On November 6, 2024, the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), in collaboration with the Ghana Trade Union Congress, took decisive action against Dr. Benedict Bonaventure Aligebam, the embattled managing director of the Irrigation Company of Upper Regions (ICOUR). They locked his office and the company’s accounts office after he failed to comply with directives from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the board chairman of ICOUR, and Chief of Staff Hon. Akosua Frema Osei Opare, all of whom instructed him to hand over his position.
Despite being urged by the Upper East Regional Minister, Dr. Alhaji Hafiz Bin Sally, to relinquish his post by October 31, Dr. Aligebam requested an extension until November 4, 2024, but subsequently went into hiding and did not hand over.
At a media briefing on Thursday, Mr. Paa Kwesi, the industrial relations officer of the Ghana Trade Union Congress, called on the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate Dr. Aligebam’s financial transactions from March 8, 2024, to October 31, 2024. He emphasized the need for an immediate halt to all company account transactions, warning that any officer who aided Dr. Aligebam in withdrawing funds should face consequences.
“By this petition, we invoke the authority of EOCO and OSP to investigate all expenditures and financial transactions executed by Dr. Aligebam during the specified period,” Mr. Kwesi stated. “All signatories to the company accounts must refrain from signing checks or approving transactions with Dr. Aligebam, as any officer aiding him in illegality will be held accountable.”
Mrs. Doris Adda, the second vice-chairperson of GAWU, alleged that Dr. Aligebam’s refusal to step down after his retirement was influenced by internal funds and support from certain staff members. She claimed these individuals were facilitating unauthorized expenditures that undermined the company’s core values.
Mrs. Adda further noted that funds earmarked for the rehabilitation of ICOUR were unaccounted for, attributing the misappropriation to a lack of oversight from the company’s internal auditor. She also alleged that Dr. Aligebam’s fuel expenditures exceeded those of the President of Ghana during official trips to the Upper East Region, highlighting concerns about his unchecked access to company funds.
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya