Otomfuo's 100 years lessons for Greater Accra

A few days ago, His Royal Highness, the most Respectable and Adorable King of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, celebrated the 10 anniversary of his coronation as the Asantehene. Amongst the international guest at the occasion were former head of states of Spain, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. His exemplary stewardship and immense contribution in advancing education and health to the Asanteman and Ghana can not be ignored. Today Otumfuo is recognizable not only in Ghana, but internationally around the world. One would wonder if the Ga Paramount Stool have been observing or maybe celebrating this memorable occasion with Asanteman and what lessons they’ve learnt.

The 63 Paramount chiefs that make up the Asanteman and their subordinate chiefs chose and accepted the their new king during the burial of the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, while the Ga Paramount Stool, which comprises of the four Royal houses (Nii Teiko Tsuru We, Amugi We, Nii Tachie Komey We and Abola Piam) have not recognized the Ga Maantse, Dr Blankson-Lartey, years after the demise of Nii Amigi. While Otumfuo is traveling around the world raising funds for the socio-economic and educational development of Asnateman and beyond its boundaries, the Ga Paramount Stool is embroiled in a chieftaincy dispute with Ga Mantse.

For sometime now the Four Royal Houses have six legal suits against the enstoolment of the Ga Mantse with the judicial committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs. They’ve also cautioned the NDC government not to extend any courtesies to the Ga Mantse. They accused the Kuffour administration of bias and they already have reservations about the Mills administration. I have witnessed the Christian Council’s and Muslim Council’s delegation at the castle to congratulate and promised their support to President Mills, and then came the Mighty Otumfuo. Will the Ga Stool be sending factional groups representing one Ga or the Ga Mantse as the leader of a disintegrated kingdom?

I may not be a Ga or an Ashanti, but I have every right to bring to light those effects of such disputes affects not only the natives, but the entire residence of Accra and to some extent beyond the region. Rules and Regulations set up by the Ashanti Kingdom for the enstoolment of Asantehene needs to be Xerox and studied by the Ga Paramount Stool. The Asantemaa and its 63 paramountcies may have their own differences, but the unity of Asantemaa and the honor and respect bestowed on the Golden Stool supersede any minor differences. But chieftaincy disputes in greater Accra tend to be unresolved for decades and retards developments in the region.

Today awards, loans and grants are being doled out to Otumfuo by international organizations towards his health educational fund. A few days ago Nana Akuaku Sarpong, the Omanhene of Agogo Traditional Area, was honored by an international organization for his immense contribution to the positive development of his traditional area and the nation. Such international recognitions tend to be followed by investments in such regions that could create jobs for the youth in the area. Can we say the same about the Ga Paramount Stool? The Ga Mantse has to deal with internal squabbles with the Ga Paramount Stool, before he starts working his way up the international ladder. Until such chieftaincy disputes are resolved, the Ga Mantse can not gain recognition from a unified Ga community, the region and the country. Such disputes within the higher echelon of the Ga Paramount Stool have extended to most towns in the region. During last year’s homowo festival at Weija, a suburb of Accra, a 14yrs old boy was shot dead and a 13yrs old sustained serious injuries by one of the faction in the on-going chieftaincy dispute between Nii Okaidja III and Nii Ayi Bontey II. Can the Ga Traditional Council solve such minor dispute, when it has not been able to address the major one surrounding the Ga Mantse and the Four Royal houses?

The likes of 13yrs old Richmond Asharley, who was shot during the Weija homowo dispute, could have been in school amassing knowledge. But the youths are being used by these selfish chiefs as warriors they call ASAFO for their selfish gains. Classrooms and roads in such towns are in a deplorable state and the small funds that come to the stool from the sale of lands are being used to purchase arms for the Asafo, while Otumfuo is using money from his health and educational funds to improve infrastructures such as classrooms, roads and health centers.

Land disputes can not be controlled in such areas in Accra, because both factions are selling the same piece of land to numerous buyers. What about the future of these communities when such controversial and corrupt future leaders are gone. The Asafo resort to terrorizing developers in their communities with the arms bought for them, when there are no bones to pick with the opposing factions. This drives away developers and drives away the jobs they bring to the law abiding citizens of these communities.

Commissions after commissions have been set up by successive government to resolve such chieftaincy dispute, but to no avail, because losing factions tend to infuse political connotation in it. Successive government try as much as possible to shy away from this major dispute, so as not to be seen as being bias towards one faction, and also not to be used by the opposition as a political tool during an upcoming election. More-so custodians of the stool have not shown any eagerness or seriousness towards an amicable solution.

Ex-President Kuffuor was accused of being bias toward Ga stool when he entrusted the Ashanti lands and properties in the hands of the Golden Stool, but entrusted Ga lands to the Lnads Commission. The Ga Stool has no legitimate reason for their accusation, because they have no united leader in whose hands the government will entrust the properties into. Their energy should be geared towards a lasting solution to these decades long dispute than accusing the ex-president of being a Pro-Ashanti and an Anti-Ga.

Yet again, the Four Royal Houses have already accused President Mills of supporting the Ga Mantse, when all he did was accept a congratulatory message from him. If they don’t trust the two major parties in the country, who do they trust? Yes they want the Ga property from the government, but which faction in the dispute do they want the properties given to, or do they have any mathematical solution by which it can be distributed proportionately? It’s high time they do away with their super-egos, arrogance and impossible demands for a UNITED Ga Paramount Stool. For it is only through unity that we can move Greater Accra forward for a better tomorrow.

Muhammed Suraj Sulley Jawando (LRT)

New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York [email protected] / [email protected]