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Otumfuo is my Man of the Year

89030796 Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 Source: Lawrence Appiah-Osei

I have made Otumfuo Osei Tutu II my Man of the Year because of how he has conducted himself in exposing the corruption, nepotism, and insensitivity of this Nana Addo government. When we say some Kings have wisdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is one of them. You never understand when he starts to act until he finishes. That is what he has done to Nana Addo.

First, it was the dumsor in Kumasi. Otumfuo never spoke about it for the NPP to read politics into it. He waited until one day, the Minister of Energy, NAPO, went to his palace for lunch. As they were having lunch, the lights went off and he took the opportunity to address the whole dumsor in the Ashanti Region. The evidence was right there before NAPO, and he couldn’t tell his talkers to make noise with it. At the end of the day, Otumfuo let the government know that dumsor was back.

Second was when the government, launching its Green Ghana Agenda, wrote a script from the Jubilee House for Otumfuo to read in public. This government does not respect anyone, even the Otumfuo. The King cleverly exposed the government by telling the whole world that a script had been written from the Jubilee House for him to read, but he is reading his own script because he doesn’t believe in what he has been given to read. That was such an embarrassment to the government.

Then recently the Otumfuo, after visiting the Okomfo Anokye Hospital in the night, and seeing how the hospital had deteriorated, initiated a move to renovate it. This move was done before the 2024 Budget statement was read. Any wise government would have allocated some funds for the renovation of some hospitals, including the Okomfo Anokye Hospital in the 2024 Budget, but not Nana Addo’s government.

When nothing was done about the poor condition of Okomfo Anokye Hospital, Otumfuo then initiated the next embarrassment by summoning the Region Minister to his palace to account for his stewardship. The Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, went to the palace and told the Ashanti Chiefs’ Council about the true state of the Ashanti economy, and by extension the Ghanaian economy.

The Ashanti Regional Minister said amongst other things that many of the roads have been awarded to contractors, the contractors have abandoned the projects because there is no money to pay even the interim payment certificate. Otumfuo asked the chiefs if they had seen the government flagship program of the STEM schools in their area. The chiefs answered Otumfuo in the negative.

Now, I am waiting for when Dr. Bawumia will go and campaign in Ashanti Region. Otumfuo and Ashantiman will be waiting for him. The Vice President should not appear before Otumfuo and tell him he, the Vice, built the toilets in Suame, the toilets in Kejetia, and the toilets in Atonsu.

Aba no, Mahama afa.

Columnist: Lawrence Appiah-Osei