Offinso State Cry For Justice

Nana Wiafe Akenten III, chief of Offinso council

We the concerned people of Offinso Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region of Ghana in the spirit of President Nana Akuffo Addo Dankwah's call that Ghanaians should act as non-spectators, would like to express our deepest distress at the scrupulous manner in which the Paramount Chief of Offinso Traditional Area, Nana Wiafe Akenten III has allegedly misappropriated and not accounted for over 2,300,000 million Ghana Cedis paid by the Ministry of Health for some buildings owned by the people of Offinso that the Offinso state had wanted to use to build a technical University. Another payment made by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to the Offinso state for the construction of the Barekese Dam Project. The elders and people of Offinso wanted

The first amount was GHS 1,850,000 million Ghana Cedis paid to the Offinso Traditional Council by the Ministry of Health to take over the building camp left behind by the Management of MFS Contractors who constructed the Kumasi-Techiman Road at Nkenkasu in Offinso North District which now serves as the National Ambulance Training Center.

The payments were made in two installments; first, 1,000,000 (one million Ghana Cedis) that was supposed to go to the Traditional Council was credited to the personal Barclays Bank account of Offinsohene, Nana Wiafe Akenten III on September 7, 2011, from a Ghana Commercial Bank cheque issued by the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health issued another Ghana Commercial Bank cheque of 850,000 on October 19, 2011, for the final installment which the Offinsohene once again credited his personal Barclays Bank account instead of the Offinso Traditional Council making it a total of 1,850,000 million Ghana Cedi.

In addition, reports reaching the Concerned People of Offinso Traditional Area is that says Nana Wiafe Akenten III, committed another act of treachery by transferring 500,000 Ghana Cedis into the personal account of a certain Member of Parliament on September 12, 2011, and another transfer of 400,000 Ghana Cedis on October 21, 2011, into the MP's Barclays Bank account once again.

Our Concerns as non-spectators are the following:

• Why did Offinsohene, Nana Wiafe Akenten III, pay the Traditional Councils money into his personal accounts?
• Why did Nana Wiafe Akenten III, pay 900,000 Ghana Cedis of the Traditional Council's money into the personal account of the MP?
• Also, why members of the Offinso Traditional Council not formally informed of the where about of the money that belongs to the Traditional Council?
• Finally, why was the huge amount of money transferred into a Member of Parliament's account and what was it meant for?

In another misappropriation Scandal implicating Offinsohene, Nana Wiafe Akenten III is an alleged 450,000 Ghana Cedis which was paid to the Offinso Traditional Council by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).

On November 22, 2005, the Governing Board at its 212^th Regular Meeting approved a total sum of about 7.821,234 million Ghana Cedis, (Copy of approval letter attached).

On Friday November 16, edition of the Daily Graphic publication, the then Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Sadique, in his Address to Parliament on Thursday November,2007 said Government of Ghana has paid 43 million Ghana Cedis as compensation to communities affected by the construction of the Barekese Dam in the Ashanti Region including Offinso (Daily Graphic Publication attached).

However, Offinso traditional Council members say they are not informed about the sale of the property talk less of how much was paid to the Council.

We the disturbed people of Offinso, in our quest for justice petitioned the Special Prosecutor Martin A.B.K Amidu's office with case reference number OSP/SCR/2/11/18 on May 14, 2018, who redirected us to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for consideration and further action. Dejectedly, EOCO has not made any effort to push our quest for justice. Subsequently, we are calling on EOCO to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter and bring justice to the people of Offinso.

Thank You

SIGNED FOR CONCERNED YOUTH OF OFFINSO
KOFI APPAU
CONTACT: 0249 117579 / 0205511152

Cc:

Office of the President
Council of State
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs
Offinso Traditional Council
EOCO
CHRAG
Ghana Water Company Ltd
IGP