Open letter to Mr. president – Hackman and the spoilt children at COCOBOD (1)

Good day Mr. President.

I am writing to you because I see myself as a Citizen and not a spectator. I was very disturbed the day you announced Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyemang as Chairman of the Board of Directors of COCOBOD.

It was a disaster of an announcement but most COCOBOD staff and farmers who had voted for change were fast asleep and little did they know that the appointment of the man I call the hacksaw man was the beginning of many days of doom for them.

The first thing he did to paint Dr. Opuni black was to announce at the presidency that the Chief Executive of COCOBOD was taking a whopping 75k as monthly salary. Mr. President, I know you remember that episode very well because you were there and was as surprised as myself considering the fact that even you the Commander-in-Chief take home less than that. Mr. Owusu Agyemang was hailed and Dr. Opuni was demonized.

His motive for revealing the salary only to go and apologise to the Management of COCOBOD in a closed door meeting for his unguarded utterances is still unknown to me. I am sure he woke up the following day to realize that some CEOs were taking more than that. To borrow the words of my friend and godfather in the movie industry, I can't think far for him.

While everyone was busily demonizing Dr. Opuni for taking home 75k per month, the man I call the hacksaw man was busily furnishing one office on the fourth floor of cocoa house to be used as his office. Before the 75k matter was put to rest, the hacksaw man had annexed the office with state-of-the-art finishing and colonized and renamed the only female washroom on the left wing of the Fourth floor for his personal use.

Even the arrogant Dr. Opuni didn't do that. For those doubting me, just visit cocoa house and check for yourself. Arrgh Dr. Opuni was indeed arrogant ampa.

Someone asked me whether the 75k revelation was a breach of his oath of secrecy. Did he break his oath of secrecy as a Board Chairman? Let me keep that for another day. My checks however revealed that the COCOBOD staff who granted interview to the press on May Day in Kumasi is being threatened unnecessarily for breaching his oath of secrecy.

So if the Chairman of COCOBOD says the CEO is taking a whopping 75K a month and a staff member also says that his salaries have not been increased why should the staff member be threatened or victimized in anyway? Mr. President, I wish to remind you that you are a human rights lawyer and these things should not be happening under your watch.

As I watched my beloved GTV on May Day with my family, I remembered the days we gathered around the TV to watch by-the-fireside by Maame Dokonoo. Eiii Mr. President, do you know the whereabout of that woman? Is she still a member of your party? If yes then you need to give her something to do.

That woman has really suffered. Recently I heard her saying Moesha's distin is artificial. Nsem wo Ghana. I have not been following Moesha and her CNN interview because of the troubles of your government and the reforms being put in place at COCOBOD by Mr. Owusu Agyemang.

Mr. President, on May Day 2018, I saw you on my black and white TV addressing workers at Baba Yara Sports Stadium and I was pleasantly surprised to know that staff of COCOBOD had not received salary increment since you assumed office. Is there any government agency that has not received salary increment since NPP assumed office? My checks revealed that most of the inscriptions I saw on placards at the May Day celebration in Kumasi about COCOBOD were actually true.

It is true that staff of COCOBOD do not know who is in charge of COCOBOD. It is true also that the board chairman is a wicked dictator who can be likened to Iddi Amin of Uganda and oh just before I forget, it is also true that the CEO is an elephant but unlike the one in your party logo, the CEO’s elephant is white in colour.

Can you imagine that when asked at a durbar of staff at cocoa house to explain why promotions in COCOBOD was now after every four years instead of the normal three years the CEO actually said he was not aware of any such changes at COCOBOD? So who made those changes and went ahead to issue a circular? Ah well Mr. President you may wish to find out for yourself. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the number of competent persons you have appointed since assuming office.

COCOBOD SALARIES

Arrogant Dr. Opuni has been missed at Cocoa House. Mr. President set your spies on the ground and you will know I am telling you the truth. The man has been missed. May be it is because Mr. Owusu Agyemang thinks Dr. Opuni pampered and spoilt COCOBOD staff. Did he actually say that? Maybe what he is failing to recognize is the fact that we have more NPP supporters at COCOBOD than NDC. Mr President do not doubt me when I speak.

I have the facts. I am told that on that faithful day if Hackman had attempted entering Cocoa House after calling them spoilt children, he would have been lynched. Thank God he was out of town on a COCOBOD sponsored trip costing over GHS100,000.00. You can crosscheck my facts.

Thanks to the hacksaw man, Ghanaians think COCOBOD is a gold mine. I am told that on the average an officer at COCOBOD takes home a little above GH¢2,000.00 a month after all deductions and for those who have taken loans from banks to cushion them because of Hackman’s austerity measures, they probably have nothing left after loan deductions by banks.

Since overtime allowance for junior staff was cancelled some junior staff on bank loans take less than GHS 100 a month. Yes you read right and yet Hackman goes round insulting them and saying they have been spoilt.

When I saw the placards on May Day, I knew at once that COCOBOD staff had now woken up from their deep slumber. When it comes to money matters there is no NPP or NDC and I am Happy that NPP party faithfuls working at COCOBOD have now realized the need to ask you Mr. President to let King Agorkorli of COCOBOD go in peace.

The man has no ideas left in him for the cocoa industry. He knows next to nothing about cocoa. Is he aware that farmers in Eastern and Western Regions are cutting down cocoa trees and planting Rubber instead? In case he is not aware then there is a problem.

I have heard of a number of reforms at COCOBOD. I will look into them and notify you accordingly. In the meantime, enjoy the greenery at the flagstaff house which you have kpordziemo into Jubilee House.

Kakape Iddrisu Atindana