He might have been born to make news and he lived making news amidst his witty talks that can send people laughing or wondering, how sharp brain he was.
We were told that he was a student leader in the university, but for some reason the student body decided to cut short his tenure of office. He was asked to produce his handing over notes and in response he had this to say. “When a president is overthrown, does he prepare and produce handing over notes?” That ended the matter and he enjoyed peace on campus as an ordinary student.
He lived as one of us and helped his party in diverse ways, and took up position in government until he passed on to the life hereafter.
He was officially called Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie but was given the name John and knighted Sir, so many knew him as Sir John.
The man died and is in the life hereafter enjoying the peace and joy of eternity, but news and confusion are living on earth after him.
First, social media came out with his Will and Final Testament in which he was alleged to have given the juicy properties of his to his siblings’ children, leaving his wife with nothing to write home about. The Will said nothing about lands in Accra and Tema.
Then another Will popped up, this time brought by Manasseh Azure in which we read that Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, the John who was knighted Sir, had landed properties in Achimota forest, Achimota and Ramsar Site, Sakumuno, Tema. These parcels of land, he gifted to some relations.
The whole nation was turned into turmoil and confusion upon confusion struck like hurricane. The question is, where suddenly, from this Will of Sir John on Achimota forest and Ramsar Site?
Earlier the president was taken to the cleaners for daring to pass on part of the Achimota forest to the original owners, the Owoo family.
The Achimota forest was acquired by the state then under colonial rule in 1921 and in 1927 for a school complex and a forest reserve. It was added that the Owoo family was compensated £4,000.00 in 1922. That land was used for the purpose it was acquired for. The Prince of Wales College, now Achimota School, was built on it and there was a forest reserve to this day. In 1927, the state went on to acquire about 479 hectares from in the same area, from the Owoo family for an extension of the school and a forest reserve for the purpose of fuel wood plantation for the school. There is no record of any compensation paid for the 479 hectares.
We were told that during the Kufuor Administration, the Owoo family petitioned that part their landed property, acquired by the state in 1927 but not compensated for and not used for the purpose it was acquired for, should revert to them. President J.A. Kufuor, we are told gave the family 36 hectares because they deserved it. Come 2013, under the NDC administration the Owoo family again petitioned and the government increased their portion to 78.6 hectares. The current NPP Administration under President Nana Akufo-Addo, was again petitioned by the Owoo family, and the president increased their hold to 144.6 hectares. This transaction is well within the law.
The fact that, that part of the forest was going to exchange hands, made Ghanaians to accuse this government of taken over every state property and making them their own. This was where Manasseh Azure thought he could mischievously come out with a story and pile on to his fame, as investigative journalist.
As an investigative journalist or if that is what he claimed to be, before he could come out with that Will, he should be very objective by seeking certain information to make his story solid.
For Azure cannot claim that he is not aware that all government (state) acquired lands which compensation had been paid for, prior to the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution cannot revert to the original owners, even if government (state) was not using it for the purpose it acquired it for. Lands that can be returned to the original owners are those which compensation had not been paid. And for all indications the portion of Achimota Forest which the Owoo family are after is the 489 hectares of land acquired in 1927, where there is no record of payment of compensation.
It is good to note and Manasseh Azure can have free SHS education here that, on the other hand, any such transaction after the coming into force of the 1992 Constitution, the acquired lands can revert to the original owners, even if compensation had been paid, if government is not using it for the purpose, it had acquired it for.
Manasseh Azure produced a Will purported to be Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie’s Will and this Will looks very questionable.
Will, like all official and legal documents do not have nicknames on them. When little Kwadwo was born, his father did not know that he would one day be knighted, Sir, so he did not add Sir John to his name on his birth certificate. So how come, Sir John is appearing on an official document, like a Will.
Manasseh Azure, should have widen his scope and gone after these basic pieces of information before bringing out that Will, which only sparked confusion in the land. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie better known to Ghanaians as Sir John, most certainly did not author that Will and even if he did, and this will be out of mischief, so Manasseh should have broadened his enquiries by first going to Lands Commission to find out whether Sir John owned lands in Achimota forest and Ramsar Site in Sakumuno.
In the case of Ramsar Site, Azure only succeeded in insulting the integrity of the chiefs and elders of Sakumuno, because it is on social media that Sir John warned them not to sell of any portion of the site. So how could they have given him a portion?
It has now turned out, that the Lands Commission has come out to state that it has no records showing that the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie owned lands in Achimota forest and Ramsar Site, Sakumuno. This is the official response to the matter by the authority which handles land matters in this country.
This points out that it is very likely that the Will produced by Azure Manasseh is fake. And if it is, then this investigative journalist is in big trouble. The law must do it part in this matter and let no journalist or association of journalists, foreign or local, claim that free speech is being gagged. The insecurity and tension that this alleged Will of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie caused and is causing could easily have sparked flames of bloody conflicts in the country.
Journalists are gradually leading this country into civil conflicts by the unsubstantiated and false news they churn out just to create sensationalism and hype up tensions and create panic and fear.
The other day it was the Executive Director of Alliance of Social Equity and Public Accountability, Mr Mensah Thompson, who waded off the line of equity and accountability and lied to the whole world that children of the President’s relatives used the Presidential jet to fly to the UK to do Christmas shopping. Very dishonest of him, even as he later came to apologise.
Now Manasseh Azure, who classifies himself as an honest and objective man, could hatch out a fake Will and bring it out just to tell Ghanaians that this current government is acquiring public property, when the government only did the constitutional thing by releasing lands that were not compensated for to the rightful and original owners. Assuming, Azure belongs to the Owoo family, what will be his position on this matter?
Come to think of it, the President is performing his duty constitutionally, as required by the Law and Manasseh Azure wants the whole of Ghana to rise up against the old man. So which law do we have to abide by? The 1992 Constitution or the Laws in the minds of people like Azure?
In my opinion, I will suggest that the President turns the Achimota forest into a botanical garden like Aburi Botanical Garden, with chalets, where people can lodge as they would in a hotel, with restaurants, drinking spots, recreational centers and all that are associated with merrymaking and fun.
I will also appeal that we should allow the soul of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie to rest in peace, as he is resting with the Elect in Heaven. We should honour the John who was knighted Sir, to enjoy eternal peace in Heaven.
We should not associate his name to controversy especially when we have no clear evidence and this goes to journalists who are quick to freely come out with lies and when they are been dragged to face the law, they will scream that free speech is been gagged in this country.
It is about time we insist on responsible journalism and may the soul of the John who was knighted Sir, continue to rest peacefully with the Elect in Heaven.
Hon Daniel Dugan
