In the early days of his reign, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II initiated very sound policies. The policies implemented were geared towards not only laying but strengthening, ensuring, and enriching the production base for quality Human resources for Ghana in general, and the Ashanti region in particular. Such tentative caring policies, among which was the Otumfuo Education Fund, catapulted him into eminence, and added grace to his royalty. Was he then not conspicuously revered among his equals, and uniquely accepted as the most dynamic and dedicated Chief/King of the day? His vision was to make Ghana less reliant on foreign countries for all her human requirements as shamefully the case until today. He had wanted Ghana to stand on her feet, and be counted as being almost self-sufficient in the provision of her own daily human needs. The apex of his dream for the Ashantis and Ghanaians in general, was to bring about fairness, respectability in people, respect for people, dedication to work, self sufficiency in our basic human wants, and the acceptance of chieftaincy as having a cardinal role to play in the emancipation of Africa . Was this not the basis for likening him to, and calling him, "King Solomon?" Yes, it was all for his wisdom and vision that earned him such a propitious name. He was then seen as an auspicious chief.

One then wonders if the Asantehene has not wandered off the spirit and letter of his vision, losing the King Solomon touch. Now for unexplained hidden agenda, he has backslidden to the point where calling him King Solomon is an insult to the integrity of the biblical Wiseman. As long as he is libidinally infatuated with the queen of Kumawu, irredeemably robbed of his sense of impartiality, the little respect left for him is corrosively waning. He can cry wolf, he is not at all what he projected himself to be. Can he then be said to be full of venomous deceit? Your guess is as good as mine.

The waywardness as depicted in how the Asantehene is conducting himself in search of settlement to the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute is scandalous. A day old baby will be intelligent enough to tell where his lopsided allegiance is tilted. God willing, all their consensual collusion to rob Kumawuman people of their inalienable right to get their preferred royal installed as the next paramount chief will be in vain. Though the queen as cheap as she is as usual, has promised some sex, and others money and parcels of the Kumawu Afram plains lands should they help her enthrone a candidate of her choice. Is it not what is holding sway on the Asantehene and his corruptible cohorts? Whatever their evil intention is, they will fail, and eventually be caught in the track with their pants hanging loose over their knees.

I am highly embittered to see the supposed "King Solomon" exhibiting acts that are not only stupid, but are to underestimate the intelligence of the Kumawuman citizens. It is invariably clear how the late Barima Asumadu Sakyi II and the current egotistical queen of Kumawu have ruined Kumawuman for the past 34 years. Kumawu lacks in everything that can be termed as essential development to the disgrace of her inhabitants. Why should the Asantehene in his cunning wisdom, purport to back the queen to enthrone the candidate of her choice? Is she not the very one drumming in coarse language that angers any sensible being that Kumawuman requires nothing in spite of the reality on the ground? Did she not aid her late brother to raid the coffers of Kumawuman always in an attempt to satisfy their insatiable greed? For all their 34 years reign, they only wreaked havoc on Kumawuman.
The crux of my writing today is to attack the most senseless way the Asantehene is carrying himself about. The Asantehene's Great Oath was invoked at the Asanteman sitting in April 2008 at the deliberation of the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute. The invocation of the oath was directed at preventing the sitting Kumawu queen from nominating and or installing a person of her choice as the next paramount chief of Kumawuman. The fact of the matter being, her family was dubiously co-opted into the actual royal family by the then Nana Osei Yaw Akoto, the Asantehene. She had accused the most famous Kumawu chief, Barima Tweneboah Kodua, and his Ananangya descendants of being slaves who are not eligible to ascend the Kumawu paramount chief's seat. She, being the proverbial pot indeed, was calling the kettle you are too dark. Is she with her family not the descendants of "Ayo", the northerner-slave girl purchased from Ejisu and taken to Kumawu palace to serve as a slave maid? The notorious queen was unable to counter-invoke the oath to dispel the claim made by the Head of the Ananangya royal family. She begged to be allowed time to consult with her family and elders before responding either positively or otherwise, to the oath so invoked on her.
The Asantehene out of lack of respect for the Kumawuman citizens in general and the Ananangya royal family in particular, never set a date for the queen to report back to the panel. It took him almost three months to reconvene the Asanteman chieftaincy disputation panel on the issue. What would a chief of King Solomon's calibre do for the start? One would have required of the supposed King Solomon to ask the queen about her final decision as to whether or not, she was going to challenge the oath as is required by tradition. But this fallacious King Solomon, having pre-arranged with a con-lady in the person of one Ms. Akua Wurukye and his darling girlfriend, the callous queen, gave the platform first to Ms. Wurukye. She is from the Kumawu Adomako Pim's family of Etia, the occupants of the Kumawu Etia's sub-chief's seat. She challenged the legitimacy of the Ananangya royal family by invoking the Asantehene's great oath on them. She claimed to be the originator of the Kumawu paramountcy and that she by authority appointed the sitting queen, Nana Serwaah Amponsah II, to the throne. The Head of the Ananangya royal family counteracted the assertion made by Wurukye there and then with a counter Great oath invocation. If the Kumawuhemaa knew her history why could she not do as done by the Ananangya "abusuapani" in April when she was officially challenged at the Asanteman sitting?
Your so-called King Solomon immediately saw wisdom in Wurukye's claim. Both challengers were obliged to slaughter a sheep each and asked to come back on Wednesday, 2 July, 2008 to tell their history of claim to the seat. The meeting was brought to an end.
A few questions to prod the mind of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in case he will wake up from his slumber to act as an intelligent chief he think to be. Who was the Asanteman meeting of the Wednesday, 25 June 2008 principally slated for? Why was the view of the Kumawuhemaa not sought on the oath so invoked on her? Why was she not asked if she agreed with Ms. Wurukye's claim of her Wurukye, putting her on the throne? Why has the Asantehene accorded precedence to hearing the case between Ms. Wurukye and the Ananangya royal family instead of that of the queen and the Anangya royal family? Who does he think to be fooling?
It must be noted that the original King Solomon would hear the cases in their order of occurrence. The fake King Solomon, for the fact of being dubious, is doing things in the reverse order. Is he not the one who is arranging to part with the Kumawu Afram plains lands to some Zimbabwean White farmers? Does he not know that his underhand shoddy works, hidden agenda, and selfish interests in the wealth of Kumawuman are uncovered? He can continue to childish play with fire until it burns off his fingers.
Moreover, it must be noted that the Asantehemaa Nana Afua Kobi had/has never installed the seed of her womb on the "Sikadwa Kofi". It is erroneous for the queen of Kumawu to believe that precedence has been set for her to copy. She deludes herself with the fact that as long as her boyfriend's mum put him on the Golden stool, so can she equally put her son on the Kumawu paramount seat. She should simply ask her mother-in-law, Nana Afua Kobi, "who was Akwasi Kodua" to her and why did they divorce? This Akwasi Kodua was the son of the late Opanin Yaw Forson of blessed memory from Kumawu Etia. Can the scientifically success proven DNA test not help dissuade some of the present day queens from copying blindly?
Finally, it may interest my readers to learn that a Ghanaian lady of 30 is deciding to proceed home to simply challenge the legitimacy of the occupant of the Golden Stool. She is from the Aduana family. She believes by virtue of the Asante matrilineal and clan lineage, the Asantehene's seat belongs to the Aduana but not the Oyoko clan. Nana Obiri Yeboah, the Asantehene was from the Aduana but not the Oyoko clan. For the fact of not having a sister, he bequeathed the throne to his son Nana Osei Tutu I, an Oyoko. She will invoke not the Asantehene but the Asanteman oath on the occupant of the seat. It will be hilarious if she does perform as planned but I think she is only making up a joke though intelligent as she is. She is resident in Virginia , USA .
John Fosu, USA
Email: j.fosu@hotmail.com