-Other Article 71 Vampires Must Follow!
The Agbogbomefia of Asogli in the Volta Region, Togbe Afede XIV has confirmed that indeed he was paid a whopping Ghc365, 392.67 as ex-gratia by the corrupt Akufo-Addo government and that he returned it as a matter of good conscience.
In a statement to clarify the matter after his public-spirited act became a talking point, the respected King said the rejection was based on his principled position that paying huge ex-gratia to people who offer themselves to serve in public office in a poor country like Ghana is wrong.
“I want to add that my rejection of the payment was consistent with my general abhorrence of the payment of huge Ex Gratia and other outrageous benefits to people who have by their own volition offered to serve our poor country,” parts of the statement said.
Ghanaians have been commending the respected Asogli King who is also an accomplished businessman for rejecting the huge ex-gratia paid him by the government of Akufo-Addo, who has been leading a state capture agenda by his kinsmen and friends.
Togbe Afede’s noble gesture has become a sensational hit on Ghanaian social media with calls for the heads of the other political appointees who keep fleecing the national coffers with the parasitic ex-gratia.
Ghanaian parliamentarians are particularly at the heart of these calls for the scrapping ex-gratia.
Generally, Togbe Afede XIV has been receiving commendations for rejecting the huge money from the Akufo Addo administration which clandestinely attempted to put the Rebecca Akufo Addo (First Lady) on the official payroll of government and political appointees and unduly exert ex-gratia from the public purse by the sheer fact of being the wife of the President.
But amidst the commendations, Togbe says he also realized people are claiming the money had been paid into his account by the government to trap him.
He says this is not the case as he believes that the government doled out the huge gratuities to all those who served on the Council of State just like himself and that he feels they must reject the money as well.
As he points out, however, he had served in the Council of State for only four years and had been paid his full salary throughout and so he did not think it appropriate to accept such huge ex-gratia on top of that.
Meanwhile, the action of Togbe Afede has prompted the public to renew their calls for the so-called Article 71 public office holders to scrap their kleptomaniac ex-gratia to save the public purse.