The Paramount Chief of Lower Dixcove, Nana Akwasi Agyeman IV, has refuted claims made by former Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah, suggesting that the chiefs of the Western Region funded the controversial statue of former President Akufo-Addo, which was placed in front of the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi.
The statue was unveiled during Akufo-Addo’s thank-you tour of the region in November 2024.
Speaking to a Takoradi-based radio station, Nana Akwasi Agyeman, who was present at the unveiling, clarified that he was unaware of the statue’s existence and had been ambushed by Okyere Darko Mensah to participate in the event.
“I promised not to comment on the statue issue due to the widespread insults we chiefs have received. But I, Nana Akwasi Agyeman, can confirm that the chiefs of the Western Region did not fund the statue,” he stated.
The chief emphasized that no chief contributed financially to the construction of the statue. “If any chief contributed, I am yet to know,” he said, adding that the chiefs never met as a House of Chiefs to discuss or approve the statue in honor of the former President.
Nana Akwasi Agyeman further described how he was caught off guard by Okyere Darko Mensah and involved in the unveiling of the statue.
“We were invited to attend the former President’s thank-you tour, and we met him at the GNAT Hall. It was there that Okyere Darko Mensah asked me to join them in presenting a gift to the President, and we would head to Effia-Nkwanta Hospital. It was only upon arrival that I learned it was a statue. I didn’t even know it was a statue,” he explained.
He added that seven Paramount Chiefs attended the event, and it was there that he was informed that he would help unveil the statue.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to participate, but I didn’t want to create a scene, so I stayed quiet. We unveiled the statue and were asked to speak in honor of the President. I thanked him personally, not on behalf of the chiefs of the Western Region, as he had visited me in the hospital after my 2019 attack,” he said.
The statue of Akufo-Addo, which sparked controversy due to public dissatisfaction over his perceived minimal contribution to the region’s development, was destroyed by unknown individuals on January 13, 2025, following widespread backlash.
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