What started as a group of residents of Soe and benevolent individuals coming together and making financial contributions to address a need in the community has resulted in a dispute among some of the donors, with one of them threatening to reclaim his portion of the donation if the monies contributed are not fully accounted for.
“I have told them if the name is not replaced on the furniture, I am going to look at the cost of each furniture, I would go to the school and pick what belongs to me as far as my contribution is concern”.
In October this year, David Atugiya led a donation of furniture to the Saint Joseph Primary and Kindergarten School at Soe in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
The donation, David Atugiya said, was his way of giving back to the community that moulded him to become responsible in society.
According to him, he was disturbed when he was informed that pupils in the school had to lay on their bellies to learn due to inadequate furniture and therefore, together with his friends, raised funds and procured the furniture for the school.
The 40 dual desks and 4 hexagonal tables that were donated to the Primary and Kindergarten respectively were embossed with the inscription “DONATED BY DA’ ATUGIYA & FRIENDS”.
But the kind gesture has generated disagreement among the donors with David Atugiya being accused of solely taking credit for the donation when it was collective effort.
DCOP Moses Asabagna Atibilla (Rtd.), one of the disgruntled donors, said although Mr. Atugiya mooted the idea, many individuals came together to make it possible.
He said , through a WhatsApp group under the name St. Joseph Support Team created by one Vikandi, they contributed and solicited support from others including non-residents.
But David Atugiya, who offered his Mobile Money account to receive the contributions, unilaterally bought the furniture and subsequently, made the donation in his and his friends’ name. without the group’s knowledge.
DCOP Atibilla stated that when he raised concerns with Mr. Atugiya’s actions and demanded that he account for the funds raised, he (Atugiya) brushed his concerns off, describing them as rants.
Accusing David Atugiya of seeking to use the group’s benevolent act to attain “cheap popularity”, the retired police officer threatened to reclaim his portion of the donation if he does not fully account for the funds and replace “DA’ ATUGIYA & FRIENDS” embossed on the furniture with the group’s name.
“We contributed money for a project then you want to take advantage of it and sell yourself out, are you an opportunist? Now, the people in Soe and the whole world, he has told them that he did it and that he is giving back to society. Even some people in Europe, USA who contributed, when they saw the inscription, they felt bad,” he stated.
“The most unfortunate thing is that he wants cheap popularity. You can’t take people’s contributions and make it an opportunity for you to sell yourself out. You can’t do that,” he fumed.
