Adaklu Dzakpo youth against their chief

The youth of Adaklu Dzakpo, a farming community on the fringes of the Kalakpa Game Reserve in the Adaklu Anyigbe District, are up in arms against their chief, Togbe Agormeha III and two others. The chief together with Mr. Adolph Agblanya and Mr. Albert Agbedor, Unit Committee and Parent/Teacher Association chairmen respectively were alleged to have prevented a contractor from putting up a block of three classrooms for the community. The three were also alleged to have failed to account for development levies for the past 15 years. The youth have resolved to withdraw their recognition of the three in their respective roles in the community until they have apologized to the community for their actions. Mr Moses Agbleke, the spokesperson of the youth, told the GNA at Dzakpo on Tuesday that "the community's school building is a death trap.'' He said it was built with local materials over 30 years ago, so they counted it a blessing when the Adaklu Anyigbe District Assembly decided to build a three-unit classroom block for them as part of Ghana's 50th anniversary celebration. He alleged that Togbe Agormeha, Mr Agbedor and Mr Agblanya drove away the contractor who was to execute the job. Mr. Agbleke said the youth could not fathom why a chief who was supposed to lead the community in developmental issues refused government's assistance to build a classroom blocke. He said efforts and appeals by concerned citizens of the town for the chief and the other two to see the benefit of the project rather infuriated them. Mr. Agbleke alleged that the chief's reason for refusing the project was that "it was the government that cited the Adaklu Anyigbe District capital at Kpetoe instead of Adaklu Waya and that he will not offer his land to be used for any development project and assistance coming from the district so far as the capital remains at Kpetoe". Mr. E.K. Aryayee, Headteacher of the Local Primary school in a letter to the District Director of Education, expressed regret at the action of the chief, PTA and Unit Committee chairmen because they were supposed to know the importance of such a project to the community. He said the contractor had to cart away the 200 bags of cement he brought to start the project. Togbe Osime Amenuvie and Togbe Klu Adzokoto, Fiator and Asafofia respectively of the community said the chief did not consult the elders before taking that "unproductive action" for which reason they would sanction him. Mr. Agbedor, who spoke on behalf of the three, said all the allegations levelled against them were false. "It is only a section of the youth that are out to cause mischief". He said they did not drive the contractor away. He said though they still stand by their resolve not to be part of the assembly, any project that would enhance the living standards of their people will not be rejected. Mr Agbedor said people behind the allegations were only out to cause mischief and division in the community and that they were rather the people to render accounts of their stewardship to the community as most of the were members of the immediate past Unit Committee.