Adjei-Darko Under Fire

THE NSOATRE Traditional Council in the Brong Ahafo region has reprimanded the Minister of Local Government, Environment and Rural Development, Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, for alleged acts of insubordination towards the people of the area since his re-appointment.

In a strongly-worded letter to the President, Speaker of Parliament, the Electoral Commissioner and other high- ranking personalities in the country, the Council stated:

“It is regrettable to note that the Hon. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, has shown gross disrespect and unquenchable hatred towards the chiefs and people of Nsoatre in the Sunyani municipality in relation to the siting of the newly created Sunyani West District capital at Nsoatre”.

On November 20, 2007, a petition by the Nsoatre Traditional Council was sent to the President through the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister stating reasons why the capital of the new district should be sited at Nsoatre and not Odumase.

“As we continued to wait for a response from His Excellency the President, the Hon. Minister defiantly called a meeting on Wednesday January 30, 2008 at Odumase to plan for the inauguration of the new district with Odumase as the capital.

“In the view of the good people of Nsoatre, that action of the Minister's was not only in violation of cultural and ethical norms but also a clear indication of the Minister's avowed intention to force his will and intention on the people of the proposed Sunyani West District. We are strong in our conviction that the Hon. Minister's intention to deny Nsoatre the capital of the new District is based on personal vendetta and acrimony.”

According to the traditional rulers, some of the reasons for their assertion were as follows: “Since the 2004 elections, Mr. Adjei-Darko has never set foot at Nsoatre which is the largest town in the Sunyani West Constituency where he currently is the MP.
“Even when the late Mr. Obosu Mohammed, the Nsoatre local chairman of the New Patriotic Party passed away, the minister ignored the invitation to his funeral.

“He sadly denied the Nsoatre Methodist Junior High School an award package he had pledged to give to the best school in the B.E.C.E in the constituency during the 2005/2006 academic year in which the school emerged as the winner.

“Out of the 12 schools that are enjoying the National School Feeding Programme through his efforts as he claims, no school in Nsoatre has benefited from the programme.

“He has bluntly refused Nsoatre its share of the maintenance and repair of street lights in the constituency which was funded by the MP's share of the Common Fund”.

They alleged that besides the above issues there were other irritating statements that Hon. Adjei Darko had made about the people of Nsoatre and its citizens, including insults against the late Omanhene and his elders.

“Stemming from the foregoing irritating statements the Hon. Adjei-Darko has made, it is clear that he has no respect for the people of Nsoatre and his actions have the tendency of sowing seeds of discord in the constituency and the region at large as he retires.

“We are ready to embark on series of demonstrations to drum home our message until the right thing is done by giving Nsoatre what is due it.

“We further wish to emphasize that Mr. Adjei-Darko is unjustifiably trying to punish Nsoatre by denying it the district capital, hence if the government, by the dictates of Adjei-Darko, fails to make Nsoatre the capital, the chiefs and people of Nsoatre will never recognize Odumase as the District capital and Nsoatre will not be part of that District,” they warned.

They stated that contrary to Mr. Adjei Darko's claim that only a handful of people were involved in the agitation for Nsoatre to be the district capital, the entire traditional area was involved in the struggle.

In another petition to the President, the Council said the decision to site the district capital of the newly created Sunyani West District at Odumasi instead of Nsoatre as announced on Thursday October 25, 2007, was a shock and surprise.

“That although as your people we took the news of the siting of the district capital at Odumase rather than Nsoatre with disappointment, we still thank you for creating it.” They however appealed to the President in the given circumstances “to use your good offices to re-consider the decision to site the capital at Odumasi.”