Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has said that he was the least surprised at the attacks being hurled at Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, because he refused to accept ex-gratia for his service to the nation as a Council of State member.
The editor-in-chief of the Fourth Estate news outlet took to his Facebook page to sarcastically react to the controversy that has been raging in the past few days regarding the rejected ex-gratia.
He asked his followers if they had expected beneficiaries of ex-gratia to applaud the traditional leader for his widely commended gesture, which has sparked calls for the abolishment of its payment to article 71 office holders.
“Five auditors worked on an entity that has a malfeasance. The head of the entity wants to pay them money to shut up. Four of the auditors agree. One says it’s wrong.
“Do you think the one who says it’s wrong will have it easy?
“You didn’t expect the ex-gratia lovers and their followers to serve Togbe tea with Electoral Commission biscuits, did you?” Manasseh asked.
Controversy broke out following the rejection of GHS365,000 that was paid into the revered traditional leader’s bank account as ex-gratia.
In a statement, Togbe said that he received monthly payments and allowances while he was a member of the Council, so he saw no need for the payment of the ex-gratia.
“I did not think the payment was made to trap me, as is being speculated. I believe it was paid to everybody who served on the Council of State. However, I thought that extra payment was inappropriate for a short, effectively part-time work, for which I received a monthly salary and was entitled to other privileges. So, I was very uncomfortable with it.
“After weeks of trying, I obtained advice on how to refund inappropriate payments to the State, and on March 4, 2022, I made the refund into the Controller & Accountant General’s Department Suspense Account at the Bank of Ghana,” Togbe Afede XIV said in a statement.
His gesture has earned him a lot of commendation, with many anti-ex-gratia people asking politicians and other statesmen to emulate his steps.
But some people too had issues with Togbe for rejecting the ex-gratia, saying it smacks of populism.
For instance, the host of Metro TV’s ‘Good Evening Ghana’ programme, Paul Adom-Otchere, for instance, speaking on his programme, accused the chief of insincerity.
He alleged that Togbe attended only 16% of the meetings as a Council of State member yet he collected all his salaries, hence he must return more than the GHS365,000, if indeed, he has the nation at heart, as he would want everyone to believe.
“Of the 48 months, the Council of State held 242 meetings of which Togbe Afede XIV attended 39 [meeting]; it constituted 16 percent,” Adom-Otchere said while doing a touchscreen analysis of Togbe Afede’s letter explaining why he rejected the ex-gratia.
He explained: “the Council of State is paid every month and he [Togbe Afede] took all his salaries, of which he is entitled to it. In giving us the narrations, he should have stated that he was unable to attend all the meetings of the Council of State, yet he took all his salaries including his car loan, a waiver from Ghana Ports and Harbour’s Authority to import cars…the amount of monies government [took] off the loans that were paid to the Council of State members are more than the GH¢365k he is talking about, for a person who only attended 16 percent of Council of State meetings…
“If you check the Council of State transportation allowances, Togbe’s allowance were paid as of coming from Ho in the Volta region; some of the members told me that ordinarily, he lives in Accra but he said he was coming from Ho.
“Out of 242 meetings that were held [by the Council of State], Togbe Afede, who chair’s a committee and whose meetings are few – as a chairman he was often not available – attended 16 percent of the meetings and he took every allowance…”
Meanwhile, the camp of Togbe Afede has responded to Paul Adom-Otchere and rubbished his claims.
“It is also very unfortunate that to the jaundiced eye, everything is yellow.
“Togbe Afede XIV, during his time on the Council of State has never received any traveling allowance from Ho. Togbe respects himself and would not bring himself to that low and cheap level.
“The car loan he subscribed to when he served on the Council of State was offered by SG-Bank and it was optional and never a loan from the Government of Ghana. Meanwhile, he has paid his loan.
“Most importantly, he was the Chairman of the Economic Committee of the Council of State and was one of the most committed and regular members of the Council of State meetings. The minutes of the meeting attendance are available for verification,” Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, Togbe Afede’s personal aide, said in a statement.
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