[ 2014-04-15 ]

Okyenhene jabs Mahama
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin I, the Okyenhene, has
replied President John Mahama regarding the
latter’s recent utterance during a two-day duty
tour of the Eastern Region that “Kyebi is the
headquarters of ‘galamsey’ in Ghana,”
charging the president to rather tag the region as
the headquarters of bad roads.

The Okyenhene noted that the poor nature of roads
in the region had contributed to the collapse of
some businesses, and inflicted hardship on
travellers in the region.

The Okyenhene challenged Mahama when addressing
his sub-chiefs during the Akyem Abuakwa
Traditional Council’s first meeting of the year
at the Ofori Panin Fie, Kyebi, last Friday.

He charged the government to fix the roads, adding
that if such roads were rehabilitated, the
unemployed youth could engage in other businesses
that involve travelling rather than engaging in
the ‘galamsey’ (illegal mining) activities.

Interestingly, it was the NDC administration that
launched the ‘Youth in Small Scale Mining’
programme in the Eastern Region, which apparently
opened the floodgate for ‘galamsey.’

The Okyenhene recalled that during the Regional
House of Chiefs’ encounter with the President,
the traditional rulers told him about the nature
of the roads and appealed to him to repair them
but that had not happened.

According to the Okyenhene, about 243 schools in
the Eastern Region have poor infrastructure and
the academic performance of the students had been
very poor. He called on all stakeholders to come
to their aid so that the students could improve
their performance.

Touching on the issue of land in the Akyem Abuakwa
Traditional Area, the Okyeman monarch cautioned
chiefs to desist from land disputes and stated
that the Okyeman Lands Commission would be
reconstituted to deal with land matters.

He bemoaned the encroachment on the lands in the
area by some foreigners, and stressed that all
unregistered ones would be seized from the owners
if necessary.

He advised the kingmakers in communities who had
lost their chiefs, notably Asiakwa, Apapam,
Anyinasin, Asamankese, Nsutam and Osino to put the
necessary structures in place to enstool new ones,
assuring the gathering that he would accept and
bless those who would be installed as chiefs.

On the issue of chieftaincy disputes, the
Okyenhene disclosed that he would soon outdoor a
committee made up of some of his sub-chiefs whose
duty would be to resolve such disputes.

While urging the sub-chiefs in the Traditional
Area to always observe the annual pouring of
libation to invoke the ancestral spirits to
protect the people, the Okyenhene urged them to
ensure environmental sanitation in their areas of
jurisdiction.

He urged Nananom to promote education in their
communities and announced that a grand durbar
would climax his 15 years on the Ofori Panin
stool.

Daasebre Awuah Kotoko II, Benkumhene of Akyem
Abuakwa Traditional Council and Begorohene, who
spoke on behalf of the sub-chiefs, expressed
gratitude to the Okyenhene and said they were
happy about the various initiatives instituted by
him.

Source - Daily Guide

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