Debates of 17 Feb 2022

Hon Members,
the item numbered 4 -- Correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
We would begin with the Votes and
Proceedings of Wednesday, 16th February,
2021.
Page 1, 2 … 14 --

Mr Speaker, the item
numbered (ii) under item 2 on page 14 should
read ‘Mrs Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr' and not “Ms Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr”. Also, the item numbered (i) should also be corrected to read
‘Mr Samuel Atta-Mills' and not “Mrs Samuel Atta-Mills”.

Table Office
should kindly take note.
Page 15, 16 … 18.
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings
of Wednesday, 16th February, 2022, as
corrected is hereby adopted as the true record
of proceedings.
Hon Members, we have the Official Report
of Thursday, 3rd February, 2022. Any
correction?

Leadership,
are we to take the item numbered 5 on the
Order Paper?

Mr Speaker, yes
we can take the item numbered 5 -- Statements.

Very well.
Hon Members, the Rt Hon Speaker has
admitted four Statements for today so we
would begin with the Statement standing in the
name of the Hon Member for Nsawam-
Adoagyiri, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh.

Mr Speaker, the Hon
Member is not --

Is the Hon
Member for Prestea-Huni Valley in the
Chamber? He is also not around. What about
the Hon Member for Offinso South; is he in the
Chamber?

We would take the Statement by the Hon

Member for Offinso South. It is a tribute in

honour of the late Nana Wiafe Akenten III,

Omanhene of Offinso Traditional Area.

Hon Member, you have the Floor. You may

read your tribute?

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the
opportunity to pay a tribute in honour of the
late Nana Wiafe Akenten III, Omanhene of
Offinso Traditional Area.
It is with deep sorrow that I pay tribute to
Nana Wiafe Akenten III. Mr Speaker, the late
Nana Wiafe Akenten III was the Omanhene of
Offinso Traditional Area who reigned for 28
years from 1993 to 2021. Nana was born at
Tutuase, Old Offinso, in 1936 and passed on to
glory on 1st October 2021 after a short illness
at St. Patrick's Hospital in Offinso.
Nana was known in private life as Anthony
Kwasi Mensah. He had his primary education
at Offinso Roman Catholic School and the
Secondary Education at Okuapeman
Secondary School. Upon leaving secondary
school, Nana was compelled to travel around
with his uncle to several towns and cities
including Sunyani, Wenchi, Kintampo,
Takoradi and later to Lagos in Nigeria for
many years.
Mr Speaker, during his private life, Nana
worked as a mason, a storekeeper with
Glamour Stores in Kumasi and later on as a
timber merchant. He was the Financial
Secretary of the Offinsoman Association in
Kumasi and was deeply involved in the
initiation of a number of development projects
by the Association.
Mr Speaker, upon the demise of his uncle
Nana Wiafe Akenten II in 1993, the energetic
and handsome Mr Anthony Kwasi Mensah was
enstooled as Offinsomanhene under the stool
name of Nana Wiafe Akenten III in November
1993,Nana's nomination and subsequent approval came as no surprise as he was well-
versed in Asante history, culture and tradition.
His enstoolment and oath swearing in Offinso
and in Kumasi were peaceful, colourful,
exciting and climaxed with the largest train of
chiefs ever to swear before the then
Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II.
Mr Speaker, due to his God-given wisdom,
humility, integrity, leadership qualities and
eloquence in speech, the late Otumfuo Opoku
Ware II chose him, (Nana Wiafe Akenten III)
to act as Asantehene between 1995 and 1999
whenever the Otumfuo travelled outside
Ghana. The depth of trust and confidence and
the high responsibility Otumfuo reposed in him
has forever left a positive mark.
The positive mark was further reinforced in
1999 when Barima Kwaku Dua's request and plea to ascend the Golden Stool and assume the
mantle of Asantehene was communicated by
Nana Wiafe Akenten III to the late
Asantehemaa, Nana Afua Kobi Serwaa

Statements

Ampem, who accepted with dispatch,

culminating in the enthronement of Otumfuo

Osei Tutu II as Asantehene.

Indeed, the late Omanhene became more or

less the epitome of customs and traditions of

the Ashanti Region and Asanteman. With his

traditional dancing, palanquin riding and

oratory skills as well as knowledge of customs

and traditions, he represented the House of

Chiefs and Otumfuo the Asantehene at two

editions of the National Festival of Arts and

Culture held at Bolgatanga and Tamale in 1998

and 2003 respectively.

Mr Speaker, during the reign of Nana Wiafe

Akenten III as Paramount Chief, the Offinso

Traditional Area experienced considerable

progress as evidenced in several interventions

and uncountable developmental projects.

For effective and efficient administration of

the Offinso Traditional Area, Nana Wiafe

Akenten III achieved the following;

Created the Atipim stool to provide

advice to the Omanhene.

Created new stools and elevated several

sub-chiefs to the status of chiefs to

strengthen and ensure effective traditional

leadership.

Encouraged and mentored his sub-chiefs

and ensured the judicious use of stool

revenue for development.

Streamlined land administration and land

tenure system in the Offinso Traditional

Area to avert land disputes.

Developed the forecourt of Omanhene's palace into a beautiful edifice which now

serves as durbar and funeral grounds.

Instituted the “Mmoaninko” Festival which is one of the most popular festivals

in the Asante Kingdom. This festival has

now gained both national and

international recognition and acclaim and

is celebrated every other year.

In terms of projects, Mr Speaker, Nana

Constructed the Offinsohemaa's Palace.

Renovated the old Traditional Council

Building which now serves as the offices

for the District Fire Service.

Constructed classrooms for the Serwaa

Nyarko Vocational School in Offinso.

Constructed new banking hall and offices

for the Nwabiagya Rural Bank, Offinso

Branch.

Provided land for the establishment of

garage and medium scale industries.

Rt. Hon Speaker, Nana Wiafe Akenten III

showed serious concern on the health of his

people. He released an 80-acre land for the

construction of a Urology Hospital, the first of

its kind in the West African sub-region.

Statements

He adopted a Male Ward at the St. Patrick's Catholic Hospital, Maase Offinso.

He played an instrumental role in the

establishment of the Offinsoman Health

Insurance Scheme.

He gave substantial assistance to the Nursing

and Midwifery Training College at Maase -- Offinso.

He released land and buildings for the

establishment of the Ambulance Service

Training School at Nkenkaasu.

He released land for the establishment of

physically-challenged training centres at

Nkenkaasu and Maase-Offinso, all in Offinso,

to offer skills training and jobs for the

physically challenged people in the society.

Mr Speaker, education was also a top priority

to Nana Wiafe Akenten III. He established the

Offinso Educational Fund in 1997 to provide

financial assistance to needy but brilliant

students in the Offinso Traditional Area.

He assisted several students financially and

materially to pursue vocational, secondary or

tertiary education. Many are in gainful

employment today.

He partnered the Member of Parliament for

Offinso North to construct a dormitory block

for the Nkenkaasu Senior High School and the

establishment of the Wiafe Akenten Senior

High School at Afrancho.

He donated furniture and refurbished the

Offinso Training College of Education.

Mr Speaker, protection of the environment

was of paramount concern to Nana Wiafe

Akenten III and he will be deeply remembered

as, perhaps, the only Chief in Asante Kingdom

who stood firm and said “No to galamsey” in his Traditional Area. Indeed, to date, there is

no single galamsey activity in the entire

Offinso Traditional Area even though gold

deposits abound.

Mr Speaker, Nana was a unifier and

welcomed everybody to his palace irrespective

of his or her political affiliation. Nana

positively engaged with all governments

during his reign for the benefit of his

Traditional Area. He was a devout Christian

and an active member of the Methodist

Church, Ghana. Nana Wiafe Akenten III will

be dearly missed not only by Offinsoman but

by Asanteman and, indeed, the entire country.

The late Omanhene will be laid in state

from Tuesday 22nd February to Thursday 24th

February, 2022. On behalf of the Asona family,

his biological brothers, the Okyehene,

Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the

Ejisumanhene, Nana Guarko Afrane Okese,

the Manso Nkwantamanhene, Nana Bi Kusi

Appiah, Beposo Manhene, Nana Boamah

Kwabi, the Offinsomanhemaa, Nana Ama

Serwaa Nyarko, the acting president of the

Offinso Traditional Council, Nana Kwaku

Duah II, and on my own behalf, I take this

opportunity to invite all Hon Members of this

august House to come to Offinso and mourn

with us.

Statements

Nana, Rest Well! Nana, Rest in Perfect

Peace!!

Thank you
very much, Hon Member.
I was going to invite the first Asonaba in the
House. Therefore, I would invite the Hon
Member for Abuakwa South, who is also a
family member to contribute to the tribute.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the
opportunity to contribute to this solemn
Statement ably delivered by my Hon
Colleague.
Mr Speaker, today, Okyeman joins forces
with Asanteman to mourn this great King,
Nana Wiafe Akenten III, the Omanhene of
Offinso Traditional Area. History has it that
when we talk about the Asona people, we cut
across regions. So, for instance, there is no
denying the fact that it is the Okyehene who is
Asonapiesie; to wit, the head of the Asona
people.
Also, it is important to note that we have
one of the prominent Asante Kings, who is also
an Asona, and he is the one that we are trying
to eulogise at this hour. Therefore, it is
amazing, when people want to raise issues with
the fight between tribes and the rest of them, it
leaves much to be desired. This is because in
the Asanteman Council, with the greatest of
respect, there is a prominent Asona whose
senior brother is the Okyehene, and then also
the Ejisuhene in the Asanteman Council. They
all have traditional relationship with the
Okyehene.
Mr Speaker, I remember clearly that when
the Okyehene celebrated his 20 years on the
Oforipanyin Stool; the Etwie Stool, where the
power of that stool is symbolised by the
leopard which has less pride than the lion. The
leopard is a very quiet animal but no matter
how hard a prey tries, it can arrest it for lunch.
It was a very interesting moment to see the
whole retinue of elegant people who stormed
Kyebi, the headquarters of Akyem Abuakwa.
Nana Wiafe Akenten III, may his soul rest
in peace, was such an elegant King; well-
attired and with the Fontomfrom dancing and
the rest of it, he came to greet his elder brother.
It was a very interesting moment for us and we
could see the Okyehene standing up
immediately he saw his brother, the one who
has now gone to be with the ancestors because
he had come home. I am very excited and I
hope that this bond would never be lost. At no
point in time should the Asonas fight. We are
one people and we spread all over the country.
Mr Speaker, it also brings to mind the sanity
in the Asante Kingdom. This is because, as a
matter of fact, if one is not very sure and does
not have the powers to embrace all manner of
people, then one cannot rule as the King of the
Asantes. So, how would a King feel if in a very
serious conclave the Asonas are part of his
thinking? The Hon Member who made the
Statement also said that in one of the moments
when the great Otumfuo was not in the realm,
it was the Offinsohene who acted as the

Statements

Asantehene, and that is very interesting. This is

because half of the time we are very nervous

about where a particular clan or tribe comes

from, and all the problems we go through when

we want to act as a people.

Mr Speaker, let me touch on a few

important things which are connected with this

solemn Statement, and that is the political

relevance of chieftaincy. As the Hon Member

who made the Statement spoke, what went

through my mind was that the measurement of

the success of a King is not in the gold

adornments and the kinds of Fontomfroms that

are played before him but rather his success is

measured in whether he is an agent of

development. This is very important. We are

no longer saying that the chiefs should take

their guns and go and conquer territories but

the real thing that confronts any serious King - for instance in the case of how vast the land of

Offinso is, the real task for any King, would be

how to fight poverty in his kingdom.

I am elated to hear that Nana Wiafe

Akenten III decided to fight galamsey, which

is one of the ways that if we were not careful,

the whole environment would have been

ripped because of the appetite for profit, and I

think that I salute him for that fight. We should

not pollute our river bodies in the name of

commerce and profit.

I am also excited to hear that for the sake of

vocational education in the Offinso Kingdom,

he released vast tract of land for that purpose,

and this portrays a King with developmental

sense. He decided that for development to

come to his area, he had to cede land for people

to have mass education in the area of

vocational education, and that was very

interesting.

Mr Speaker, the King was also fighting ill-

health and the challenges that people go

through in terms of their health. I am also

elated to hear that he was very instrumental in

the provision of land for a very powerful

hospital, and organised the health insurance

which should go along the area for people to

have health insurance. The King was also very

instrumental in providing land for the

construction of the Ambulance Training

School.

Mr Speaker, I am about to resume my seat,

and I would say that I personally was in good

contact with Nana Wiafe Akenten III. This

hour, a great Asonaba has fallen, and the whole

of the Asona Clan are mourning one of their

senior members. My prayer is that we give him

a befitting send-off. All those who are

connected with tradition should troop to

Offinso, and with the King of the Asantes, the

Otumfuo himself going to bid farewell to one

of his generals, to give him a befitting burial.

My chief concern is always the aftermath of

sending a king off. I pray to God that the one

who succeeds him would be a man of stature,

who would fit into his shoes or even do better.

I pray that all forms of acrimony associated

with the aftermath of the send-off of a king

should not be associated with Nana Wiafe

Akenten III. Let Offinsoman show civility and

diplomacy in trying to find somebody worth

his name; -- another great Asonaba to succeed the king who has left us.

Statements

It is said that the Asona people have good

looks. May I quote “Asona ni atikɔ Ꜫna ꜪtesꜪ obi anim”. One of the Clerks-at-the-Table wonders what I said. It is said that the Asona

people have good looks, and the back of the

head is equal to somebody's face. This is a great Asonaba, and we mourn him dearly. May

his soul rest in peace.

Mr Speaker, I am grateful for this

opportunity.

Let me now
come to our Brother, Mr Kofi Adams. I am told
you are celebrating your birthday today. Is that
right? [Pause] Anyway, we shall celebrate you
but let us hear you.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, somebody may wonder why I
from the Oti Region and Buem would
contribute to a Statement that has something to
do with Offinsohene. I was very close to this
chief because of my past activities as the
National Organiser of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC). I went round the country
with many leaders, and therefore, became
associated with him.
Indeed, as has been said by the previous
Hon Member who contributed and the Hon
Member who made the Statement, Nana was a
visionary leader and very development-
oriented. He really cared for his people so
much and fought for development for the
people of Offinso that there was not a time any
leader would engage him and one would not
hear Nana ask for one development project or
the other.
Mr Speaker, in 2016, when we visited his
palace with former President John Dramani
Mahama, because of many development
projects the President had initiated in the
Offinso area, Nana left his stool and gave it to
President Mahama to sit on and he went and sat
on another chair because he saw in President
Mahama development for his people. He did
that and it became news all over the country.
I remember subsequently reading stories
that Nana had taken the stool to do things for
President Mahama to win but that was not the
case. It was because he cared so much about his
people and he saw a lot of projects being
initiated by the then President for the
development of the Offinso area.
Notably, we all know of tomato growing in
the Offinso area, especially Akumadan, so the
Government then got the Korean Rural
Community Corporation to construct the first
60 acre of irrigated land for tomato production.
The Phase II was to cover about 120 acres but
I am told till now, that has not seen the light of
day.
The intentions, together with Nana, was to
see a serious tomato factory in the Offinso area
to provide jobs for the people. As has been
said, it is the hope of all of us that whoever
would succeed him would continue pushing for
the development for his people.

Statements

Mr Speaker, if you would remember, in

2018, when the 2019 Budget Statement was

read, Nana indicated that when Government

was committing to doing some roads in the

Ashanti Region, he did not hear Offinso being

mentioned and he raised concern about it. It

tells you who he was -- that he would speak truth to power for the purposes of getting

development for his people.

He never discriminated and that was why,

even though people may say that a particular

area is not the stronghold of a particular Party,

when he saw that the President was doing so

well there, he could give his stool for the

President to sit on that day when we visited his

palace.

If today he has passed on to join the

ancestors, we can only say Damirifa due,

Nana. To the Hon Member who made the

Statement, we thank him for bringing this and

for even stating more facts about this great

chief that some of us did not know about.

Truly, he served his people well and deserves

the recognition from this House.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the

opportunity.

Hon
Member, are you also an Asonaba?

Mr Speaker, my chief, Nana Bi-
Kusi Appiah of Manso Nkwanta, is also an
Asona, and the Hon Member who made the
Statement made mention of him.

Very well,
let us hear you.

Mr Speaker, I am very grateful to
you for giving me the opportunity to contribute
to this important Statement made by my Hon
Colleague, Hon Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku.
Indeed, Africa, Ghana and Ashanti have a
lot to share when it comes to culture. Our
cultural practices train us to be entrepreneurs,
leaders, hardworking, respectful and humble in
carrying out our activities. When you listen to
the Statement made by my Friend, Dr Opoku,
concerning the time of Nana Wiafe Akenten
III, you would notice that the man was well-
trained to be an entrepreneur and a leader who
offered very good services to his people.
Nana Wiafe Akenten III as an entrepreneur
was a person who was a mason, later on
became a timber merchant and followed his
uncle who trained him to be a hardworking
person and later on ascended the Offinso Stool.
Mr Speaker, when you listen to this
Statement and look at the culture of Ghana,
particularly in the Akan areas, you would
notice that in terms of political leadership we
provide leadership where our chiefs are
endowed with such wisdom that they guide
their people to coexist peacefully.
Mr Speaker, you heard that in the political
system of Ashantis and Akans -- the Hon

Statements

Member who made the Statement mentioned

the chief of Okyeman. If you look at Manso

Nkwanta Manhene, the Ejisu Manhene, the

Beposo Manhene, that tells you that there is a

form of federalism or unionism where chiefs

come together to settle matters and ensure

peace among their people. They ensure

friendliness among their people. They

contribute towards the economic development

of their people, and that tells you that Africa

has a lot to share.

I can say that a lot of things are learnt from

us when the white men visited us. They also

learnt something from us so, what are we doing

as a people? When you come to Africa and

Ghana and we talk about governance, and we

do not document all these things to tell our

youth that in the olden days, our forefathers

lived peacefully in the political system -- They established a legislature where they made laws

for the people, and when anything went wrong,

the chief sat in his seat and settled these matters

amicably. They offered judicial service where

people were endowed with wisdom to carry all

arbitration to bring peace to the people and to

go and about their activities in a peaceful way,

ensure their security and well-being.

Mr Speaker, at the same time, they were

philanthropists because Nana, as we heard,

organised his people to form an association

where they contributed towards the education

and the needs of their children by paying their

school fees. Also, when you talk about the

issues of the past, our people organised

themselves and got into farming. From that,

they enriched themselves through the proceeds

of their farms to take care of their people. This

was entrepreneurial and an innovative way of

doing things.

Listening to the Statement, when Nana

instituted the Mmoaninko Festival, that also

was an innovation which brings people from all

walks of life to celebrate the day to ensure that

they remember their past, and through that,

they position their towns to move forward

economically to bring development to the

people.

Mr Speaker, one important thing that I

would mention about Nana Wiafe Akenteng

was his attitude, concern, and boldness. He was

able to ensure that the activities of galamsey,

which were destroying a lot of lands, our water

bodies, and forest were brought under control.

Even though gold can be seen in the Offin

River, Nana protected the water bodies to

ensure that the Barekese Dam which was the

main source of water for the people of Kumasi

is protected. These are people that we have to

emulate from them the rich experience that

they are bequeathing to us.

Mr Speaker, Nana has bequeathed to his

people, through his leadership, protected

landscape, water bodies, forests, and lands.

And that means that whoever is going to take

over from Nana could also ensure that his

people would live by that accolade and ensure

peaceful coexistence among them and all their

neighbours, to ensure that the legacy of Nana

Wiafe Akenteng would live on for us to learn

from it.

I would end by saying that it is time for

Africa to learn from our leaders and document

Statements

all our cultures, all the activities of past great

people, and to make the youth learn from them

so that in future, Africa would be the

autonomous continent we are hoping for. We

would be independent economically; we would

be independent politically, and continue to live

on in a peaceful manner.

Mr Speaker, I am very grateful for this

opportunity.

Thank you
very much. Let me come to the Hon Minority
Chief Whip.

Mr Speaker, I was --[Interruption]-- Mr Speaker, are you minded to allow Hon Dr
Zanetor to contribute?

Very well.
Hon Member for Klottey-Korle?

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for
the opportunity to contribute to the Statement
made by the Hon Member. Mine is only to say
a few words.
Mr Speaker, first of all, the fact that we are
honouring a chief on the floor of Parliament is
a testament to the legacy that he left behind.
But, the very fact that our Constitution
recognises the chieftaincy system and the fact
that there is actually a Ministry that is meant to
oversee this particular institution point to the
fact that it is not a ceremonial institution. It
points to the fact that it is still very much alive
and a part of our culture and our traditions.
Mr Speaker, on this occasion as we
celebrate the life and legacy of such a chief, we
must be reminded of the importance of the non-
interference of politicians in the chieftaincy
system. Too many times, we find that across
the country we have disputes within the
chieftaincy system and when a bit of
investigation is done, it is found that there is
always some kind of political twist to some of
the chieftaincy disputes that we see across the
country.
Mr Speaker, if the chieftaincy system in
Ghana is meant to be complementary to that of
our governments in place -- the national governance system — then we must allow the chiefs the room to actually operate without so
much political interference. As we look across
the various traditional areas, of which mine is
not exempt, the repeated political interference
within the chieftaincy system is causing a lot
of disunity and unrest. So, if today we are
celebrating the life of such an amazing
traditional leader, let it remind us of the value
of allowing those institutions to exist with the
level of integrity that would allow them to be a
sort of check on the Government where they
can raise issues with regard to their people's plight without necessarily being viewed as
partisan in spite of whatever their allegiances
may be.
Mr Speaker, so, on this occasion, as we pay
tribute to this chief and we wish the family
well, we also pray that it serves as a reminder
to respect that institution for the institution
itself, as we have our traditional leaders, to take
advantage of this opportunity that they have ⸺ the official recognition before the Constitution

Statements

— to actually play their role to represent their people to maintain law and order at their level

as a complementary effort to what Government

does.

Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the

opportunity.

Thank you
very much.
Let me now come back to the Hon Member
for Asawase.
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka
(NDC -- Asawase): Mr Speaker, I thank you very much. Mr Speaker, if I did not contribute
to this tribute, I am sure the First Deputy
Speaker would organise a press conference to
expose me. So, it is in my own interest to
eulogise a great king, a great king who is very
accommodative.
Mr Speaker, I have known Nana Wiafe
Akenteng for over fifteen (15) years. I knew
him at a distance until I wanted a piece of land
to cultivate cocoa, and as you may know the
difficulty in getting a large track of land for
farming within Ashanti region especially, not
far away from Kumasi, and I had to go through
the Nkwantakesehene to Nana Wiafe
Akenteng. And graciously, they managed to
get me the current 130-acre cocoa farm that I
own in that area.
Mr Speaker, since then, I have visited him
annually. Every year, either before Christmas
or after Christmas or early New Year, I would
visit him until COVID-19 came. So,
unfortunately, in 2020 and 2021, I could not
visit him. And the last time he called -- as brutal and frank as he was, he said: “Eeeii, nti Muntaka, worefa COVID-19 ho na kakra a
wode bꜪ ma me nti,no woagyae ha ba?” To wit, “Eeeiii, Muntaka, you are taking advantage of COVID-19 and the little you would give me,
you are refusing to come and see me?”.
And we laughed over it and I promised him
that I would surely come. Unfortunately, I was
not able to visit him until his demise.
Mr Speaker, not to repeat a lot that has been
said about him, this was a king that I later
turned to as a father because of his advice to
those of us who are in politics. Each time I
visited him — If one did not have time, he does not visit Nana because he would take you
through lessons of history; things that had
happened in our country, trying to even
explain; sometimes, things that are happening
today that you may not know how they started.
I remember vividly why he had followed
his uncle and people were saying that the uncle
had trained him — In fact, the uncle was in exile because of heavy politicking. When
governments changed, people were virtually
harassed, and the uncle had to leave. They had
virtually sneaked out of this country, and he
was a very dedicated nephew to the uncle and
he would just not allow his uncle to go alone.
I remember he would tell me, Hon
Muntaka, sometimes when you see people are
great or today, people are being respected or
revered, it is because of the service that they
have provided. And he would tell me that it is

Statements

not for nothing that when he was to inherit his

uncle, it was like a unanimous decision

because everyone who knew his uncle — it was not possible for one to know his uncle

without knowing him because of the dedicated

service that he rendered to his late uncle.

Mr Speaker, he was always encouraging me

that it pays to serve; one can only be served

when he or she has dedicated time to serve

others. That is the only time others would serve

you. This was a very great king with a lot of

wisdom.

Mr Speaker, I must admit that he was very

strategic in his effort to get his area developed.

And the usual thing that you would expect a lot

of our chiefs to do, is that as for us, we are in

Party A so if Party B is there, they even close

their minds and would not even make the effort

to reach out. But that was not Nana; he did not

bother whether one was in NDC, NPP, or

whatever. Once there was something that he

could get through you, especially for his

people, he would pursue it.

I remember very well that when the NDC

was in power and the Offinso township roads

had to be constructed, they said, “Seesei ɔde ne ho akɔ bɔ NDC”, to wit, “now, he is associating with the NDC and that is why they are doing

this for him”. He said he was fighting to get his place developed and you are talking about

partisanship. He would just not mind you.

Mr Speaker, I remember very well that

when the contract was awarded for the

Kumasi-Techiman Highway, I think the

contractor -- I do not remember very well whether he was called MSF or something -- had to have a very large stretch of land as their

yard. So, they set up the yard at Nkenkenso and

when they completed and now had to hand

over this yard to the Ministry, a lot of agencies

were fighting for it. I remember the Tourism

Authority and the Nursing Training School

wanted it, but my Colleague, Hon Collins

Ntim, who was the Hon Ranking Member of

the Health Committee we were both on -- before I realised -- even though I would not say a lot of the unconventional things that he

did — he somersaulted and managed to get Nana to give this yard to the National

Ambulance Service and we were all happy that

it was going for the ambulance training. I

remember very well that the National Health

Insurance Authority (NHIA) had to even pay

few compensations and other things just to get

it formalised and handed over to the National

Ambulance Service.

Mr Speaker, this would not have been

possible without the tacit efforts of Nana Wiafe

Akenteng III. He was very development-

oriented and I must say that we have lost a great

king. It may be very difficult to get a replica

but it is our hope that whoever might take over

from him might learn from him.

Mr Speaker, if you look at the number of

years that he has done, yes, people would say

28 years is a long period, but if you go to the

Offinsoman traditional area and compare the

28 years that he has done and the number of

things that have stood in his name or through

his efforts, and are outstanding within the

Statements

traditional area, you would marvel that others

have done more than 40 years in their

respective traditional areas yet do not have a

quarter of what he has shown to his people.

Mr Speaker, let us not discount this. It is

very significant to mention that it is one of the

traditional areas in Asanteman without a single

galamsey site. It is not because there are no

gold deposits there, but this was an Omanhene

who stood his ground. Yes, money is sweet, but

he would not allow the environment to be

degraded simply because people want to

exploit the minerals within his traditional area

and then mess everything up.

So, if one goes to that traditional area, a lot

of us are farming cocoa, cashew, and what-

have-you. He was willing to give me 200 acres

to plant maize. He would tell you that whatever

you wanted to do, he would get you what he

could but if you wanted to exploit and destroy

the environment, no, you cannot get Nana to

give you that.

Mr Speaker, I want to urge a lot of our land

owners and chiefs to emulate Nana Wiafe

Akenten III. He lived a very exemplary life

and, truly, he deserves this Statement being

made on the floor of Parliament because he did

not put himself ahead of his people. He did not

allow the land to be destroyed in the name of

money. He served with dignity. Truly, Nana

has done his very best. It is my prayer that as

we eulogise him today, when the funeral is

arranged, we would find time to fully be

represented as a House to make sure that when

people are doing the right thing, we project that

as against those who think that they can just do

any dubious thing, make money, and then live

life as usual and everybody would be treated

equally.

When people live such an exemplary life,

we need to really show that what they have

done is appreciated by the State. That is the

only way we can encourage others to live, but

if it will be just life as usual, whether you are a

crook or the type that really served dedicatedly,

and once you die, that is it, I do not think that

we would be encouraging our citizens to do the

best they can for their people and their

communities.

For Nana, I must say that he really served

with a lot of pride. He did his very best for his

people and for people like me who, through

him, have a place today where we can ply our

business, rear our cattle, have our farms, and be

able to support food production and other

things that are being done in our country. We

thank him sincerely. If he had denied us the

opportunity, I do not think that we would have

been able to do what we have done.

So, Mr Speaker, with these comments, I

want to say that a giant has fallen; a big oak

tree has fallen, and we wish the whole of

Asanteman well. We pray that during his

funeral, there would be no incident. It would be

peaceful and his replacement would be a great

person who, if is unable to do better than him,

would try to match the good works that he has

done.

Nana, dammirifa due, nante yie. Thank you

very much, Mr Speaker.

Statements

Thank you
very much.
I saw the Hon Member for Offinso North
rushing in. I do not know who hinted him that
the tribute was being read. I think that I have to
give him the opportunity, else his constituents
would not forgive him. So, Hon Member, let us
hear you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for indulging
me. Indeed, I really want to appreciate Hon
Muntaka. I was in a meeting at the Ministry
when he called that there was a tribute going
on, so I had to suspend it, and I really thank you
for indulging me.
Mr Speaker, I also want to thank my
Brother and Colleague, the Hon Member of
Parliament (MP) for Offinso South, for coming
out with a Statement to eulogise an icon of
Offinsoman, an icon of Asanteman, and a true
icon of Ghana.

None

face with the Omanhene, Nana Wiafe Akenten

III in 2005 when I was appointed as a young

Chief Executive in the Offinso Traditional

area. Indeed, through the interactions, I

realised that Nana Wiafe Akenten III is exactly

an embodiment of tradition and culture, and

someone who is so desirous to seek

development in any of the communities within

Offinso.

One of the things he used to tell me was that

when we talk about Offinso, it stretches from

Ano Tutuase down through Abɔfoɔ and

Akomadan to Akoyiri. For that matter, all he

needs from us MPs and District Chief

Executives (DCEs) who are government

representatives is to see development. It is that

which will acknowledge what he wants to

leave as a legacy to Offinsoman so that when

he is no longer the Chief or when he passes on,

as has happened, the kind of things that we do

in terms of development would be what he is

remembered for.

Mr Speaker, I must say that through my

relationship with him as a traditional authority

and the Omanhene of Offinso, there are so

many projects that we brought on board in

Offinso. The first time I went to the traditional

council, all that he said was that: “Ntim, you say you want to be a DCE, what is it that you

want to achieve in Offinso? Tell me, what is

it?”

I said three things. What I told Nana about

who a DCE is, the normal things they are

supposed to do in terms of development and so

on, I would want to do that. However, beyond

that, the three critical things that I would want

to bequeath to Offinso is to ensure that Offinso

Traditional area is divided into two. It has two

constituencies in one district and I indicated to

the Omanhene that per our system of

governance, funds are allocated not based on

constituencies but through districts.

So when we have a district with two

constituencies, chances are that they are not

adequately resourced. Therefore, at the end of

my tenure, I would want to make sure that the

Statements

two constituencies within the district are

divided into Offinso North and the elevation of

Offinso South as a Municipality, which I did.

Mr Speaker, I then said that when one

mentions Offinso, one critical thing that can be

recognised has to do with our cocoa. Offinso

used to be one of the richest districts in terms

of cocoa production in the 1960s and 1980s.

When we see the beautiful buildings in

Ashtown and so on, they were all built by the

cocoa farmers.

So, I indicated to Nana that, due to the

advent of the 1983 bushfires that had destroyed

all that, as a young DCE, what I would want to

do was to revamp that cocoa industry. Indeed,

it was something which I did and which has

also propelled me to the level that I am now.

One critical thing I did indicate to him,

which he loved so much, was that, within the

four years of my tenure, I would ensure that

when the Offinso North is developed into a big

constituency, by the year 2025, I would work

to ensure that the development found in the

Offinso Municipality is replicated in the

Offinso South constituency.

Mr Speaker, I am happy to note that with

the support of Nana Wiafe Akenten III, all the

things that were found in Offinso North, for

instance, the four senior high schools -- only one was found in the Offinso North

constituency. As we speak, we now have four

senior high schools in the Offinso North

Constituency and Offinso Municipality has

three.

The good thing that I did in honour of the

Omanhene was to develop a school and then

name it after Nana Wiafe Akenten III. So, as

we speak, we have worked to establish a senior

high school that has been named after Nana

Wiafe Akenten III. I am so happy that most of

things we discussed in terms of development,

with his support and that of his kinsmen and

the communities, we have managed to achieve

that.

Mr Speaker, as Hon Muntaka said, one

thing which I so much cherished about Nana

Wiafe Akenten has to do with the fact that he

was the only traditional leader within the

Ashanti Region who prevented people from

mining or even prospecting for gold. He did not

want the situation whereby the river bodies

within the traditional areas would be destroyed

by galamsey operations. Because he stood his

grounds, when we consider the length and

breadth of River Offin, it is only the segment

of the river that passes through Afigya and

Offin that has not been polluted through

galamsey operation. This is something that I

believe he needs to be remembered for, and it

is consistent with the vision of His Excellency

trying to protect our heritage.

It is a good decision he took and I would

want to pray that, that exemplary leadership by

the Offinso Traditional Council; led by Nana

Wiafe Akenten III, should be emulated by a

number of the traditional areas.

If the traditional areas partner with the

Government, there is no way we would not be

able to protect our environment and water

Statements

bodies. I really respect his decision in that

regard.

Mr Speaker, Asanteman, Offinsoman, and

Ghana has really lost an icon, and I, as well,

have lost a great man who was a counsellor -- one from whom I took a lot of advice and

inspiration. He would be remembered for that

as well.

Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity

given me to eulogise the Omanhene, Nana

Wiafe Akenten III. May his soul rest in peace.

Hon First
Deputy Speaker, would you want to say
something? Very well.
As a member of the Asona clan, I know that
Offinso is one of the key stools of the Asona
clan, just as Hon Akyea said that Offinso,
Ejisu, and Kyebi are all Asona clan stools.
Incidentally, they all migrated from Adansi,
including other stools such as Oyoko, Bretuo
and the rest. Most of the clans migrated from
Adansi.
My personal encounter with Nana Wiafe
Akenten III established one thing: humility of
leadership. He was so humble and he received
anyone who came to him. I also knew him to
be a lover of hymns and choral music, and as
such, he was a patron to so many choirs,
including one of the choirs to which I was a
member.
So, we pray that the Good Lord will grant
him a smooth passage into His Kingdom. Can
we rise and offer a minute's silence?

May the soul of Nana Wiafe Akenten III

and the souls of all the faithful departed be

granted perfect peace.

Hon Members, we would move to the

second Statement which stands in the name of

the Hon Member for Prestea/Huni Valley -- Mr Robert Wisdom Cudjoe on the Update of

the Appiate Explosion Disaster.

Hon Member, you may now read your

Statement.

Mr Speaker, thank you
for giving another Asona clan member the
opportunity to present this Statement.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity
to make this statement and to give an update on
the deadly disaster which befell our nation on
Thursday, 20th January 2022, which still
remain a mystery that I am unable to come to
terms with as well as the surviving victims.
I refer to this day as a ‘Black Thursday' for the good people of Prestea Huni-Valley, for
that matter the people of Appiate in the
Western Region.
Mr Speaker, after the incident occurred
there has been statements, press conferences,
among other comments, views and theories.

Statements

As a result of that, the Western Regional

Parliamentary Caucus of the National

Democratic Congress (NDC) paid a visit to the

disaster site on Saturday, 29 the January, 2022,

to get fair first hand information on the

incident.

The caucus was led by our Chairman, Hon

Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, to meet the local

committee who briefed us of the situation. The

caucus was first taken to the incident site and

later paid a courtesy call on Nana Kwadwo

Atta Brembi II, the overlord of Beppo

traditional Area.

Mr Speaker, the Caucus later addressed the

Local Committee and the victims at the

temporal resettlement site. The caucus also

donated food items; sanitary and clothing to the

victims.

Mr Speaker, I want to take this opportunity

to also update this august House on the current

happening as at the time the caucus visited the

site.

1. Death toll: 13.

2. A total of 13 injured persons were still in Hospitals at Bogoso, Tarkwa, Effia-

Nkwanta, Wassa Akropong, Komfuo-

Anokye and Korle-Bu.

3. Total number of persons at resettlement camp, according to the

local committee, stood at 857, but

people are still counting victims which

could rise to over 1,000.

4. The victims moved to the resettlement camp on 27th January, 2022.

5. The total number of tents as at the time we visited the site was 29.

6. Average number of families per tent:

13.

7. The Camp is manage by a 20 member Committee chaired by the MCE, Hon

Dr Isaac Dasmani.

Mr Speaker, the victims who have been

resettled and are camped in tents prepare their

own food.

Mr Speaker, on the 26 of January, 2022, the

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources

launched the Appiate Fund to be Managed by

a five member Committee, Chaired by one of

our illustrious stateswoman, Rev. Dr. Joyce

Aryee, the founder of Salt and Light Ministries,

and a former Chief Executive Officer of the

Ghana Chamber of Mines.

I commend the Minister for Lands and

Natural Resources and, for that matter, the

government for the swift and proactive

intervention, but just to note that the Overlords

of Appiate (Wassa-Fiase Traditional Council,

Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency, Beppoh

Divisional Traditional Council) have no

representation on the above Committee.

Mr Speaker, I, therefore, urged the Minister

for Lands and Natural Resources to revise the

membership of the committee to bring on

Statements

board, at least, a member from the traditional

area.

Observation

Mr Speaker, as the government, the

corporate Ghana and individuals are making

frantic efforts to support the victims to resettle,

my observation as MP for the area indicates

that, Maxam Ghana Company Ltd. which

caused the explosion, is conspicuously missing

in action with regards to management and

support to the victims.

Thankfully, Mr Speaker, a press release by

the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources

on 7 the February, 2022, indicates that the

government has imposed a fine of US$6million

or its Cedi equivalent at the prevailing

commercial rate on Maxam Company Ltd. for

regulatory breaches.

I have no doubts whatsoever that in the

computation of the fines, the rebuilding of

Appiatse, compensation to victims and

restitutions of all lost property were taken into

consideration.

Mr Speaker, I want to also take this

opportunity to draw the attention of the Ghana

Police Service to it's press statement, dated 21 January, 2022, when the Vice President, Dr

Mohamudu Bawumia, visited the disaster site

to the effect that the driver of the escort vehicle

assisted the Community members to move

children of Appiate basic school to a safe zone

is inaccurate.

It must be stated that there is no existing

school in Appiate per the Ghana Education

Services (GES) records and the Escort driver

could not have vacated school children in that

community.

As a representative of the people in that

area, I wish to urge the police administration to

retract and render an unqualified apology to the

Chiefs and people Prestea Huni-Valley and for

that matter the victims of Appiate disaster.

On this note, I wish to thank the

government, corporate Ghana and individuals

who out of their own sympathetic hearts,

rushed to offer support to the hundreds of

victims and also appeal to other organizations

to come to the aide of the victims.

I also want to remind the government to

honour its promise and speed up the process to

putting up decent houses for the victims who

have been rendered homeless.

Mr Speaker, at this juncture, we wish

healing to the victims who suffered various

degree of injuries, and may the souls of the

departed rest in the bosom of the Lord, until the

last day of the resurrection when we shall meet

again.

I thank you, Mr Speaker, and the House, for

your attention.

Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to

Statements

contribute my quota to the Statement on the

floor of the House.

Mr Speaker, I would commend the Hon

Member again for his timeous intervention

when the calamity happened on that bloody

Thursday. The Hon Member said that the

Western Region Caucus paid a visit to the area

and when we got there, we heard from the

people that the Hon Member of Parliament did

so well because he was the first stakeholder

who came to the scene when the accident

happened, and he helped to remove the debris

from the highway so that road users could use

the road.

Mr Speaker, according to the Hon Member

who read the Statement, the Government has

made a lot of interventions and, for me, one of

the important interventions is the resettlement

of the affected people because about 1,000

people have been displaced. Secondly, the

Government has set up two committees to look

into the management of the calamity.

Mr Speaker, one issue that I want to bring

to the fore of the House and everyone in this

country is that this is a national disaster, so I

would plead with the Government to not

engage in politics in the management of this

calamity. As we speak, two committees have

been set up by the Government, but the Hon

Member of Parliament, who is one of the major

stakeholders in the constituency and

municipality where the people are affected, is

not part of any of the committees neither is a

representative from the Office of the Member

of Parliament.

Please, I would plead again that the

Government looks into this very well.

Mr Speaker, once again, the Hon Member

who made the Statement said that, currently,

they do not have a basic school at Appiate. I

recommend to the Government, as a matter of

urgency, to have an emergency basic school

there to take care of that problem.

Thank you for the opportunity, Mr Speaker.

Ms Mohammed Ibrahimah Zuwera I.

(NDC -- Salaga South): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity. I would just

spend a minute to also express my condolences

to the victims and their families and welcome

the Statement made by my Hon Colleague, the

Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Robert

Cudjoe. The Statement has, indeed, provided

some update to us on the development in

Appiate since the unfortunate accident.

Mr Speaker, I want to laud my Hon

Colleague, Mr Robert Cudjoe, for being on top

of the developments in Appiate since its

occurrence. He has clearly demonstrated that

as the representative of the people, he is

working for their interest and so at every turn,

he is involved with what is going on. He

mentioned spending Valentine's Day with the victims of the accident. I think that is

something that we need to commend him for

and hope that all of us would imbibe some of

these attributes.

Statements

Mr Speaker, on the issue of Appiate, we

would also want to state Government's effort at resettling and rebuilding the Community of

Appiate. It was very refreshing to hear the

President, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-

Addo, giving directives that the fine that had

been imposed on Maxum Ghana Limited

should be used for the reconstruction of the

Appiate community.

I think the President has to be lauded for

that. But in saying that, a week before that

directive from the President, I followed

discussions on the setting up of the Appiate

Relief Fund and Ghanaians made a certain

clarion call on Government and I think for all

intents and purposes, that call goes beyond the

issues of Appiate. What did Ghanaians say?

When the sector Minister announced the

formation of the Fund, it became a topical issue

for discussion and on a Joy FM programme, I

followed the discussions thoroughly.

Many Ghanaians phoned into the

programme, sympathising with the people of

Appiate and the Government but asked for one

thing. They were unwilling to contribute to the

Fund because according to all these callers,

when COVID-19 struck and we were called

upon to make similar contributions -- we now ask for the COVID-19 Funds to be accounted

to us and we were told that they could not

account to us. What if we put our money in this

fund and tomorrow, it is not accounted for?

Mr Speaker, the reason I am making this

point is that as Leaders of our people, we need

to understand that whatever we do today

becomes the reference point for what we may

want to do tomorrow.

Probably, at the time Government was

refusing to account for the COVID Fund, they

did not know that Appiate would strike and

Ghanaians made it very loud and clear that they

are unwilling to keep putting money into

efforts that they cannot ask questions about. I

hope Government heard and it would take steps

to set aside some of these perceptions so that

we can move together as a nation.

Mr Speaker, the Hon Member who made

the Statement mentioned the current situation,

which includes housing the people in tents. We

all know that tents by their very nature are

temporary housing facilities. But when we

think about the impending raining season

which is set to begin anytime from now, I think

it poses a little bit of problem and I would want

to add my voice to urge Government to speed

up with the efforts to find permanent housing

for the people of Appiate so that they are not

needlessly exposed to the vagaries of the

weather.

Mr Speaker, I also think that the sector

Minister and his team did a good job by

speeding up the investigation, making sure that

those who were involved were called to

account. I hope corporate Ghana is listening,

that corporate institutions should know that

when they breach the law, the law would come

after them and the law would be there to take

care of the vulnerable.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I want

to say thank you for the opportunity and to

Statements

highly commend my Hon Colleague for the

update on the Appiate situation.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for
the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful
Statement. I must begin by sympathising with
the people of Appiate, the Chiefs, the elders
and the whole township.
Mr Speaker, I happened to be with the
group -- the Western Caucus ⸺ that visited the community and I must say that seeing it on
the news and vis-à-vis on the ground was
another thing altogether.
Mr Speaker, this was a scary thing but then
it is a lesson that we must learn as a country,
that all measures must be put in place to ensure
that such a disaster never happens in the history
of this country or the entire world.
Mr Speaker, I must begin by commending
the chiefs, the MCE and the leaders. One thing
I observed during our visit was the unity of
purpose -- something that I admired so much. This is because we know what happens at other
areas, therefore we must begin by commending
them for the unity with which they are carrying
out whatever they need to do to ensure that the
people of Appiate are sorted out in terms of
accommodation and in terms of everything. I
wish to also add my voice to the Hon Member
who made the Statement by commending
corporate bodies and Ghanaians in general for
their benevolence -- the speed at which donations were made.
Mr Speaker, at the site, I was marvelled at
the donations that had come from all over the
country. It is something that we must continue
to do. This is because it reflects friendliness
and oneness as Ghanaians and it is something
we must stick to.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Member who made
the Statement drew our attention to the current
state of affairs at the camp. This is a situation
where we have people of 20, 30 to 40 in a tent.
We know that the Western Region is a place
that when the rain sets in, it rains heavily.
My worry is that if measures are not put in
place and the promise of we settling these
people as well as putting up accommodation
facilities for them are not pursued and the rains
set in, then we can imagine the difficulties, the
problems and the hardships that these fellow
Ghanaians would go through.
Mr Speaker, aside this, I also observed one
thing, that there is the need for the people to
have access to psychological support. As much
as the Government considers medical support
for the people, there is also the need to get a
psychologist on site to help the people to
overcome the trauma and the difficult time that
they are going through.
Mr Speaker, I wish to conclude by again
commending corporate bodies and everyone
that went to support our brothers. Our prayers
are with them, and we would continue to echo
to the Government, the pledges that he made to
put in measures to ensure that our brothers are
not left alone or forgotten. This is because if
the attention is taken away from these people,

Statements

the hardship that they would go through would

be a problem. So, I believe that support must

be given to them to ensure that they get a

second chance at life.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for the

opportunity.

Hon
Members, we would move on to the third
Statement, and that Statement stands in the
name of the Hon Member for Kumbungu, Dr
Hamza Adam. The title of the Statement is:
“Unpacking the Facts of UTAG's 2022 Strike Action: A Way Forward.”
Hon Member, you may read your
Statement.

Mr Speaker, the University Teachers' Association of Ghana (UTAG) on January 10,
2022, declared an indefinite strike action to
demand for better conditions of service. The
current strike is just one of the series of strikes
UTAG has embarked on in recent times to seek
for improved conditions of service.
Mr Speaker, it is reported that UTAG
entered into negotiations with Government to
resolve salary anomalies as far back in 2019
when UTAG submitted a conditions of service
document containing a number of proposals to
the government for consideration. According
to UTAG, government exhibited lack of
commitment to the negotiations on the
proposals made, thereby compelling the
Association to declare an indefinite strike
action in August 2021.
Mr Speaker, the strike action was later
suspended upon several meetings and promises
by the Government to resolve the issues.
UTAG and the Government, after determining
the rules of engagement, went into a one month
negotiations. The items listed for the
negotiations included the Market Premium.
According to UTAG, the Basic Salary was not
negotiated because government indicated that
it was only the Standing Joint Tripartite
Committee (JTC) that could negotiate basic
salaries for the public sector workers, which a
7% increase was already determined by the
said committee.
Mr Speaker, according to UTAG,
government again indicated that the Labour
Market Survey was to be completed by
October 2021 for the determination of Market
Premium for implementation in January 2022.
Therefore, UTAG agreed with the hope that the
Market Premium was to be determined and
implemented by the said date.
However, UTAG realised that the Labour
Market Survey, which is supposed to be a
panacea, delayed and for that reason the
determination and implementation of the
Market Premium in January 2022 was not
feasible. To this end, UTAG in December 2021
informed Government to restore the Interim
Market Premium of 114% of current basic
salary. This is based on the argument that the

Statements

Interim Market Premium, which is 114% of the

2012 Basic Salary has deteriorated over the

years to only 52% of current Basic Salary. In

other words, UTAG is only asking government

to pay the difference of 62% of current Basic

Salary to make up for the 114%. According to

UTAG, failure of Government to adhere to

their appeal compelled them to embark on the

current strike action.

Mr Speaker, UTAG strike is of great

concern to many due to its enormous negative

effects on students, parents, and other

stakeholders. Some negative repercussions

from the UTAG strike include:

1. It has brought academic activities to a halt over the last four (4) weeks and

now in the fifth week, which is likely to

affect the quality of teaching and

learning.

2. There is wastage of resources since students have already reported to

schools and paid for accommodation

and facility user fees, which are time

bound.

3. It also likely to lead to psychological trauma among some students,

especially fresh ones, since university

environment may look strange to them.

4. It may also plunge some students into immoral activities such as cybercrimes,

sexual immorality, excessive drinking

of alcohol; among others.

Indeed, these effects of strike actions by

university academics are well documented in

the literature. For example, Egwu (2018)

summarises the effects of university strike

actions as:

1. It affects students' performance in examinations and facilitates

examination malpractices.

2. It destabilises the school programme and its operations, which lead to

production of half-baked university

graduates.

3. It decreases research and innovation in tertiary institutions and also leads to

low staff outputs.

Mr Speaker, following the negative effects

the current strike action is having on the

citizenry, it is necessary that Government takes

the following steps to urgently end the UTAG

strike, and to allow restoration of academic

work:

1. Government must do all it can to pay the Lecturers the 62% of their current

basic salary in the interim, which will

at least restore them to the 114% that

they are demanding. This will surely

bring our Lecturers back to the Lecture

Theatres for academic work to resume.

2. After payment of the 62% as a stopgap measure, it is important for govern-

ment to expedite action on the

determination of Market Premium for

deserving critical skills in the public

Statements

sector as identified in the 2019 Labour

Market Survey and development of

guidelines for implementation of the

Market Premium.

3. Government must work with UTAG to develop a roadmap suitable to both

parties for the restoration of the entry

level salaries of Lecturers, which was

the Ghana Cedi equivalent of

US$2,084 per month in 2012, which

has since deteriorated to less than the

Ghana Cedi equivalent of

US$1,000.00 per month.

4. As recommended in the 2013 White Paper, the current and future

governments must ensure that Labour

Market Surveys are conducted every 5

years, Market Premiums for critical

skills in the public sector determined

and guidelines developed for

implementation. Government needs to

demonstrate commitment to this

arrangement in order to bring a lasting

solution to UTAG's labour and salary concerns.

5. Government should, in the medium- term, consider a holistic review of

public sector salaries, especially the

Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS),

which has been operating for more

than 10 years now.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I am calling on

Government to take urgent steps to end the

ongoing UTAG strike action in order not to

further disrupt the academic calender, which

has already been badly affected by COVID-19.

Reference

Egwu, S. (2028): Effects of strike action on

quality education. World Applied Journal. 36

(9). 1038-1042.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the
opportunity to contribute to the Statement
made by the Hon Member. It is important to
recognise that our universities have not closed,
but students are not learning. In the
circumstance in which we find them, as alluded
to, some have gone home, and other things are
happening.
Indeed, our university faculty members
should be paid well so that they are not
distracted. Generally, a university faculty
member is supposed to teach courses, engage
in research, and furthermore, engage in
community service.
The effort in these areas requires total
concentration in making sure that our
universities are ranked among others globally,
and that if all they do is just repeat the same
information, it means that our universities do
not have what it takes to compete in the global
market place. This, therefore, devalues our
graduates from the universities, and when there
is ranking in West Africa, Africa or globally,
you would find that our universities are behind.
If lecturers get the critical resources that are

Statements

necessary for them to function, it is key for

them to also do their work well and propel this

country.

About 400 years ago, Europe was dirty,

they were not successful in anything, and there

were so many people. It took education to

transform that society, and that came with

research; the renaissance came with research.

Thus, to say that our university teachers are

sitting at home and our children are on campus

but are not sure of what they are doing, is really

not the best situation.

Therefore, the negotiated things that the

lecturers need should be available to them.

They have touched on the issue of allowances,

market premium, policy on payroll, probably

thinking around the fact that if possible, to get

them off the Single Spine Salary Structure and

have them participate in another payroll system

so that it would inure to their advantage. The

issue of book allowance has come up many

times. As soon as you touch on it, the issue of

research allowance is also a factor.

Mr Speaker, the key players in this area

should continue to engage so that these issues

do not continue to plague our system. It

appears there is never an ending to the crisis

that arises and as a result, the lecturers resort to

the court. The lecturers go to the court, and if

the court rules that they should go back to the

classroom, they can go today, and tomorrow,

they call another strike.

Essentially, it does not end the case. I would

appeal to the Hon Ministers for Education and

Employment and Labour Relations and key

members of the sector so that there can be

negotiated understanding in which parties are

respected, and all of them come together with

a result-oriented effort so that they can do so

well in that.

As it stands, our children are on the

campuses; they have gone there as freshmen

and fresh women at all levels. They have been

there for three to four weeks. What are they

doing? The devil finds work for an idle hand.

Also, even those who decide to go home, some

come from as far as Juaboso who go to the

University for Development Studies (UDS).

They have to be transported back, and

whenever schools start, they have to go again.

For some people, it took various members of

the community to contribute money so that this

first person in the family could enter a

university. All of a sudden, he goes and must

come back home because they are not doing

anything.

Mr Speaker, the effect is so tragic, and we

should not have these situations continuously

recurring. In the short term, we hope that these

industrial unrests would be addressed

generally by the Government and all the

Ministers involved in those sectors so that it

would show a sign of a sustainable and

peaceful country, and not one with all these

chaotic things going on and can drive away

investors.

There has been a good effort to portray that

the Government should stay ahead of its game

so that the children, our next generation,

learning from us would get the required skills

and competencies critical for their wellbeing,

Statements

and also for the university teachers to get the

comfort and critical resources that would

enable them continue their work. Therefore,

the key parties should continue to engage even

as the Committee on Education and other

committees related to that could assist so that

our universities become institutions of

outstanding excellence and that, we can

compete in the global market place.

Mr Speaker, with these words, I thank you.

Mr Speaker, thank you very much
for the opportunity to contribute to this
Statement. Firstly, I believe that all of us in this
House ought to, and are concerned about the
education of our children, and therefore, when
there is a strike of this nature, we would all be
concerned. To that extent, to have brought the
matter to the Floor for discussion and for
contribution is commendable.
Mr Speaker, a careful examination of the
Statement would reveal that my colleague
Friend sought to give a rendition of the facts
leading to this unfortunate strike action, and in
his mind, the issues involved. Mr Speaker, it is
needless to point out that the provision of our
Standing Orders, as they relate to Statements,
is that they ought not to generate debate or
disputation.
I have taken a very careful look and
examination of the Statement made, and as I
said, the fact rendered by my Hon Colleague.
Clearly, some of the representations made as to
what should be the cause of this strike are
totally matters that can be disputed.
Mr Speaker, but that is not exactly the point
that I would like to make. I would like to state
that matters of this nature ought not to be
reduced to the usual everyday partisanship
because if I was to go into the history of the
University Teachers Association of Ghana
(UTAG) and the genesis of their welfare and
issues of their conditions of service, there is a
lot to say.
From the time when the salary of teachers
was migrated from the stage at which it was to
where former President Kufuor took it, indeed,
that was the first time in the history of our
country when university teachers were retained
in the universities to teach. A lot of them were
leaving our shores; leaving our country for
other African countries to teach because the
conditions of service of teachers in the
university were woefully inadequate.
Mr Speaker, through the issue of
allowances, car allowances and several other
allowances, the effort to upgrade the conditions
of service for teachers in the university began
from former President Kufuor's time. And in this Government of President Akufo-Addo,
from the first term to this term, the effort made
by the Government to upgrade the conditions
of service of university teachers is enormous.
Mr Speaker, just as I pointed out, and I
pointed out specifically to Order 70 of the
Standing Orders of this House to make the
point that to the extent—

Statements

Hon
Member, hold on. Yes, Hon Member for
Tamale North, what is it?

Mr Speaker, thank you very
much for the opportunity. My Hon Colleague
in his submission made reference without
quoting the specific portion of the Standing
Orders that says that a Member's Statement should not generate debate. Mr Speaker, even
though it has been a long standing practice of
this House, I wish to contest the claim that
Statements should not provoke debate.
Mr Speaker, if you look at Order 70(2), it
says:
“A Minister of State may make an announcement or a statement of govern-
ment policy. Any such announcement or
statement should be limited to facts which
it is deemed necessary to make known to
the House and should not be designed to
provoke debate at this stage. Any Member
may comment briefly, subject to the same
limitation”
Mr Speaker, so, Order 70(2) is in reference
to a Minister of State making an announcement
or a statement of government policy where it is
clearly stated that it should not provoke debate.

“By the indulgence of the House and leave of Mr Speaker a Member may, at
the time appointed for statements under
Order 53 (Order of Business) explain a
matter of personal nature or make a
statement on a matter of urgent public
importance. Any statement other than a
personal statement may be commented
upon by other Members for a limited
duration of time not exceeding one hour.
The terms of any such proposed statement
shall first be submitted to Mr Speaker.”
Mr Speaker, Order 72 is silent on whether a
statement can generate debate.

Hon
Suhuyini, I am not clear about what you want
to achieve by your intervention. I am a bit taken

Mr Speaker, I am contesting
the claim that the Hon Member's Statement should not have provoked debate. He is free to
debate if he thinks that there is an issue to be
debated as far as the Statement is concerned.

Hon
Member, just move on and do not provoke
debate.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Yes, I would move on except to say that I have
taken note of this observation myself and since
my Hon Colleague, out of political expediency
and convenience, wants to jettison the practice
of this House, let us jettison and debate the
matter.
Mr Speaker, the debate would put this
House in good stand because as I said—

Statements

Hon
Member, do not get there; just contribute.

Mr Speaker, thank you.
The matter to do with the university teachers,
yes, as I said, the strike is unfortunate. We all
want to restrain ourselves in a manner that
would create the conducive atmosphere for the
stakeholders to come to a consensual
arrangements so that the teachers can go back
to the universities to teach our children and
help educate our population.
To that extent, I would be cautious about
what I say but I would like to submit and do so
forcefully without a shred equivocation that
when it comes to the conditions of service of
teachers, we, from this Side, when we were in
Government, did a million times better than
they did when they were in Government. The
records would show it.
And as I say, anybody who was conversant
with the governance of former President
Kufuor, that was the first time that the salaries
and conditions of service of the teachers were
upgraded. This Government has done
tremendously well when it comes to the
conditions of service of teachers.
Mr Speaker, we know of countless strikes
which occurred under their regime. Countless
longer strikes than what we have today but that
is not an excuse and that is not the issue. This
matter of the strike ought not to be a subject
matter of politics; it should not be a subject
matter of petty political squabbling as the
Statement sought to do.
This Statement was just intended to portray
the Government in bad light and create the
impression that Government has reneged on
his commitment to teachers. That is not
correct; the Government of President Akufo-
Addo would work to resolve this strike and we
would continue to work to better the conditions
of service of teachers. Ours is better than theirs
when it comes to the record.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Thank you
very much.

Hon
Members, are you all up to contribute or you
are just going to challenge - but Hon Member for North Tongu, you just entered the Chamber
and you are up? Let me give the opportunity to
the Ranking Member.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I
would like to appeal that the Committee on
Education has just come out of a meeting with
UTAG, the Hon Minister for Employment and
Labour Relations as well as the Hon Minister
for Education. And we have reached some
level of consensus so, I would wish that we
tone down the debate on this Statement so that
we do not aggravate the situation as we saw it
this morning. We have come to a consensus on
this matter.
Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Statements

Thank you
very much. Let then invite the Hon Minister for
Employment and Labour Relations.

Minister for Employment and Labour

Relations (Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah)

(MP): Thank you, Mr Speaker. As the Hon

Ranking Member of the Committee on

Education rightly said, we are just entering the

Chamber after having a long meeting with all

the stakeholders on this UTAG issue. So, I was

surprised when I came to the Chamber and

heard the Statement on the same issue.

Mr Speaker, as the lead negotiator on behalf

of the Government, I have been very reluctant

in making public pronouncements whenever

we are negotiating issues within the public

space because whatever you say on air,

eventually you would come and sit down with

the parties and talk. If you have made your

point already known on air, what do you come

back to sit and deliberate on again?

Mr Speaker, but this is a House of records

so if the Hansard captures certain concerns

which are not corrected, perhaps, it would be

taken to be facts, and for that reason, I would

like to respond to some of the issues raised by

my Hon Colleague. Throughout the Statement,

my Hon Colleague referred to the stance of

UTAG on the issues but not even on a single

occasion did I hear him mention the

Government's side.

I thought, perhaps, by preparing such a

Statement, he would have also inquired from

the Government's side to know efforts that have been made and results coming out of that.

Mr Speaker, to set the record straight,

engagement with UTAG started way back in

2017 when UTAG made a presentation to

Government that they wanted the Book and

Research Allowance that is given to university

lecturers to be reviewed. As of that time,

university lecturers were taking GH¢500 as

research allowance per annum. After

negotiations, this figure was increased from

GH¢500 to GH¢1,500 and subsequently, has

been increased from GH¢1,500 to the cedi

equivalent of US$1,600 or at today's exchange rate term of GH¢10,000.

Mr Speaker, we have been negotiating with

UTAG and at any point --

⸺ rose ⸺

Hon
Minister, hold on.
I would give the Hon Ranking Member the
opportunity. Hon Ranking Member, let me
hear you?

Mr Speaker, I think that
in my earlier submission, I said that we had just
come out of a meeting and negotiations had not
been completed. I was not expecting the Hon
Minister to start telling us what they have done
so far.
I would wish that the Hon Minister would
end it there so that this does not generate into
an argument. [Interruption.] This is because if

Statements

negotiations have not been completed and as

the leader of a Government delegation, the Hon

Minister starts giving out figures, I think that

those who are agitating for better conditions of

service may not be happy with this.

So, I would wish that the Hon Minister

would just inform us or give us the assurance

that he is leading the Government delegation

and they are looking into things rather than

giving us figures and what not when the other

party is not here to also argue for themselves.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Very well.
Hon Minister, I know you would want to
give us the real facts but handle it in such a way
that it would not generate anything untoward.
So, let us hear you.

Mr Speaker, I respect
your guidance but I would say that
Government has acted in good faith and is ever
willing to continue negotiations with UTAG.
We want due process to be followed and I have
given them an assurance that if today, they call
off the strike, I would not mind asking that we
lock ourselves in a room to make sure that we
finish negotiations before we come out.
So, Government is ever willing to sit down
with UTAG and we have always demonstrated
that willingness to negotiate with them.
Mr Speaker, I would want to assure this
House and the country that Government is ever
ready to jaw-jaw with UTAG to bring life back
into the universities. I would await the report
of your Committee on Education to be laid in
this House and when it is being debated,
perhaps, as advised by you, that would be the
time I would lay the facts on the part of the
Government negotiation team.
So, I respect your ruling and once again, I
would want to thank the Hon Member who
made the Statement.
Thank you.

Very well.

Mr Speaker, I am
going to suggest that in view of the suggestion
by the Hon Ranking Member which has been
graciously taken by the Hon Minister, if you do
not curtail the debate, the situation would get
worse. This is because if any misinformation is
put out, others would be compelled to respond
to it. So, in view of the situation as agreed by
the Hon Minister and the Hon Ranking
Member, I think that the contribution to this
Statement should be brought to a close.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Well noted.
Even the Hon Minister has declined to talk.
Hon Members, to allow a congenial
atmosphere for negotiations, let us -- [Interruption.] Contributions to this particular
Statement are over. We are moving to the

We have a joint Statement by the two

Members of Parliament for Techiman, that is

Statements

Techiman North and Techiman South, on the

demise of Hon George Kwabena Owusu, a

former MP. I understand he would be buried

over the weekend, so we would listen to both

MPs. In fact, last week, the Hon Member for

Techiman North had wanted to read the

Statement but we realised that Hon Martin

Korsah had also put up another Statement. So,

we decided to wait till both of them were in the

Chamber, so that they would both read their

Statements.

We would invite them. Last week, Hon

Ofosu-Adjare was here, so you could start and

then Hon Korsah would also read his after

which we would invite Hon Members to

contribute. Hon Member, let us hear you.

Mr Speaker, I thank you
for the opportunity to make a Statement on the
demise of the Hon George Kwabena Owusu, a
former Member of the First Parliament of the
Fourth Republic, for Techiman South
Constituency.
Mr Speaker, a German philosopher; Arthur
Schopenhauer once said:
“A man finds himself, to his great astonishment, suddenly existing, after
thousands and thousands of years of non-
existence: he lives for a little while, and
then, again, comes an equally long period
when he must exist no more. He rebels
against this, and feels that it cannot be true”.
Mr Speaker, my heart is saddened and in
deepest sorrows as I present this Statement to
formally announce to the House the passing on
of Hon George Kwabena Owusu; a one-time
member of this august House on the ticket of
the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for
the Techiman South Constituency.
Hon G. K. Owusu, as he was affectionately
called, was born on the 29th day of May, 1938,
in the Bono East Regional capital of Techiman.
He began his elementary education at the
Techiman Methodist School. He continued to
the then Apam Secondary School where he
obtained his Sixth Form qualification.
Mr Speaker, the late G. K. Owusu after
Apam Secondary School left the shores of
Ghana to further his education in the United
Kingdom. He was admitted to London School
of Accountancy to pursue Accounting after
studying Management in the North East
London Polytechnic. He later graduated as a
Chartered Certified Accountant. Prior to his
entry into Ghana's Parliament, he had practiced accounting and occupied a myriad of
managerial roles in many organisations such
as:
1. GIHOC-Meat Production Division, Tema.
2. Ghana Food Distribution Corporation, Accra.

Statements

3. African Timber and Plywood Limited, Samreboi.

4. Freezer Kingsley Limited, London; among others.

Mr Speaker, the late G.K Owusu became

the first NDC parliamentary candidate for

Techiman South in the Fourth Republic when

multiparty politics began in 1992. He won the

parliamentary elections held on the 29th

December, 1992, and was sworn into the First

Parliament of the Fourth Republic on 7th

January, 1993. The late G. K. Owusu

represented his constituents in the Legislative

House until he lost his candidacy to Hon

Kwadwo Mahama Adams before the conduct

of the 1996 General Elections. After his narrow

defeat in the parliamentary primaries, Hon G.

K. Owusu was found worthy of appointment to

the seat of Deputy Regional Minister of the

then Brong-Ahafo Region.

As a Chartered Accountant, he contributed

to the introduction of the Valued Added Tax

(VAT) which is now one of the most reliable

revenue streams for our national economy. He

also served as the parliamentary nominee for

the African Caribbean Pacific and the

European Union.

Mr Speaker, if the House may recall, one of

his fond memories was the controversy arising

out of his question on the Floor concerning the

establishment of the Ghana Telecom in his

Constituency, Techiman South.

Mr Speaker, the man in question really paid

his dues to the development of corporate

Ghana and parliamentary democracy. He

served his country in truth and in humility. He

exhibited calmness and professionalism in

both public and private lives and is worthy of

emulation. He eschewed political violence.

Throughout his political life as a Member of

Parliament and a Deputy Regional Minister,

not a scintilla of evidence of political

hooliganism could be associated with or found

against him. This is an exemplary life worthy

of emulation by political leaders, especially at

a time that political vigilantism has become

topical in our national party politics.

Following his demise on 11th August, 2021,

his mortal remains is prepared for interment on

19th February, 2022. He is survived by his

beautiful wife, Mrs Dora Ross Owusu, and

seven children.

Mr Speaker, personally, I am saddened

because the late G.K. Owusu and my father, I.

K. Adjei-Mensah of blessed memory, had a lot

of things in common. They both grew up in

Techiman, went to the Apam Secondary

School and left Ghana on the same day to

London to school. When they came back to

Ghana at different times, they entered

Parliament at the same time.

As if these were not enough, he became my

father's Hon Deputy Minister when my father became the Hon Minister for the then Brong

Ahafo Region. They served Ghana well and

helped in the then Brong Ahafo Region.

Mr Speaker, may the soul of Hon G.K.

Owusu rest peacefully.

Statements

Thank you for the opportunity to make this

Statement. [Hear! Hear!].

Yes, Hon
Martin Korsah, let us hear you?

Mr Speaker, thank you for
this opportunity to contribute to the Statement
in honour of the memory of our late former
Member of Parliament for Techiman South,
Hon George Kwabena Owusu.
Indeed, partings come and hearts are
broken, loved ones go with words unspoken. It
is a privilege to contribute to this Statement in
honour of Mr G. K. Owusu; an uncle,
colleague, teacher, father and an Hon Member.
Mr Speaker, in whatever role we knew him
to have played and from whatever angle, he
stood apart as someone who was special. As
has been said, he was born on 29th May, 1938,
on a Tuesday in Techiman. He was initially
named Kwabena Boi by his father, Stephen
Yaw Owusu, and his mother, Maame Adwoa
Pokuaa, all of Tunsuase within the Techiman
Municipality.
He was known for his brilliance in
academics and performed well in his Middle
School Leaving Certificate Examinations. Due
to this, he was sent abroad to further his
education. Subsequently, when he returned to
Ghana, he worked in the private sector and
began his political career in 1992 when he
became the parliamentary candidate for the
NDC to represent the Techiman South
Constituency.
Mr Speaker, he was sworn-into this
Parliament and it is a fact that Hon G. K.
Owusu became one of the pioneers of this
Fourth Republic. His sufficient contribution to
our parliamentary democracy is outstanding.
He was a unifying figure, affable and very
principled. He brought all manner of people
together regardless of political persuasions.
Under his leadership, Techiman witnessed
developments. Unfortunately, as has been said,
he lost his position to his fellow party comrade,
Kojo Mahama Adda, before the 1996 general
elections.
Mr Speaker, he would be fondly
remembered for his exploits in this House. He
is credited to have mooted the introduction of
the Value Added Tax (VAT) which triggered
the sensational nationwide kumi preko
demonstration; to wit ‘kill me at once'.
He was first married to Madam Edith Akua
Konadu with whom he had four children and
consequently re-married Dora Ross; his current
wife with whom he had three children. The
magnanimous man, George Kwabena Owusu,
is survived by seven children and a wife. He
fought a good fight and would be remembered
for his contribution to our democratic practice.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I would
like to thank the Hon Member who made this
Statement and your good Self for the
opportunity to contribute to it.

Statements

Yes, Dr
Kwabena Donkor?

Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to
contribute to this Statement that eulogises one
of those gentlemen in Brong Ahafo politics.
Mr Speaker, he was the accountant's accountant, a professional par excellence and
this was someone who put himself forward at a
time when most professionals thought the
Fourth Republic, birthed by the 1992
Constitution, was a Republic birthed by
Veranda Boys and people without professional
and academic credentials.
He put himself forward to serve the good
people of Bono Kyempem, the piesie of Bono
Kyempem, Techiman and Akan piesie. He did
not just serve out of haughtiness but with
humility. It was not surprising that he became
an Hon Deputy Regional Minister when the
government of the day believed they needed
somebody who could bring all the factions
together and move the Region forward in
development.
Mr Speaker, they could not find anybody
better than the late Parliamentarian. This was
somebody who, when he had lost party
primaries to comrade Kojo Mahama, did not go
the way most politicians who lose internal
elections go. He rallied behind Kojo Mahama
and his Party; the NDC and served his Party,
community and constituency well.
Mr Speaker, there are a few lessons I take
from his life. The first one is a life of humility
and the second is a life of professionalism. He
was a professional chartered accountant in the
days we did not have too many of them.
He qualified both in Ghana and in the
United Kingdom to practice the accounting
profession and above all, his track record of
practice was unblemished. I believe that
generations of politicians and professionals to
come could take a cue from the life of this
noble son of Gonokyempem.
Mr Speaker, I add my voice to the Hon
Members who made the Statement to say, may
his soul rest in perfect peace. May the
ancestors, the angels and the heavenly host
welcome him as a parliamentarian who truly
served his people.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the
opportunity.

Thank you
very much, Hon Member.
It appears most of us are new so we do not
know the late Hon Member.
Hon Members, could we rise and observe a
minute of silence in his honour?

May the soul of Hon George Kwabena

Owusu, and the souls of all faithful-departed

rest in perfect peace.

Statements

Majority leadership, any indication?

Mr Speaker, that is about all
for the day. So, I would recommend that we
bring proceedings to an end.

Available
Leaders for the Minority?

Mr
Speaker, I am in support of the Motion for the
House to be adjourned save that we need to
have an indication as to tomorrow, being a
Friday. We would prefer that the House would
Sit at 10.00 a.m.

Very well.
It is beyond 2.00 p.m. so we do not need any
special Motion for adjournment.