Rejoinder: Compensation Claims For Akosombo Lands As Reported In The 2010 Auditor General’s Report

The Akwamu Youth Association, branch in the Diaspora, wishes to respond to the press release issued by the defacto chief and his apologists over compensations claims paid for the construction of the Akosombo Dam on 22nd January, 2012. These young people who claim to have Akwamus at heart demonstrated their biases on matters affecting the people of the Akwamu Traditional Area. In the press release they peddle half truth and lies, that the 20 years old Chieftaincy crisises have been resolved when they knew that claim was completely a falsehood. Who made these people judges over an issue in contention at the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs?

What was stated in the Press Release was further aimed at denigrating the custom and traditional cultural values of Akwamus, if they are true descendants of Akwamus from Nyanoase and Nsekye we expect them to know the best cultural practices when installing an Akwamu Omanhene. If these people want to tell the whole world that they don’t know how an omanhene is install, then they should contact their parents and grandparents since they are best place to educate them.

At one breath this apologist acknowledged the position of the Acting President Nana Bekai who is the legitimate head of the Akwamu Traditional Council and in another breath addresses somebody as the Omanhene.

We want everybody to know that the Akwamu Traditional Area does not have an Omanhene. I hope these apologists could help themselves by writing to the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs if they care to know about the legal and customary status of an omanhene.

We further wish to state that Akwamus are not ignorant and confuse when it has to do with who are the rightful owners of the Akwamu Stool.

The claim that individual chiefs went to process the compensation payments was not based on facts and principle but on malice, dishonesty, treachery and deceit all calculated to divide our noble people as Akwamus.

We thought that these people who issued the statement would have asked the Registrar of the Akwamu Traditional Council about the status of all Akwamu lands.

The statement purported to have been released by the paramouncy should be disregarded since it was meant to divide Akwamus and further destroy the united spirit that binds us together.

The questions we want to ask where is the paramouncy being referred to in the Press Release?Who is the head of the paramouncy?

At best the challenge by the paramouncy should be disregarded by all Akwamus since the current claimant to the paramouncy have no locus.

The Press Release should have been issued in the name of Nana Amo Bekai who is the Acting President of the Akwamu Traditional Council for it to gain some semblance of credibility.

We would have wished that the committee of these so called professionals could have contacted the Auditor General who would have made them to know that Paaso is the same as Apaaso and that it was a matter of semantics’.

In any case since when was the committee set up to the investigate matter? When did the committee found out that GH¢400,000 have been paid and why have they refuse to mention the names of the beneficiaries? Who are the members of this faceless committee? Who mandated this committee that was alleged to have dived into the matter, does that fellow have any authority?

In a democratic country like Ghana, freedom of association is enshrined in our constitution, it is unfortunate to have heard that Akwamu Youth Association does not exist. We are shocked to have heard of this bogus pronouncement and conduct of these learned people who are helping their friend to ascend to the highest office of Omanhene. If at this stage their aim is to stifle the formation of Free Association a universal right for all free people what would happen when they have power? I bet you dissent would have no place in Akwamu tyranny and darkness will ruin just as Nana Kwafo I conducted himself.

Akwamus should be alarmed by the conduct of any group of people who thinks that the preserve to form associations lies in their bosom. These people would promote oppression, suppression and promote the fragmentation of democratic free society. It is worthy to commend our learned brothers for asking the government to come clean on this matter and assist the people of Akwamu Traditional Area to get their fair share of compensations for lands acquired for the construction of the Akosombo Dam.

BEKAI ANTHONY

NEW YORK,USA