To Hell With Antoa� Odike Dares The River Deity

THE DREADED Ashanti River goddess, Antoa Nyamaa, is on a collision course with the beleaguered former Presidential Candidate of the United Front Party (UFP), Mr. Akwasi Addai alias Odike, after the latter failed to appear before the powerful shrine to revoke the curse invoked late last year on the Asokwahene and the KMA Chief Executive Officer. The under-fire Kumasi-based business tycoon has been given up to Friday (today), to purge himself of possible spiritual consequences, after playing hide and seek with worshipers of the deity. Mr. Akwasi Addai, CEO of Odike Ventures, is to appear before the shrine at Antoa to perform the necessary rituals, as part of the processes involved in the revocation of the curse, which he invoked on the Mayor of Kumasi, Mr. Kojo Bonsu, and the Asokwahene, Nana Fe-Baamoah II, following the demolition of a project which he (Odike) was undertaking at Asokwa. Mr. Odike, in November 2013, invoked the river deity, using eggs and schnapps to curse the Kumasi Mayor and the Chief of Asokwa, over the demolition of a building project, which was being constructed by his firm, Odike Ventures, for use as a private vehicle testing centre. The ex-UFP Presidential Candidate was consequently found guilty by the Asantehemaa�s Court during a hearing at the Manhyia Palace and was ordered to slaughter 12 rams, as it is against the Asante custom to invoke a curse, much less on a Chief. Besides paying the 12 rams, which sources at Manhyia hinted The Chronicle that it has been partially honoured, Mr. Odike was also expected to appear before the Antoa deity to perform the necessary ritual, including the carrying of the pot, known as �Yawa�, in a procession through the community, to officially signal the revocation of the curse. But a source at Manhyia, the seat of the Asante tradition, has told the paper that a delegation from Antoa has complained vehemently about Mr. Odike�s indifference posture, a situation which is considered as serious affront to the deity. Under such circumstance, the worshipers of the deity would be left with no option but to overturn the curse on him, an action which carries unimaginable spiritual repercussions. He has consequently been given up to Friday (today), to appear before the deity and perform the necessary rituals to avert possible arbitrary overturn. Meanwhile, Mr. Odike has called the bluff of Antoa Nyamaa and the palace, saying he is under no obligation to appear before the shrine or the palace to respond to queries. �My brother, I have not heard any ultimatum, besides no one can force me to go and perform any ritual; I have not committed any crime against the state, it�s a mere tradition and I can decide to do it or not, no one can arrest me,� an angry Mr. Odike told this reporter in a telephone interview. The former UFP leader further poured his anger on the media, accusing journalists of this country of engaging in trivialities at the expense of important developmental issues. �So you people have nothing good to report on huh?, this is shameful, so you have not seen the kind of hardships Ghanaians are going through on daily basis, why do you take delight in making mockery of people,� Odike lamented. When his attention was drawn to the fact that failing to appear before the shrine could carry spiritual consequences, Mr. Odike retorted �to hell with that spiritual consequences, am I the only person who has invoked a curse in this country, why don�t you allow me to rest and concentrate on issues that will benefit the people of this country,� he said.