Rawlings Urged To Remove Akwasi Agyeman

June 1, 1999 By Nii Kwei Amasah

Accra - A vote of No-Confidence has been passed on the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive Nana Akwasi Agyemang for highhandedness, nepotism, dictatorship and gross abuse of office.

In a letter dated May 27, 1999 which was passed through the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Kojo Yankah, to the President, Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings, the petitioners said Nana Akwasi Agyemang has not been adhering to the principles of the decentralisation programme which aims at putting power into the hands of the people at the grassroots level, as established by Legislative Instrument 1614 under the 1992 Republican Constitution.

The letter also states that "Nana Akwasi Agyemang over the years has been administering the KMA as he so wishes." For instance, the Executive Committee of the Assembly, according to the letter, has never met since its inauguration in August 1998. So also are the various committees and sub-district structures which are to complement the decentralised structures of the new local government system.

Nana Akwasi Agyemang who should have held four elections for the Kumasi sub-metro has seen no wisdom in doing this, says part of the letter.

This, the letter maintains, has made the work of the members of KMA very difficult because they cannot carry out the Government's new decentralization policy.

The KMA Chief Executive was reported to have sworn openly at one of the Assembly's emergency meetings that he would not implement the decentralisation concept since his 22 years work experience at KMA is enough for him to steer the affairs of the Assembly all by himself.

"Over my dead body," he was quoted to have stressed. "What have the sub-structures to offer his Assembly?" he questioned.

Cataloguing some of the problems created by Honourable Metropolitan Chief Executive, the letter says that since the coming into force of this present Assembly, the KMA has not been able to put a proper budget in place and this has created serious financial problems for the Assembly.

As a result of this, the Metropolitan Chief Executive is now drawing monies from the Development Account for Recurrent Expenditure.

On the award of contracts, the letter states that Nana Akwasi Agyemang has been practising nepotism and that he awards contracts to friends and cronies without prior approval by the Assembly. "Tender Board is not in place yet he alone awards contracts for very obvious reasons to his own companies," the letters atates in part. It further states that there have been numerous unpaid contracts which invariably undermine the capacity to executive new projects on time.

Nana Akwasi Agyemang, the letter further maintains, also delays payment for some contracts which have not been executed. They cited the Prempeh Assembly Hall Rehabilitation Project, which is over a billion cedis and the refuse containers project by A.S. Hallaby, which are all against government directives.

Touching on the misapplication of the Common Fund, the statement states that Nana Akwasi Agyemang has been misapplying the KMA's share of the Common Fund to suit his whims and caprices. For instance, there has not been any utilisation of the poverty alleviation fund as directed by the Government.

At Assembly meetings, the letter states, the Metro Chief Executive does not find it necessary to deliver any sessional address but rather calls for emergency meetings with no minutes recorded.

The Metro Chief Executive is also noted for coming to meetings three or more hours late and conducts most of the official duties in his house and this has created lapses in the day-to-day administration of the Metropolis.

Another allegation which was levelled against him is that of intimidation and threats. Every single employee, the letter says, is afraid and scared stiff of his unpredictable nature. He often intimidates the staff with dismissals and transfers and within one year alone, six top administrative staff left KMA because of these intimidation.

Nana Akwasi Agyemang brutally assaulted a treasury officer for demanding receipt for monies collected and on March 18, 1999, he encouraged his driver and a friend, who is a 'machoman', to beat an Assembly member at the premises of the KMA. The letter adds that the Metro Boss is noted for pulling out guns and issuing out threats to Assembly members.

It also accuses the Chief Executive of turning vehicles meant for Assembly into family vehicles and often parks them at his house instead of the office premises.

Based on these accusations, the Assembly voted - with more than one-third in support - and sought his immediate removal from office in accordance with part 4, section 17 sub-order 1,2, and 3 of the Local Government Orders for District Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies in Ghana.