As Sikelele Goes Bankrupt after Two years In opposition

Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Member of Parliament for New Juaben North and self-acclaimed multi-millionaire, is at the throats of some former workers of Sikelele Healthcare Limited, as he vehemently denies them an opportunity for employment with another firm to earn a living.

The former Minister for the Interior, as well as Minister of Works and Housing, has refused to give the ex-workers release letters for employment by Far East Mercantile Limited, which has taken over the business of Sikelele.

Even though Far East is prepared to employ the ex-workers, who were sales representatives of Sikelele, this can only be possible if they are given release letters by their former employers, the Enquirer was told.

The one-time failed presidential aspirant, together with the management of Sikelee, convened a meeting with all workers of Sikelele, where he announced that the company has gone bankrupt, as it is heavily indebted to its bankers. He added that the bankers have strongly threatened to take possession of his properties, including his residence.

Consequently, Mr. Owusu Agyemang declared that the company, which he proudly claimed is his family business bankrupt and would “be closed down at the end of August, this year” and this eventually happened.

According to Hackman, the reason for not issuing the ex-workers the release letters is that they owe the company several amounts of money, and that until the workers pay up those debts, the release letters would never be issued. But the Sikelele ex-workers, in separate interviews, told the Enquirer that they have not taken any loans from the company for Hackman to harass them, as though they were criminals.

They noted that, as sales representatives, they were allowed by the company to sell products to customers on credit and receive post-dated cheques. They argued that they cannot be blamed if cheques issued by clients to the company are bounced by the banks, saying “How can we collect all these debts owed to Sikelele when the company has been folded up, it even worsens the situation?”

They told the Enquirer that while Hackman announced the liquidation of the company he brought the police to arrest them for debts owed the company by clients and even though the arrests were not effected, the police took their fingerprints and house addresses, among others, for the company.

“The company also compelled us to bring guarantors whose particulars were also taken by the company,” they added.

The further argued that there is no way they can pay the debts when the management of Sikelele has rendered them jobless.

“Every blessed day we get calls from the company asking us to pay the debts; meanwhile, Hackman has refused us the release letters to work with Far East. Even when we agreed that the letters are given to us to work so that Far East can deduct from our salaries to pay the debts, Hackman refused,” one of the ex-workers told The Enquirer.

The ex-workers, who are eight in number, are of the contention that the company went bankrupt because of the inept management put in place by Hackman.

They noted that there was no way the company was going to survive when management embarked on needless expenditure of about GH¢5,000 every day. They continued that Hackman failed to announce any compensation or End of Service benefits for the workers, who lost their jobs through no fault of theirs but because of the poor management of the company.

Further, the ex-workers of Sikelele noted that for the greater part of last year and from the beginning of this year till date, the company refused to pay the SSNIT contributions of the workers.

When Enquirer asked Mr. Owusu Agyemang why he could not agree for the ex-workers to work with Far East so that their salaries are deducted at source, he said their salaries are too paltry and as such he cannot wait for that long. According to the ex-workers, they were not paid for that month of August when the company was liquidated, adding that they were told that the salaries would be used to defray part of the debt.

Hackman boasted to The Enquirer that he needs nobody’s money to survive as he is rich enough to cater for his family, adding he took no state money while he was a minister, but the ex-workers described him as “wicked and uncompromising.” The bankrupt Sikelele Healthcare Limited was the proud exclusive national distributor for Procter and Gamble (P&G), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of household consumable goods based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. According to Hackman P&G withdrew Sikelele’s license because the company was heavily indebted.

The company was dealing in products, such as Ariel detergent powder, Always sanitary pads, Pampers diapers, Vicks Lemon Plus drops, Gillette personal grooming products, Oral B dentalcare, Duracell batteries and Pringles. According to the Sikelele website, the solid partnership with Procter and Gamble made the company the fastest growing distributor for the year 2007/2008 in the whole of CEEMEA (Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa zone of P&G). With an annual turnover of over US$72,000,000.00, Sikelele Healthcare represented about 80% of the group’s turnover at that time.

But in just two years that Hackman and his New Patriotic party have been in opposition, the flamboyant and elegant old man has declared his family business, Sikelele, bankrupt and closed it down.