of March.

The prizes for each of the award winners, who are currently in senior high schools, included a gold medal, a Samsung tablet, a certificate signed by the President, products from Nestle Ghana Limited for one year, books from EPP Books Limited and a cash prize of ¢1000.

But it seems things did not go according to the script with petitions flying all over. 

Last year the Abubakar Yusuf, the Municipal Chief Executive for the Yendi Assembly petitioned the president to intervene and ensure that deserving students are handed their awards.

Fighting for the course of Ms Yakubu, he wrote in his petition that, “She was invited for an interview which she attended. After the interview, she was informed that she had been selected for the award. Her parents were duly informed to prepare her for the award. Surprisingly, I got information that she had been replaced by someone who obtained five ones.”

“It is against this backdrop that I have tendered in this petition on her behalf for your Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana to intervene for the right thing to be done, for justice and fairness to prevail in this matter, please,” the MCE added in his petition.

Mr Weiner also claims the award was diverted to someone in a private school.

“Private schools are not part of those considered for the award, so I don’t know what is happening,” he said.

The anti-corruption campaigner said Prof Opoku-Amankwa has been calling him on several occasions after he petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over the issue.

“He once called me in the night [and I still have the evidence for this] and I told him prior that, I have called him more than five times and he does not pick up,” he said.