News:
February 26, 2019
Member of Parliament for the Yapei-Kusawwgu constituency in the Northern region, John Jinapor has attributed recent acts of corruption cases at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to nepotism and cronyism.
The former deputy Minister for Power during the erstwhile John Mahama government in a statement described the occurrence as a clear manifestation of widespread corruption that has engulfed the Akufo-Addo led administration.
GNPC was established under PNDCL 64 to amongst others promote petroleum exploration activities, appraise existing petroleum discoveries, and to ensure that Ghana benefits the most from the development of the country’s petroleum resources.
However, Mr Jinapor stated that the national aggregator of Oil and Gas resources has lost focus from these core mandates and has been engulfed in corruption.
The alleged cronyism, nepotism and a complete breakdown of good Corporate Governance practices he said threatens the sustainability of GNPC.
In order to avoid further damage to GNPC, the MP called an investigation into how 200 personnel were recruited without the knowledge of the Board and what the Board Chairman of the firm who is chairman of the governing NPP was actively participating in procurement processes in clear violation of the Public Procurement Act.
Mr John Jinapor is also demanding answers as to why the Board Chairman gives directives to personnel of the corporation without recourse to the CEO and what the root cause of the low morale among staff of the GNPC as alluded to by the CEO and Board Chair.
He also wants an investigation to establish the extent to which the finances of GNPC have been dissipated by the current Board and management.
Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com