<<Print>>

Divisional Queenmother of Akwamu Nifa in Senchi in the Eastern region, Nana Effa Poakwaa II, has threatened to deal with the Asuogyaman District Chief Executive (DCE,) Mr. Thomas Ampem Nyarko, for calling her a �child.� Consequently, the Akwamu Nifa Divisional queen mother and her subjects who are miffed at the comments by the DCE have started beating war drums amidst chanting of war songs as they have resolved to put their lives on the line to protect the cultural heritage of the community. They described the DCE�s words as gross contempt of the principles of chieftaincy institution in the country, adding �it subjects the queen mother to public ridicule.� According to the angry residents, Mr. Nyarko is on record to have described the queen mother as �a child who cannot think on her own but virtually has reduced herself to become a propaganda tool used by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).� To this end, the residents issued a stern warning to the DCE not to pass through or come to Senchi Ferry if he cherishes his dear life else they will burn him alive for belittling their queen mother in public. Addressing a press conference at her palace in Senchi at the weekend, Nana Effa Poakwaa raised serious concerns over the administrative style and lack of respect for traditional authorities by the young DCE. She noted that prior to the appointment of Mr. Ampem Nyarko as the DCE for the area, the people of Senchi worked collaboratively with previous DCEs in a friendly atmosphere. What seems to have generated the perceived antagonism between the people of Senchi and the DCE, Nana Poakwaa II explained, was due to 10 hectares of stool land which after consultation with her elders she decided to lease to a private developer. Those hectares of land, the queen mother noted, was virtually covered by the Volta Lake and subsequently filled with huge stones and sand by the developer to have a level ground for an intended project at an unjustified amount of Ghana cedis. Nana Poakwaa II continued that she was therefore taken aback after the developer had paid GH�2,500 as jacket and development fees to commence work, the Assembly through the DCE had to write to the developer to stop, challenging the ownership of the land. A copy of the letter dated March 17, 2014 and signed by the District Coordinating Director (DCD,) Mr. Maxwell K. Gyimah, on behalf of the DCE which Today chanced upon, was under the headline: �Halting of Development Project at the Senchi-Ferry Site.� According to the letter, there has been security threat over the land following several complaints about the rightful ownership of the property. �In view of this, I am directed to kindly request you to put a stop to the development project till the matter is solved amicably,� the letter explained. The queen mother hinted that she later followed up to the Assembly to find out from the DCE who the right owner was. But to her surprise, she said, the DCE sacked her from his office without any reason. She said the DCE subsequently went on Adom and Rite FMs to rain insults on her calling her all sorts of names. Despite acknowledging the fact that Nana Effa Poakwaa II is the queen mother for Akwamu Nifa Division, the DCE refused to withdraw his unguarded statement he made about her likening her to a child. �If the DCE has thrown simple courtesy to the dogs and could go to the extent of describing a constitutional right as a demonstration of childish behaviour I would deal with him,� the visibly angry queen mother fumed. She asserted that she will resist any force by any group of person(s) to stop the developers from developing the area to set up a restaurant and a washing bay. According to her when the projects are completed they will employ over 200 of unemployed youth in the community. Supporting her claims of ownership of the land in question with documents, Nana Poakwaa II said the indigenous Senchi-Ferry people migrated from Adenya near Mamfe on the Koforidua �Accra trunk road of the Eastern region. She said the migration was led by the then Omanhene, Ofei Kwasi. The migrants arrived at Adome in the 1703 before the arrival of the Akwamus from Nyanawase in 1733, she recounted. When contacted on phone, the Asuogyaman DCE confirmed that he indeed said the queen mother was behaving childishly and was being used as a propaganda tool by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Kofi Osei Ameyaw. �I said that and I will say it again when I get the opportunity because she is allowing herself to be used by the MP, Mr. Kofi Osei Ameyaw,� he emphasised. An allegation the MP has denied claiming the queenmother is �old enough to act on her own,� adding the said land belongs to the traditional authorities and not government as the DCE is claiming. He continued that he had to recover the land at his own expense and hence was shocked at the sayings of the DCE. The DCE however confirmed that the land for the proposed washing bay and restaurant projects indeed were stool lands. However, he said there is family ligation over it He denied that he sacked the queen mother when she came to his office, adding, �it is never true, is a fallacy that she came to my office and sacked her, she was rather invited by the police and refused to honor the invitation.�