The Municipal Chief Executive for Ayawaso Central, Rudolf Collingwoode-Williams, has dismissed claims that government distributed Indomie noodles and baked beans to victims of the June 29 floods through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
His comments follow allegations by Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, that NADMO distributed Indomie noodles and baked beans to flood victims in Nima and Accra New Town despite the release of funds for relief efforts.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News on Wednesday, July 8, the MCE clarified that while such food items may have been distributed in some communities, they were donations from private organisations and individuals, not relief supplies provided by the government.
“I have also followed some platforms trying to accuse the government of distributing Indomie and baked beans to affected victims. But that is not the case. He might have gotten it wrong,” he said.
According to him, when donations are received by the Assembly, they are coordinated through NADMO, which is responsible for distributing relief items to affected residents.
He cited an instance where Indomie Ghana approached the Assembly to provide cooked meals to some flood victims, adding that the Assembly worked with the municipal NADMO office to supervise the exercise.
“That was not money or food that came from the Presidency or the government. It was a donation from a company. NADMO didn’t give Indomie to victims on behalf of the government or presidency. NADMO might be supervising the distribution of Indomie by private organisations,” he explained.
Rudolf Collingwoode-Williams stressed that neither his Assembly nor other Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies had received Indomie noodles or baked beans from the government for distribution to flood victims.
Instead, he said, official relief items received through NADMO have included rice, cooking oil, mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets.
He further explained that many donations are first sent to NADMO’s national warehouse before being distributed to municipal offices for onward delivery to affected communities, which could create the impression that all items being shared are government supplies.
