Members of the National Food Suppliers Association on Tuesday, July 4, spent the night at the premises of the National Food Buffer Stock Company ((NAFCO) to demand payment of money owed them for over two years.

The suppliers who travelled from all regions across the country say the government owes them GH¢270 million for food which was supplied to Senior High Schools across the country from 2021 to 2023.

They, however, say they will not leave the premises of NAFCO until the government pays all their monies.

A spokesperson of the group, Kwame Amedume who spoke to JoyNews said that it has been the intention of NAFCO not to pay the arrears owed them.

According to him, there has never been an instance of emergency shortage of food in secondary schools as NAFCO claims.

He explained that NAFCO intentionally creates a shortage of food in the secondary schools and then dishes out money to their own people to supply the food.

“You are owing us and you haven't paid but now you pay people. Now, do you know what they do, they intentionally create a shortage of food in the schools.

“I'm challenging them and telling them if they like, they should come and tell us where emergency shortage happened or emergencies happen in the secondary schools where secondary school were not having food,” he stressed.

Mr Amedume continued that “They will wait and won’t give the money to the suppliers until when the schools are crying then they'll give money, physical money to their own people.”

He asserted that NAFCO chooses the people they want and hand over the money “so that they will supply direct whiles you are owing us.”

“Pay us and we do the work because when you didn't have money, the government didn't have money. We use our money supply,” the group spokesperson said.