By Mustapha Kamara
Acting Chairman, All Political Parties’ Association, APPA says rice supplied to quarantined homes by the World Food Programme “has the potential to kill more people as it is expired and rotten”.
Mohamed Bangura, also chairman and leader of the opposition United Democratic Movement party, was addressing a news conference yesterday in Freetown when he alleged that the findings were part of a preliminary investigation of the APPA’s ongoing project with the country’s Political Party Registration Commission, PPRC.
He said the project aimed at monitoring all Ebola related activities, especially the welfare of Ebola victims in the country.
“The rice supplied by WFP is rotten, substandard and expired and it is not good for human consumption,” the chairman said, adding that many people were afraid of consuming even the cooking oil that was supplied alongside the rice, believing that it might have been “poisoned”.
The politician also explained that his association had visited several quarantined homes in the Western Area and in over 7 districts countrywide and had noticed that there were not enough food supplies to sustain the Ebola victims.
“As much as we are aware of the aid being provided by the UN and other organisations for the Ebola affected and victims, we as political parties are also concerned about the health implications these supplies may have on the country,” he warned.
Secretary General of the opposition SLPP, Sulaiman Banja Tejan-Sie, told the media of hostilities that APPA faced from some members in the different communities they visited across the country.
He urged the National Ebola Emergency Response Center and the international community to promptly address issues affecting people in quarantined homes by providing “proper and sufficient food supplies that would prevent future unrest.”
But WFP’s communications officer in Sierra Leone, Francis Boima, countered the claims made by APPA.
“WFP procures food carefully and only from reputable suppliers who meet international standards,” he said, adding that at the time they were checking to see whether or not the alleged rice was that which was supplied by the organisation.
“Quality is something that WFP is careful about and that is why each time our food stuff arrives at the Quay, we get clearance from the local authority that is responsible for quality control,” Boima stated. He added that that was the first time they had received any such complaints about the quality of their supplies.
Communications officer at NERC, Sidi Yayah Tunis, said they were aware of APPA’s findings and had launched an investigation into the matter.
© Politico 07/11/14
