CONFUSION HAS greeted preparations by some supporters of the Andani Royal family towards the commemoration of the 8th anniversary of the death of the late Naa Yakubu Andani II, overlord of Dagbon, and 40 of his subjects.
Uncertainties seem to be hanging over the planned memorial lecture that is scheduled to come off on the 27th March 2010 as part of activities to mark the anniversary celebrations.
DAILY GUIDE�s investigations revealed that an earlier announcement indicated that a group calling itself the Yaa-Naa Memorial Lecture Secretariat, spearheaded by Mahama Sayibu, a journalist and nephew to the late overlord of Dagbon, is expected to organize the lecture.
The lecture announcement, which was carried on billboards, is under the theme, �Seeking the Killers of Yaa-Naa, the Responsibility of the State�, with one Dr. Adam Abdul Nazar, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, as the guest speaker.
This lecture, our investigations revealed, is to be held at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall on the said date to be preceded by a procession through the principal streets of Tamale.
According to deep-throat sources, the event also has on its agenda, a solidarity message from the widows and children of the late chief and the youth, after which an open forum will be created.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that black and red-coloured attires have been prescribed as the dress code for the event to signify the groups� unhappiness over the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government�s delay on the matter, contrary to what the party promised during its campaigns.
But barely a fortnight to the event, a counter group is also making announcements to hold a similar event at the Tamale Sports Stadium Conference Hall on the same day and at the same time.
A copy of the announcement intercepted by DAILY GUIDE, and signed by one Anas Abdulai, chairman of the counter group calling itself the Naa Yakubu II Foundation, claims it is also organizing the event in collaboration with the chiefs and people of Dagbon.
The theme for that lecture is �Seeking Peace and Justice after the Murder of the Yaa-Naa�, with Peter Nanfuri, a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) and a Member of the Council of State, as the guest speaker.
According to the announcement, Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of the Insight, will deliver the maiden lecture under the topic: �Bringing the Murder Criminals and Accomplices to Justice- Antidote for Peace Security and Development in Dagbon�.
The group has the regent, Kampakuya Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani, as the guest of honour, but the youth of the region are already raising red flags over the involvement of Kwesi Pratt in the lecture.
Pieces of information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicate that the youth are threatening to disrupt the programme in view of the claim that Mr. Pratt may heighten tension in the region and run back to Accra, further threatening the fragile peace in the region.
Mahama Sayibu, when contacted, expressed surprise at the emergence of the second group to hold a lecture on the same event he had long advertised, saying he was of the conviction that some Andanis who are more loyal to the party than the family were behind this.
According to him, their motive was to create divided attention among the prospective participants to form the impression that people of the region had lost interest in the matter.
He reiterated that he and his group were going to stop at nothing in ensuring that their event comes off on the stipulated date, adding, all plans were far advanced for the memorial lecture to take off.
Mr. Sayibu expressed his disappointment about government�s feet-dragging in unraveling the killers of the late king as it promised during the 2008 campaign, saying the event was aimed at holding government accountable to its promises.
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