The Minority says Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu and Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah among other persons and institutions must be stripped of the National honours conferred by President Akufo-Addo yesterday.

According to them, the Health Minister was found by a committee of Parliament to have allegedly overpriced the cost of vaccines during the height of Covid-19.

The Information Ministry on the other hand was cited in the Auditor-General's audit of Covid-19 funds for paying undeserving allowances to officials.

The Minority Spokesperson on Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said these persons are undeserving of the awards and that has lowered the high standards set and maintained by previous deserving awardees.

“The Minority in Parliament is deeply concerned about the manner in which yesterday’s National Awards Ceremony held at the Accra International Conference Center turned out to be a final attempt by the clearing persons being investigated by a parliamentary committee of inquiry on their stewardship in the management of Covid-19 funds,”

“For the first time in our history, persons whose conduct are currently being probed by a parliamentary committee of inquiry were publicly decorated with high honours in a desperate attempt by the president to finalise the corruption-clearing process that he began during the message of the State of the Nation’s Address in parliament,”

“The sensibilities of Ghanaians are ever being tested by this government and it beats the imagination of reasonable Ghanaians how a minister who not so long ago was investigated for the manner in which he flouted our procurement laws to award an overpriced contract for procurement of vaccines," he said.

He added that if there was any category of people to honour, it should be the President and the health workers who put their lives on the line and their families at risk just to help save the lives of others.

“If these awards were meant to recognize hard work, dedication and commitment towards the maintenance and advancement of the state with reference to Covid-19 then the frontline health workers who worked extended hours, sacrificed their lives and health to ensure that several others did not die should’ve been awarded instead of the mere mention of their work,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo on March 14, 2023, presided over the 2023 edition of the National Honours and Awards event at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC).