A viral video of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo telling the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, to put the chief of Mempeasem in Accra, Nii Torgbor Obodai Ampaw, and his elders to order during last Friday’s national tree planting exercise dubbed Green Ghana Day has sparked conversations.
During the national anthem, the president spotted the chief of Mempeasem in Accra, Nii Torgbor Obodai Ampaw, and his elders seated.
The president directed the Greater Accra Regional Minister to quickly call them to order.
The event was at the University of Ghana campus, where dignitaries gathered to grace the Green Ghana Day initiative on Friday, June 9, 2023
Below is a short video from the event:
Graphic Online’s presidential correspondent, Donald Ato Dapatem reports that the unusual act of not standing up during the national anthem caught the attention of most of the people at the grounds, including President Akufo-Addo, who was the special guest.
The motive behind the refusal is a mystery.
Immediately President Akufo-Addo, entered the grounds, as has become routine with his attendance at durbars around the country, he went round to exchange pleasantries with the people, including some school children holding placards about the need to plant and nurture trees and the chiefs before taking his seat.
MC
After that President Akufo-Addo climbed the dais, which was directly opposite where Nii Ampaw and his elders were seated.
The MC, Kafui Dey, announced that all should stand up for the Ghana Armed Forces Central Band that was seated right beside Nii Ampaw and his elders, to play the national anthem.
Graphic Online’s Donald Ato Dapatem observed that throughout the duration of the anthem, Nii Ampaw and his elders did not get up.
Everybody at the grounds, including the primary school pupils, who were shouting in excitement because they had seen the President, kept mute and stood up.
Shortly after the anthem had ended, the President directed the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, to inquire from the chiefs why they refused to get up.
The huge framed Regional Minister, jumped from the dais, briskly dashed to where the chief and his elders were seated and had a word with them.
After this incident, the chiefs were getting up at the least announcement.
Graphic Online observed that the chief and his elders stood up when the second national anthem was played to mark the end of the programme.
GREEN GHANA: Was President Akufo-Addo's reaction related to chiefs refusal to stand for national anthem [VIDEO & PHOTOS] https://t.co/C5Z9dgTUHR pic.twitter.com/GqLvyrAOwD
— GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) June 11, 2023
Tree
President Akufo-Addo planted the seedling of Velvet Tamarind known locally as ‘Yooyi” by the Gas and ‘Asaamba” by Fantes, at the event which was on the theme “Mobilizing for a Greener Future”, and targeted at planting 10 million trees nationwide.
After planting the seedling, President Akufo-Addo went back to the grounds and exchanged pleasantries with the gathering again, including Nii Ampaw and his elders.
Below are some photos from the event:
Ghanaians on Friday took another giant step towards restoring the country’s degraded landscape by planting 10 million trees in an exercise labelled Green Ghana Day.
The tree planting exercise which was carried out across the country received patronage from high profile personalities, the diplomatic community, organisations, companies, religious bodies, state and non-state institutions.
The third in three years, yesterday’s event brings to 43 million the number of trees that have been planted since the initiative was first held on June 11, 2021, with a post-planting monitoring survey putting the average tree survival rate at 71 per cent or 23 million trees planted during the previous two editions.
In the first edition, seven million trees were planted, while 26 million trees
were planted last year.
Leadership
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led the country in the tree-planting exercise at the University of Ghana in the Greater Accra Region, where he was joined by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, and other personalities who were hosted by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo.
The President planted a tree to symbolically start the exercise just after 11 a.m.
He planted Velvet Tamarind, known locally as ‘yooyi” by the Gas, atsitoe by the Eʋes and ‘Asamba’ by Fantes, at the event which was on the theme “Mobilising for a Greener Future”.
The legislative arm of government also actively participated in the national exercise, with the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, leading legislators and staff of the Parliamentary Service to plant trees on the premises of the House.
At the Nationalism Park in Accra, the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Development led his charge in planting trees, while his counterpart from the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Ministry organised a similar event at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa.
Other state agencies and institutions, including the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, and the Diplomatic community all joined at separate events to plant trees to mark the day.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, joined the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio, and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, in Kumasi, while the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng III, also joined the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, to plant trees in Koforidua.
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