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Opinions of Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Columnist: Ofosu, John

Kumawu DEC Commits far Worse Gargantuan Crimes than that of Woyome

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Kumawu Sekyere Afram Plains, Hon. Samuel Asiamah, is wallowing in far worse gargantuan crimes than Alfred Agbesi Woyome is. Corruptive practices have inextricably mired Hon Samuel Asiamah. It will only take the intervention of the Economic Organised Crimes Office to redeem him from possible suffocation. He is by far and large worse than his predecessor (Hon Jacob Kofi Dankwah) was when it comes to abuse of position. I wonder where President Mills got all these incompetent, selfish, and insatiably greedy crooks from, to appoint as DCEs for Kumawu Sekyere Afram Plains.

Hon Dankwah was in office for barely one and a half to two years. He achieved almost practically nothing for the district. He involved himself in snatching other people's wives or girlfriends notably among who was Uncle Akwasi Krah's serious girlfriend. Having not achieved anything or almost nothing for Kumawu, he was however able to put up a mansion in Kumasi and purchased a luxury car for himself. He took 10% kickback from every contract he awarded. This is how he made his illegal wealth in addition to drawing his monthly salary of about GHC 1,700.

Nevertheless, the corruption, incompetence, lack of farsightedness and womanising of Hon Dankwah pale to nothing when we compare them to the magnitude of corruption and womanising in perpetration by Hon Samuel Asiamah. He is in perfect collusion with the NDC District Chairman, former MP for Sekyere East Constituency under the Former President Rawlings' NDC regime, Hon Gyagisu, to committing the ongoing atrocious crimes against the district.

Hon Samuel Asiamah is relentlessly malicious in pursuing a very selfish personal agenda contrary to the stipulations of his noble office. Am I obliged to continue to addressing this rouge as Honourable? I am afraid not.

To start with, he has been collecting 10% kickback from any contract he awards. He keeps the lion's share and then takes the rest to the NDC party. Taking a 10% kickback is complete corruption although, indulgently supported by the NDC government. He has been awarding contracts to his cronies and others without adhering to regulated procedures in place. He does not submit the contracts for tendering to raise funds through collection of tendering fees for the district. He is denying the people quality but competitively low pricing for essential infrastructural developments taking place within the district. We can achieve quality and competitively low price only when we contract projects through tendering but not offered to friends and families on silver platter at their beck and call. By awarding the contracts to his friends without going through laid down procedure, the charged price is always bloated. The higher the price charged by he contractor, the higher his 10% sum is.

A top NDC man recently summoned him to Accra and asked him to provide the list of all those that tendered for all the contracts he has so far awarded and the fees raised for the district. He could not provide any. How could he, when he sits in the lounge of Gyagisu at Kumawu Zongo to award the contracts instead of doing so from his office, provide the requested list? He gives most of the contracts to Gyagisu and Gyagisu's younger brother.

The DCE is contesting for the upcoming 7th December 2012 parliamentary elections in the Kumawu Constituency on the ticket of the NDC. He is therefore avid for acquiring gargantuan illegal wealth to be able to go on vote-buying spree. His criminal desire to grabbing the MP's seat has catapulted him to same criminal realm as the notorious Alfred Agbesi Woyome. The DCE having opted to transfer to Drobonso to head the new district carved out of the Kumawu Sekyere Afram Plains district following from President Mills' dubiously hatched plans to win December 2012 re-election, has disposed of all available contracts. He has climaxed through exhibition, the greedy bastard accusation Rawlings has levelled against the NDC government appointees. He knows he is going to head the Drobonso district but before he goes, he has ensured there is no contract left in Kumawu for his successor.

This same person will in the same manner hurry to award all possible projects earmarked for the new district to contractors to take his usual 10%. For the one year or so that this crook has been in office, he is "fucky" (excessively) rich.

He lives in Effiduase and commutes to work everyday. His driver, maidservant, and houseboy who double as security guard (watchman) are all from Effiduase. What the inhabitants of Kumawu are saying is if he was staying in Kumawu, he could give the three mentioned jobs to people from his district. This could have reduced the joblessness in Kumawu by three even though he is entitled to employ anyone of his choice provided the person is legally resident in Ghana.

Information reaching me indicates that the DCE is jubilantly confessing to people his happiness to see the arse of one of the Great Sons of Kumawu in jail following from the ongoing Woyomegate saga. Anyway, he is entitled to his opinion as I am entitled to mine on the Woyomegate scandal.

The DCE again has sacked six of the staff members he thinks are closely monitoring his criminal acts. He claims not to feel convenient working with them. What a fool's logic for sacking the disadvantaged in society or at work when really he is abusing his position. As I write, his domineering abusive power is again driving away the District Coordinator. The DCE has usurped the Coordinator's functions and powers.

Having said all, he is chalking up medals by perfectly measuring his popularity in the usual Ghanaian terms of how many succulent damsels he beds. He is stupidly strong to working extra hours or overtime in bed but incompetent and corrupt when it comes to executing the duties for which President Atta "Wayo" has employed him.

Lastly but not the least, Gyagisu who is conniving with the DCE to dupe the District has used his ill-gotten wealth to put up a mansion in Effiduase, bought cars for himself and compensated his with a brand new car when she threatened to divorce him. I am more concerned about the house he has put up in Effiduase. Why could he not build it in Kumawu since he has not a house of his own in Kumawu? This goes to tell he will in the near future relocate to Effiduase, thereby reducing the Zongo population of Kumawu. It pains me to see the Zongo population in Kumawu diminishing by the day.

I suggest President Mills sacks Samuel Asiamah but not to transfer him to Drobnso District to continue to "woyomize" their infrastructural projects. Taking 10% kickback on top of his pay from every contract awarded must be criminalised and punishable by prison term. This Woyome caricature should stop making the lives of his subordinates a hell.

Will President Mills be able to sack this DCE same as he has caused the arrest of his financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome? We live to see.

John Fosu