Akosua Frema Osei-Opare
THE OFFICE of the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, has denied claims that she supported Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, popularly known as Afia Schwarzenegger, with an amount of GH¢50,000 during her late father’s funeral.
Afia Schwarzenegger, after her late father’s funeral, came on social media to announce that the Chief of Staff supported her while preparing for the final rites for her late father, with a GH¢50,000 donation.
According to sources, the socialite might have staged the media show to taunt her critics, indicating the Chief of Staff never dished out such an amount.
The Office of the Chief of Staff said such claims from Schwarzenegger have caused bad image for the Chief of Staff.
In a video that went viral on social media over the weekend, the media personality cum comedian claimed that the Chief of Staff played a key role in the organisation of the final rites for her late father.
Afia Schwarzenegger stressed that the Chief of Staff gave her the said amount for the importation of her father’s coffin to Ghana.
The comedian was full of praises for the Chief of Staff for her ‘enormous support,’ saying that the family may not even have an extra cost to bear.
Going on her knees, Afia Schwarzenegger prayed for the Chief of Staff and thanked her for efforts in ensuring that her father’s funeral was peacefully held.
This revelation has drawn criticism from the public, with the recent one being some foot soldiers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) expressing anger at the gesture.
The NPP foot soldiers descended on the Chief of Staff, with the Alliance for Footsoldiers Advocacy (AFFA), a group claiming to be affiliated with the NPP, also criticising the Chief of Staff over the alleged donation.
According to the group, “in as much as AFFA is sympathetic to the plight of bereaved individuals, we find it extremely difficult to understand and accept the logic behind this particular gesture, considering the opportunistic character involved and the times we find ourselves.”
It continued, “We say this because Afia Schwarzenegger contributed nothing to the NPP’s success/victory in the 2016 general elections. Rather, and as a matter of fact, she used her platforms to make mockery of then opposition leader, candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo prior to the 2016 elections.
“It is therefore shocking why a few years down the line, with the NPP in power, the Chief of Staff as well as senior government officials will suddenly forget the pain she caused the party, and reward her beautifully to the annoyance of party members whose toil and sacrifices birthed the fruits of government.”
By Vincent Kubi