Police, NDC youth clash at Finance Ministry
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A protest by the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) Brigade, a youth group affiliated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), turned tense at the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday, as members clashed with security personnel.
The group, comprised mainly of NDC’s youth wing, gathered to express outrage over alleged financial mismanagement by the Akufo-Addo administration.
The ORAL Brigade has been vocal about demanding accountability, and this protest aimed to highlight several contentious financial issues.
Prominent among these is the unresolved $34.9 million Ambulance Spare Parts deal, which has raised concerns about procurement and fund allocation.
The group alleges that this transaction, intended to enhance emergency medical services, has instead become a symbol of gross financial misconduct.
The protesters also targeted the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) involvement with Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), questioning the legitimacy of the deal.
Furthermore, they demanded a comprehensive accounting of expenditures related to the 2023 All-African Games.
This protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations by the ORAL Brigade, which has been increasingly critical of the government’s financial management.
The group’s demands for transparency and accountability have been met with resistance from the authorities, leading to tensions between the two sides.
The ORAL Brigade’s concerns are not new. In recent years, Ghana has faced several high-profile financial scandals, including the infamous GYEEDA scandal, which led to the resignation of then-Minister of Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
The group’s protests are a continuation of the NDC’s long-standing criticism of the NPP government’s handling of public finances.
As the protest turned tense, security personnel attempted to disperse the crowd, leading to scuffles and arrests.
In response to the protest, the Ministry of Finance issued a statement dismissing the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated.”
-BY Daniel Bampoe
ABOUT: Nana Kwesi Coomson
[email protected] An Entrepreneur, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Communications Executive and Philanthropist. Editor-in-Chief of www.233times.com. A Senior Journalist with Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper. An alumnus of Adisadel College where he read General Arts. His first degree is in Bachelor of Arts - Political Science (major) and History (minor) from the University of Ghana. He holds MSc in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Energy with Public Relations (PR) from the Robert Gordon University in the United Kingdom. He is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow who studied at Clark Atlanta University in USA on the Business and Entrepreneurship track.
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