Fishermen Demo At Elmina

Canoe owners and fishermen in Elmina on Wednesday embarked on a massive demonstration to register their displeasure with the intervention of the Omanhen of the area, Nana Kodwo Conduah, over their call for the removal of the chief fisherman of the area, Nana Joojo Solomon. They are therefore urging the chief to step aside for them to handle their own issue. The fisher folk, who wore red cloths to symbolize their seriousness, demonstrated through the principal streets of Elmina carrying placards that said, �Nana Omanhen stay out of premix issue, we respect you dearly�, �Joojo your Kingdom is over and count yourself out as Elmina Chief fisherman�, and �Bantama needs a chief fisherman�, among others. According to the fisher folk, they were capable of solving their own issues, as they install and destool chief fishermen by themselves, intimating that there was no need for Nana Conduah to intervene in the matter. Briefing the press, a spokesperson for the canoe owners, Kwabena Badu, emphasized the need for the Omanhen of the area to distance himself from the matter, saying the issue of fishermen should not be jumbled with traditional rules and laws. According to him, Joojo Solomon has not been truthful with them with regard to the issue of premix, indicating that it was time an accountable, truthful, and a person who understood the issue of fishermen well was installed to see to their affairs. He called for Joojo Solomon to peacefully step aside as chief fisherman, for them to install their preferred choice in order for peace to prevail. A canoe owner, Robert E. Mensah, claimed that Joojo Solomon was not a gazetted chief fisherman as the Omanhen of the area had stated, saying the area has never had a gazetted chief fisherman. �I have lived in Elmina all my life and we have never had a gazetted chief fisherman. We do not know what it even means. It is therefore surprising for the Omanhen to say Joojo is a gazetted chief and if we wish to destool him we should do so at the law court. This is absurd�, he stated. �All we want is peace so if the Omanhen wants to let sleeping dogs lie, he should advise himself and advise Joojo to step aside peacefully for fishing activities to go on as it used to�, the furious fishermen charged. Meanwhile the fishermen have threatened to boycott a summon by the Omanhen of the area to his palace to find an amicable solution to the issue, saying the best thing for the chief to do is to summon Joojo and convince him to hand over as chief fisherman of the area. Joojo Solomon, who is also the president of the Central Regional Canoe Owners Association, was out of town as the fisher folk took to the streets to demonstrate against him. DAILY GUIDE reported last week that canoe owners and fishermen in Elmina have called for the removal of their chief fisherman, Joojo Solomon, for allegedly misappropriating funds and failing to render accounts since he was installed as chief fisherman of the area. The situation, which has created a lot of tension in the area, compelled the Omanhen of the area to intervene, but the fisher folk have called on the Omanhen of step aside.