Petition To Halt The Misuse Of

OFFINSO-NORTH CONCERN YOUTH

C/O BOX 18, AKOMADAN – ASHANTI

CHAIRMAN/LEADER: 0207842134 / 0269315545

OGANIZERS: 02445855684/0268710296 PATRONS: 0243216295

PRESS RELEASE

PETITION TO HALT THE MISUSE OF

AKUMADAN AGRICULTIURAL RESEARCH LAND AND THE MISAPPLICATION OF ASSEMBLY FUNDS BY

HON. SAMUEL APPIAH-KUBI, DCE, OFFINSO-NORTH

We the people of Offinso North,

particularly the youth, women and children who are the most vulnerable have

observed with grave concern about the recent development and the decision by

Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi, the DCE, Offinso-North to destroy the district which

nananom and his predecessors have toiled for, in less than 3 years of his

appointment. We see his decisions and actions as detrimental to the future

development of the district. We have therefore to hold this press conference,

pending a massive demonstration next week as a measure to restrain him from all

his ill-intentions after several attempt to persuade him have been rejected.

It could be observed that Hon. Samuel

Appiah-Kubi, the DCE has made up his mind to misuse the Ministry of Agricultural

Research Lands at Akumadan for assembly projects instead of the 300 acre land

that the traditional council and nananom have allocated to the assembly and for

which his predecessor has already begun some considerable work on it. We see

this as a deliberate attempt to foil our long cherished hope of seeing a tomato

factory in Akomadan.

It could be recalled that during the

inauguration of the Offinso-North District by the previous administration in

2008, the entire citizenry and nananom were generous enough to allocate about

300 acres of lands for the development of the Assembly’s Administration Block,

Assembly Hall, Decentralized Departments and Staff bungalows, among other

things.

The

previous assembly, led by Hon A. C. Ntim, the Former DCE, immediately put

measures in place to commence the projects. All the surveying works covering

the land were made by the Regional Surveying Department. What was left was to be

done was to pay the necessary compensation to the Traditional Authorities. The

Assembly committed a lot of resources into developing the site. Currently,

there are over 6 completed bungalows and other projects. Our investigations

reveal that contracts have also been signed for the extension of electricity

and water to the site.

However, upon the taking over of the Assembly

as the DCE, Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi has decided to abandon the acquired site

for reasons no one seems to fathom and for which no justification can be

established. We understand the idea to establish the assembly at the site is

part of a strategic planning for accelerated development to ensure the

expansion of Akomadan and the district as a whole. With electricity and water

at the site, it would make it possible and convenient for all to acquire and

develop the area into a first class residential area. Such an expansion also

has a potential to merge Akomadan and Nkenkaasu as well as Afrancho and other

towns to enable us acquire the status of municipality in the next 10 to 15

years.

Such a strategic idea and planning by nananom

and the first assembly needs to be commended as it has a potential of preparing

a brighter future for the present generation and the generation yet unborn.

However, the decision to abandon the site by Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi is rather

unfortunate and must be condemned in no uncertain terms. He must render an

unqualified apology to nananom and the people of Offinso North for such an

unpardonable goof.

The Akomadan Agricultural

Research Land in question was released by Nanamon to the Ministry of Food and

Agriculture (MOFA) in 1976 for research purposes. This is part of a composite

measure to come out with improved varieties of tomatoes and other crops to facilitate

agricultural development and the establishment of Akomadan Tomato Factory to

serve the district. The Ministry of Agriculture has spent millions of cedis to build

a dam there for irrigation and other research facilities which has been in

operation since 1976. The project was sponsored by Food and Agricultural

Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. This is a prime land which has been

reserved over the years and which the government and nananom have tried to

protect at a cost for the present and generation yet unborn. Nonetheless,

recent developments indicate that out of the parochial and myopic interest of

Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi and few other unscrupulous persons, such an important

prime Agricultural Research Land is been misused. The DCE, Hon. Samuel

Appiah-Kubi has decided to downplay the intelligence of nananom of Akomadan and

the people of Offinso North to destroy our hopes and aspiration for reasons

known to him only. Currently, part of the land has been used to build some

offices and an ICT Centre. This small ICT Centre is alleged to have cost the

Assembly over ¢ 2 billion. As we speak now, there are contractors on the site

busily working to further commence other projects like the Assembly

Administration Block and the Assembly Hall instead of the 300 acre Assembly

acquired land for such a purpose.

We the people of Offinso-North find this rather

unfortunate, outrageous and quite inconsistent with the basic tenets of the

assembly concept. We wish to condemn such an abominable mission and the

apparent show of arrogance displayed by the DCE. We demand that H.E. Prof. J.E.A.

Mills, the President of Republic of Ghana to call Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi to

order to save a hopeless situation.

We want to put on record that we are in no way

against development. We would however not tolerate any haphazard and unguarded

developments. We would very much appreciate the effort of the assembly to build

enough structures for the benefit of all. Nonetheless, it is wrong and

unacceptable to use the Agric Research Land instead of the 300 acre assembly

acquired site allocated for such a purpose.

What is more

disheartening is that Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi, upon his appointment as the DCE

in 2009 has personally used the Land and the dam in question for several tomato

farm projects including the current season. He cannot pretend not to be aware

of the importance of the land. We think it is a deliberate attempt to kill the

hopes of the citizens of Akomadan and the entire district of our longed

cherished hope of getting a tomato factory. It a clear hypocrisy and double

standards to in one breath use the land for farming whiles in another breath

destroy the same land just for your parochial and myopic interest. We shall

resist through thick and blood such an attempt orchestrated by him to the peril

of our life to safeguard our future development. We shall continue to fight

until somebody one day hears and reason up with us.

Upon extensive consultation, we the people of

Offinso North have resolved to:

1. Send a strong admonition to Hon. Samuel

Appiah-Kubi, the DCE, to put a halt to any plans to further destroy the Agric

Research Land for Assembly projects.

2. We advice him to move all such projects to the

300 acre acquired assembly land that was allocated by Akomadan citizens and

nananom in 2008 and for which his predecessor has already begun its

development.

3. We advice him to be modest and respectful to

nananom and to initiate or continue with all the necessary processes leading to

the final acquisition of the 300 acres of land the previous administration

strategically worked on.

4. We appeal to the Offinso Traditional Council,

Nananom and Chief of Akomadan, in particularly to restrain Hon. Samuel

Appiah-Kubi, the DCE, from further misuse of the irrigation land.

5. We also appeal to the Hon. Member of Parliament

to use his good office to advise Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi, the DCE, from further

misuse of the land.

6. We further appeal to the Regional Minister to restrain

Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi, the DCE, from further misuse of the land and impress

upon him to implement the strategic framework of his predecessor in the

interest of posterity.

7. Finally, we appeal to the President, H.E. Prof

Mills also to seriously investigate into the matter to ascertain the veracity

of the issues raised.

8. We also appeal to the president to look for a

strategic investor to revisit the project of establishing a tomato factory in

Akomadan.

9. We have decided to resort to legal matters to

restrain him from further attempts to destroy the land if he turns deaf ear to

our petition.

Moreover, we would be very pleased, if Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi, DCE, would address

the following concerns

of ours and the voiceless:

1. Why is it that Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi is not

regular at the district office? One rarely sees him in office.

2. What is the current status of the sister-city

project that has taken him abroad for several occasions? How much has been

spent on the project and what are the benefits so far? It is alleged over GH¢250,000

has been used to travel abroad several times without any benefit to the people

of Offinso-North.

3. How much has been spent on the ICT Centre? It

is alleged over GH¢200,000 has been spent on this project and we demand for explation

because we find this quite outrageous.

4. What are the priorities of the Assembly? It is sad

to note that Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi has spent another Gh¢200,000 to grow grass

instead of the maintenance of village roads, schools, provision of portable water,

supply of street lights and provision of other amenities. The over GH¢200,000 contract

was awarded to himself and close allies without going through tender.

5. It is apparent that Hon. Appiah-Kubi is

anti-development. For almost 3 years now he has been amassing wealth. He does

not think about the common people. He has built 2 mansions in Kumasi and Tema,

a secondary school in Kumasi and has also acquired over 10 cars including some tipper

trucks, among other things. We want explanation to how he could achieve this

much in 2 years.

6. Moreover, for nearly 3 years now Hon. Samuel

Appiah-Kubi has abandoned the DCE Residence. He has used the assembly resources

to hire a hotel in Techiman where he resides. Over GH¢300,000 has been used to

pay the hotel bills so far. We the Concern Youth and the citizens of Offinso-North

find this unacceptable. Meanwhile, the residence was awarded for renovated, in

2010 without going through tender.

7. All village schools have collapsed due to lack

of teachers because Hon. Appiah-Kubi has sacked the over 300 teachers that were

employed by the previous administaion under the NYEP without replacement. All

public toilets are in deplorable states, there are no lights on our streets and

lanes, village roads are very poor. These have not seen any maintenance since

his appointment in 2009. Where is development, is it a deliberate attempt by

President Mills and the NDC to punish the people of Offinso-North? We are

suffering. We have not seen the Better Ghana and we do not anticipate any so

far as this low-minded DCE continues to be at the helms of affairs.

8. We want to place on records that Hon. Samuel

Appiah-Kubi is an anti-development. We are not surprise that he has never

stayed in the office for 48 hours continuously.

9. We are also not surprise the whole of

Offinso-North is engulf with filth, there has not been electricity expansion

since his appointment, all village roads are in deplorable condition, there is

lack of maintenance of bore-holes in the villages, all village schools are

collapsing, amont other things. This is

a person who takes decisions arbitrary without proper consultation of all

stakeholders. He awards contracts to himself and his closest allies; a clear

conflict of interest.

10.

The

following and many others are the contracts that have been awarded without

going to tender and must be seriously investigated, as a matter of urgency:

1. Renovation of DCE Residence at Akumadan.

2. The growth of grass along the Techiman-Kumasi

Highway. The purpose for awarding such an unwarranted contract during the dry

season is also questionable.

3. Supply of tables and chairs to Akumadan Senior

High School.

4. Afracho to Nkwankwaa electrification project

which was awarded to his local chairman paid for but has not been executed.

One would not be surprise President Mills did

not visit Offinso-North as there are no developmental projects for

commissioning. We need answers to all these concerns and we appeal to H.E.

Prof. Mills, the President of Ghana to call Hon. Samuel Appiah-Kubi to order,

as a matter of urgency to save the Assembly and its resources from the unsafe

hands and total collapse.

We want to assure the good people of Akomadan

and Offinso-North that we are going to present this petition to the president,

Prof Atta Mills pending next week’s demonstration.

Finally, we want to reiterate that come

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 there will be a massive demonstration to draw the

attention of the president and the general public to these concerns. We are

prepared to stage more of such demonstration if these and many other concerns

are not addressed as soon as possible.

Thank You.

SIGNED SIGNED

………………………………………… ……………………………………

AGYENIM BOATENG MORO ABUBAKARI

(LEADER) (ORGANIZER)

SIGNED

……………………………………………………

ATOBRAH BOATENG PAUL

(CHAIRMAN)