A newly-constructed road at Ntobroso in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region was used by some farmers to dry cocoa beans.
In a viral video on social media, one side of the tarred road was covered with cocoa beans.
“Since when did we start drying cocoa beans in the middle of the road?” the Ashanti Regional Minister questioned.
He was inspecting ongoing feeder road projects in the area with some government officials.
Upon chancing on the development, Simon Osei-Mensah was irked and ordered the removal of the cocoa beans immediately.
When a cocoa farmer decided to dry cocoa beans on an asphalted road in a town, blocking one lane of the road and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah chanced on it and was irritated by the action of the owner of the cocoa beans. pic.twitter.com/qlIgdxrwVO
— Isaac J.K Bediako (@ike_official1) November 10, 2022
One of the residents on the scene retorted that they would not remove the beans because the road is not being used for illegal mining to warrant such a directive from the Minister.
Interestingly enough, he continued to state emphatically that when the Minister and his entourage goes, they will still dry the cocoa beans again, even if they remove them.
“Is this act not worse than galamsey? We will arrest you if you don’t take care,” Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah is heard saying in the video.
But the gentleman swiftly replied to the Minister and said that even if he is arrested, he would be freed, eventually.
Ashanti Regional Minister! 🏃🏃 pic.twitter.com/IUQe8AgYCm
— OWUSU KWADWO (@owusukwadwo360) November 9, 2022
It was an interesting exchange as the Regional Minister ordered the security to arrest him for his unfortunate utterances.
Some residents and the Assemblyman began pleading on his behalf.
They suspected the man in question was drunk.
The man believed to be in his early 40s snubbed the Ashanti Regional Minister and refused to apologize.
“This man standing there, what shows he is drunk? He is just being foolish. What is the sense in this? Arrest him and let’s see if he could come back as he’s saying,” Simon Osei-Mensah directed.
