In a short ceremonial Green Ghana Tree Planting exercise, the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has pledged to ensure the restoration of the Atewa forest reserve and the degraded environment in the area by planting more trees.
He said, the Atewa forest has been affected by the activities of illegal miners over the years and the trend must be reversed urgently to protect livelihoods and biodiversity.
“There is an urgent need to reverse the trend and return our forest resources, and destroyed environment as much as possible, back to its original state and we have to act now,” he emphasized.
Though, the Green Ghana Tree Planting exercise in Abuakwa South Municipality in the Eastern Region was marred by confusion over the tardy arrival of Okyehene, and the conspicuous missing of the Member of Parliament for the area and Municipal Chief Executive at the event organized by Forestry Commission.
Afloat by participants backed with a scintillating song from Kyebi to the event ground at Asikam was halted midway so that the entourage returns to Kyebi lead Okyenhene to the ground in a traditional grand style.
However after an hour of waiting, the Overlord of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional area, Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin didn’t show up. The participants abandoned the float and joined vehicles to the venue.
The Program was delayed many hours waiting for the arrival of Okyehene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the MP, and the MCE but to no avail.
The MP Samuel Atta Akyea and MCE Kojo Ofori Sarfo and their entourage drove with speed past the mini durbar for the exercise at the roadside without a brief stop to address the gathering.
The MP and the MCE rather went to Akyem Asiakwa where they planted trees with some students and moved to Akyem Apedwa for the same.
Guests participants from Accra and within the Municipality became stranded, planted their trees, and left the event.
The program somewhat became a fiasco even though the overall purpose of planting minimum quantities of trees was achieved, the conspicuous missing of Okyehene, the MP, and MCE disorganized the program.
However, Okyenhene who was to grace the event reportedly arrived at the program after almost everybody had left
The District Forestry Commission could not explain why these key guests failed to attend that event even though officially invited.
Some of the guests who were at the program were the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Company, GIADEC, and his deputy -Michael Ansah and Mr. Akwasi Osei respectively, Abuakwa South Municipal Health Director Augustina Nartey, District Police Commander, Superintendent Magnus Reinford Sam, officials from Ghana Immigration Service, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) among others.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com
