FAAJ demands dismissal of SSNIT Boss Osafo-Maafo over hotels saga
The Forum for Accountability and Justice (FAAJ) has demanded the immediate dismissal of the Director General of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Kofi Bosompem Osafo Maafo, over the contentious sale of SSNIT hotels to RockCity Hotels owned by Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.
Despite claims of anomalies and unlawful procedures, FAAJ voiced dissatisfaction and concern in a statement made on Thursday, May 30, about Osafo Maafo’s silence on requests to halt the sale process.
The organization said that since being appointed as the Deputy Director-General in charge of Investment & Development, Osafo Maafo has been obsessed with selling the hotels to his party allies.
Osafo Maafo was charged by FAAJ for allegedly disregarding Ghanaian laborers’ demands and ignoring inquiries from the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). The group feels that all well-meaning Ghanaians should oppose Osafo Maafo’s acts since they are a part of a larger plan to take the state.
The Forum has demanded of the appointing authorities that Osafo Maafo resign from his position as SSNIT Director General immediately and that the hotels not be sold, as they feel this goes against the interests of the Ghanaian people.
If requests are not met, the organization has threatened to stage a number of protests to demand justice and responsibility.
“While we count on the President not to embolden the perceived “Clearing Agent” tag by refusing to act on our call and that being echoed by many well-meaning Ghanaians in the interest of accountability and justice, we serve notice of our intention to contribute and collaborate with all individuals and groups to engage in series of serious demonstration to demand Accountability and Justice in the name and interest of our motherland- Ghana.”
Below is the full statement
I. The Forum for Accountability and Justice (FAAJ); a public accountability and social justice interest group has noted with an alarming concern the total disregard and disrespectful conduct of the Director General of SSNIT; Mr. Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo who is also the son of the former Senior Minister and current Senior Advisor to the President of Ghana regarding the on-going questionable and disputed sale of some SSNIT hotels to Mr. Bryan Acheampong; the Minister of Food and Agriculture and the NPP MP for Abetifi.
2. The Forum notes that the Director General of SSNIT and SSNIT have since been aware of the petition against the sale of the said hotels to CHRAJ filed by the Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP) as acknowledged by SSNIT in its own statement of response to Hon Okudzeto on I9th May, 2024 which stated in paragraph 13 that: “Given the impending investigation by CHRAJ. Managemt of SSNIT will not comment further, SSW will cooperate fully with CHRAJ through out its investigation process”.
3. We also note that on the 20th of May, 2024, Ghana’s organized labour who are the major contributors to SSNIT led by Dr. Yaw Baah, Secretary-General of TUC and the Head of CLOGSAG. Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo organized an urgent press conference to condemn the said atrocious efforts by SSNIT to sell the hotels to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, lion. Bryan Acheampong and called for the immediate cessation of the sale or risk the “mother of all strike’.
4. Several other nation interests minded persons including civil society groups and anticorruption crusaders have equally called for the abolishing of this deadly deal and for it to be immediately aborted.
5. The Forum for Accountability and Justices however learned with extreme disappointment that Mr. Osafo-Maafo has defied the pendency of the case before CHRAJ and the many calls to halt the process of the sale, and has rather continued to fast track the completion of the tainted process for the inordinate sale of state property to a government official.
6. FAAJ has gathered that ever since Mr. Osafo-Maafo was sent to occupy the position of Deputy Director-General in charge of Investment & Development up till his questionable promotion to the SSNIT top position after his former Boss was unexpectedly removed by President Akuffo Addo, he has been preoccupied, concentrated and leading the process of selling off the SSNIT hotels at all cost to his party cronies despite the alleged irregularities and unconstitutional processes involved in same and which has become a subject of enquiry before a competent state investigating body.
7. The disrespectful disregard for the demands of the workers of Ghana who the state is holding SSNIT in their trust and the snubbing of CHRAJ’s investigations by Mr. OsafoMaafo smacks of a predetermined “Agyapadee” like- fashion to capture the state of SSNIT as part of a grand scheme of state-capture at all cost and MUST be resisted by the BOLD BLOOD and TOIL of all well-meaning Ghanaians.
8. The Forum therefore calls on the appointing authorities to dismiss Mr. Kofi Bosompem Osafa-Maafo as the SSNIT Director General with immediate effect and to stop the continuous efforts by SSNIT to sell the hotels against the interest of the people of Ghana.
9. Whiles we count on the President not to embolden the perceived “Clearing Agent” tag by refusing to act on our call and that being echoed by many well-meaning Ghanaians in the interest of accountability and justice, we serve notice of our intention to contribute and collaborate with all individuals and groups to engaged in series of serious demonstration to demand for Accountability and Justice in the name and interest of our mother land- Ghana.