The Volta Region Caucus in Parliament has petitioned the National House of Chiefs to urge President Akufo-Addo to apologize to Torgbui Adzongaga Amenya Fiti V, the Paramount Chief of Aflao, for his reaction to the traditional ruler’s concerns.
On Wednesday, October 20, Torgbui Adzongaga Amenya Fiti V issued a four-month deadline to the government to finish the E-Block Senior High School building under construction in the region for student usage.
The school’s construction, which began during the Mahama administration, is about 90% complete. It comprises 26 classrooms and five departments, one of which is a science building. However, the project has been dormant since 2016.
As a result, the Chief instructed NDC members of Parliament’s Education Committee who were reviewing abandoned projects to tell the Minister of Education that he had until February 2022 to complete the project.
President Akufo-Addo remarked during an interview on Accra-based Peace FM that if the traditional head is unhappy about the delay, he could “finish” the abandoned E-block project himself.
However, several Ghanaians have criticized his answer.
According to the Volta Region Caucus, the President’s remark, regardless of how jokingly delivered, was an attack on the Chieftaincy Institution.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Ketu South MP Abla Dzifa Gomashie noted that the President would not make such statements to any other traditional leader who expressed similar worries.
“Torgbui Adzongaga Amenya Fiti V deserves credit for putting education first and speaking out against the practice of abandoning inherited initiatives.” “He does not deserve the President’s disdain,” she remarked.
In light of this, the NDC Caucus MPs have requested that President Akufo-Addo withdraw and apologize for the comment, which they consider to be in poor taste.
Mrs. Gomashie has announced the creation of a ‘Gofundme’ account in order to “complete the E-block as requested by the President.”