FDA boss sacked

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Hudu Mogtari, has been relieved of his post by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo with immediate effect.

The decision to remove him from office was communicated to him last week from the presidency.

Mr. Mogtari took over from Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, whose alleged reign of terror crippled the pharmaceutical industry after owners of companies he suspected were not sympathetic to the cause of the then ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) were targeted and victimised.

Pharmaceutical companies that purportedly suffered serious victimisation in the hands of Dr. Opuni were Tobinco, Kingdom and Kinapharma.

One of his purported cronies, a certain Delese Mimi Darko – who is said be an NDC woman – is currently lobbying to be appointed FDA boss and is believed to be using her father’s connections.

Her father is said to be an NPP man, but DAILY GUIDE learnt that her appointment can only be a perpetuation of Opuni’s regime.

Other people Dr Opuni allegedly used to harass the pharmaceutical companies are believed to be Amedzro, Nathaniel Nkrumah and Asante Boateng.

Dr Opuni, upon assumption of office as the FDA boss, allegedly cleared all the top people in management positions and planted his favourites.

For instance, Ben Botwe, a deputy CEO, was sent to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and finally sent home and Akrasi Sarpong came to replace him; and one Rev Martey was also reported to have been relieved of his post by Opuni.

The outgoing FDA boss, Hudu Mogtari, is the husband of Joyce Bawa-Mogtari, a former deputy Minister of Transport, who was also the Communication Director of the John Mahama 2016 electioneering campaign team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).