Agogohene Stabs Asanteman In The Back?

The Agogohene, Nana Kwame Akuoku Sarpong, is in for trouble. He has been accused of betraying the Ashantis, an act which, if proved true, might cost him the Aduana stool he has occupied as Agogohene since January 15, 1976 when he first swore the oath of allegiance to the Asantehene.

The Asanteman Council is meeting on October 3, this year, to discuss, among other things, the allegation against Nana Akuoku, The Chronicle has gathered.

His accusers see him as a 'traitor' and perceive him as the number one enemy of Asanteman, having reportedly by inference 'rebelled' against the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

They have also called for a thorough investigation into his suspected role in what they described as a smear campaign by an Accra weekly - The Searchlight - said to be financed by him (Agogohene).

Currently, there are agitations in certain circles for sanctions against Nana Akuoku, for allegedly being privy to negative media reports about the $5 million World Bank grant to Asanteman.

The Agogo Omanhene has been named as a co-financier of The Searchlight, which has, of late, directly launched invectives against the Asantehene and Asanteman and indirectly against the Kufuor-led government.

In the August 27-September 2, 2003 edition of the The Vanguard, another Accra weekly, Nana Akuoku Sarpong was mentioned, together with Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi, as co-sponsors of The Searchlight newspaper.

It is believed that the paper runs its office from the chief's Roman Ridge residence in Accra, evidenced in the fact that it initially used the chief's residential telephone number when it surfaced on the newsstands.

The Chronicle was told that the chief provided a lap top computer used by the editor of the paper. The expose by The Vanguard, The Chronicle found out, has raised eyebrows in Ashanti and particularly the Manhyia Palace about his alleged role in publicly ridiculing the occupant of the Golden Stool and Asanteman with those provocative publications.

At a durbar of Asanteman Council on June 17, this year Asante youth groups declared their position against attempts to marginalize the position of the King of Asante, following suspicion of definite and deliberate attempts to reduce the authority of Asantehene.

The Agogohene's accusers raised the fact that he did not attend this all-important meeting by the Asanteman Council, albeit ostensibly on the grounds of ill health, as one of the pointers to the chief's apathy to Asanteman's affairs.

The groups, particularly the Concerned Asante Lawyers, also reacted against moves to undermine the existence of the Asanteman Council, which is backed by Article 164 of the constitution.

According to the youth groups, those media expositions were malicious, unauthoritative and intended to create a breeding ground for ethnic conflicts.

The Searchlight of June 27-30 castigated the Asantehene's bid to procure a $5 million World Bank loan for developmental agenda. The paper described the loan as "NPP Ethnic Agenda loan."

Again, the paper carried in its July 2-8 edition a publication headlined "Mystery of Asanteman - what and where is it?"

The Chronicle gathered that even when the Asantehene took pains to respond to the concerns raised by The Searchlight by explaining at length the genesis of the loan, the paper further carried another story in its July 25-August 1, 2003 with the banner headline "The $5 million and Manhyia Palaver We will apologize if "

The Searchlight is yet to apologize to the Asantehene and Asanteman, as demanded by the Asanteman Council and the various Asante youth groups through the National Media Commission, The Chronicle gathered.

Questions about the accountability of Nana Akuoku Sarpong in respect of the Digya and Kogya lands in the Kumawu Traditional area are still begging for answers, The Chronicle was informed.

According to his accusers, it is on record that the Agogohene received ?1,650,960 being compensation paid to the Agogo Traditional Council in respect of the Digya Game and Wildlife reserve in 1975/6 but only meager amounts went to the farmers involved.

Complaints about the non-payment/disbursement of the ?1.6 million, which the Omanhene claims is still unpaid by the government, caused the destoolment of some chiefs, it was learnt.

Nana Akuoku was reportedly investigated by the National Investigations Committee (NIC) which summoned some farmers to testify before the NIC under the powers of section 6, sub-section 2 of the PNDC law 2.

The NIC report has since been shelved because before the NIC's report could be published, Nana Akuoku was appointed the PNDC Secretary for Health on April 4, 1988 and became the Secretary for Interior thereafter.

He became the Secretary for Chieftaincy Affairs until 1992 when he was re-appointed Presidential Staffer responsible for Chieftaincy Affairs with the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution.

Nana Akuoku Sarpong, an MP in the Limann Administration, worked hard to become one of the pillars of the Rawlings' regimes.

The Agogohene is credited with being the brain behind the metamorphosis of the PNDC into the NDC and would champion the cause of its founder, Mr. J. J. Rawlings, regardless of his traditional role as Omanhene of the Agogo Traditional area against the oath of allegiance he swore to the Asantehene and Asanteman on April 13, 1981 on his elevation as the Omanhene of the Agogo traditional area.

When The Chronicle contacted the editor of The Searchlight, he denied that Nana Akuoku had any thing to do with the paper. He however willingly gave The Chronicle what he said is Nana's telephone number for the paper to contact him.

When The Chronicle contacted Nana Akuoku, he denied the allegation, describing it as outrageous and laughable.

He explained that he had been friends with several newsmen, both in the electronic and print media, some of whom he had done favours to.

He contended that the fact that he had helped some newsmen in one way or the other did not mean that he is responsible for the things they publish in their papers.

He claimed that he had not read The Vanguard story that linked him to The Searchlight publications, and added that because of his links with the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), his detractors had been spreading all kinds of stories about him.

When asked if he had tried to caution the editor of The Searchlight over the seemingly anti-Asante publications, since both of them are Asantes, he told The Chronicle, "But you know that that boy is uncontrollable. No one can control him."