Lawyer Tsatsu Tsikata celebrated at home

The former chief executive officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Tsatsu Tsikata says  if not for divine grace, he would not be around by now to tell any story. He  was recalling his period of incarceration at the Nsawam Prisons during the tenure of former President Kufuor.

According to the distinguished lawyer, he was rushed from 37 Hospital to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where he spent five days at the Intensive Care Unit, because the Nsawam  Prisons Hospital and 37 Military Hospital could not respond to his critical health condition at the time.

Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata was speaking at a durbar organised in his honour by the Chiefs and people of Srogboe in the Keta municipality of the Volta Region. It was a way of recognizing the important role the legal luminary has played in the country as well as his town. The well-patronised programme brought together a cross-section of the people of the town and other neighbouring ones to among other things celebrate his freedom. People from other adjoining towns including Whuti, Atorkor, Xenui, Fiaxor and Alakple all joined in the celebration amid cultural display.

Dressed in all-white attire and flanked by his wife, Mr. Tsikata recounted the trauma coupled with the legal battle he went through in the courtroom and during his incarceration at the Nsawam Prison.

In his address, the Dufia of Srogboe,Torgbi Tsikata Agbodzie II, described the incarceration of "…one of the great sons of this great family…” as unfortunate since he was wrongfully accused. He commended the effort of the FREE TSATSU MOVEMENT that put pressure on the then government to reverse the decision.

Torgbi Agbodzie II used the occasion to advise school children to study hard, to become like the man, Tsatsu Tsikata. He said "our forefathers established stools of war bravery but today, we shall establish brain war stool in the family ".

On her part, Mama of Srogboe, Mama Biana Dadzie, said the former GNPC CEO, is God- sent, strong, yet humble. To her, Mr. Tsikata helped the nation to gain and cited a very recent case of NIB which he won for the state, as one of his biggest financial achievements for the Nation.

Mr. Tsikata was imprisoned on 18 June 2008 and was granted Presidential pardon just when former President Kufuor was exiting office. He rejected the pardon and went to court to clear his name. The court has since acquitted him of the charge and granted that his incarceration was wrong.

Story: Francis Edzorna Mensah
GBCONLINE