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)