Chairman Wontumi’s troubles keep pulling old stories out of the cupboard, and the latest one comes from a man who says he was standing right there on the farm.
How Odike Ended Up On Wontumi’s Farm
Akwasi Addai Odike, founder of the United Progressive Party and former presidential aspirant, has recounted the day former President Nana Akufo-Addo visited the now-famous Wontumi farms, and according to him, the President did not like what he saw at all.
Speaking on CTV, Odike explained that he was not even part of the official delegation. At the time, he was chasing money owed him on road contracts, and when then Roads Minister Kwasi Amoako-Attah came to Kumasi while Akufo-Addo was also in town, he saw his chance.
According to him, then Kumasi Mayor Osei Assibey told him to sit in his car because they were going to Wontumi’s farm, and he might get the opportunity to raise the matter of his money there.
What They Met On The Farm
What the delegation met at Nsuta-Kwamang-Beposo, per Odike’s account, was not a pretty sight.
“So, we went to the farms at Nsuta-Kwamang-Beposo. A Council of State member who had a neighbouring farm had done very well. His maize had grown beautifully because he was using modern irrigation. But Wontumi’s farm was different. Almost all the maize had dried up,” he said.
Then came the moment that stuck with him.
“Akufo-Addo simply left the place and went to sit in his car because the farm had not been properly maintained. It was full of weeds, and the maize had been destroyed.”
“That was the day I expected Akufo-Addo to say something to Wontumi, but he said nothing and walked straight to his car. The farm was not in a flood-prone area, yet the Council of State member whose farm bordered Wontumi’s had managed his farm well. He even had a large warehouse where they stored their produce, and they opened it for Akufo-Addo to inspect. But he never said anything. I felt he was angry,” the former presidential aspirant added.
Why This Farm Matters Now
The timing of Odike’s revelation is no accident. Wontumi, real name Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, was sentenced on Monday, July 20 to 20 years in prison with hard labour by the Accra High Court over illegal mining activities on the Samreboi concession, in the case involving his company Akonta Mining.
But the farm itself sits at the centre of a separate case that is still before the courts. Wontumi and Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, a director of Wontumi Farms Limited who is currently on the run, are standing trial over alleged fraud involving the Ghana Export Import Bank.
Prosecutors allege the two used false pretences to obtain GHC 14,302,000 from the bank for a farming project, and that Wontumi used a forged receipt to obtain an additional GHC 4,000,000. The state further alleges the transaction caused GEXIM Bank a loss of more than GHC 30 million. Wontumi has pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
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@olando_one Odike has exposed Chairman Wontumi #fyp #politics #ghanatiktok🇬🇠#trendingvideo #goviral
