Ghanaian businessman and politician, Akwasi Addai Odike, has attacked the chiefs of the Ashanti Region once again, excoriating them for lacking vision.
According to the founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), the chiefs in the Ashanti Region are only interested in being royals and the pomp and pageantry surrounding their positions without having any vision to actually improve the lives of their subjects.
Odike took shots at the chiefs he clashed with earlier this year over the galamsey menace during an interview on Onua TV.
“The lives of your subjects are not important to you (the chiefs). You are only interested in selling our lands to enrich yourself. Akufo-Addo has only two years of his term as president left. He will not be president forever. But you, the chief, will be chief till you die, and all the destruction you are causing in the environment with the help of Akufo-Addo will be your burden,” Odike fumed.
“…When I become president, I will school you on leadership. You people (the chiefs) do not understand leadership. We don’t rule people by oppressing them. We rule with a vision. What is your vision? Tell us the vision you have for the Ashanti land.
“How can you call yourself leaders? People travel abroad and make money to come and bid to be chiefs. As they are bidding to become chiefs, all they think about is how they are going to sell lands to enrich themselves. Their mindset is to only sell land; they don’t think about what is going to happen to their grandchildren,” he said in Twi on Onua TV.
His interview comes following his clash earlier this year with the Manhyia Chiefs.
Odike was declared persona non gratta in Manhyia after criticising the Asantehene over the issue of galamsey.
The Kumasi Traditional Council performed rituals to banish Odike for accusing Ashanti chiefs of condoning illegal mining.
According to the Kumasi Traditional Council, the businessman turned politician made inciteful statements that the Council deemed to be distasteful, unsubstantiated, and meant to dent the image of Manhyia.
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com