There is no greater tribute that can be paid to Nzemaland than to go around the current issue at stake with prudence, understanding, cool headedness, and the spirit of brotherhood. Perhaps a recapitulation of the bitter experiences the Nzemas had gone through would serve as impetuses to let the tensions that have arisen over the relocation of the Gas Infrastructure Project from the Jomoro district to Ellembele cool off. There had been a shortfall in education because King Kaku Aka 1 would not allow missionaries to set foot on his soil. Kwame Nkrumah, our own man ignored Nzemaland and this has had adverse effects on our development and progress in spite of our abundant natural resources. Nzemaland became the most hated district by Busia and his UP in the name of Kwame Nkrumah. Busia wanted to force the Nzemas to relinquish their lands to IRHO (an Ivorian company) for oil palm plantations so that the Nzemas would become oppressed by famine. This is analogous to what Houphouet Boigny did to the Agnis of Aboisso because of his hatred for Amon Ndoufou of Krindjabo. It was the same Busia who wanted to divert the construction of the international road which links La Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana through Brong Ahafo although one of the conditions stipulated that the road should not be more than 6 miles radius from the Atlantic. Prior to Busia’s presence, Afrifa had heaped insults upon insults on Nzema chiefs at Essiama during a durbar to honour his presence in the area.

All these aforementioned unwholesome experiences of the past should serve as a reminder to us Nzemas to become bound together and forge ahead for a common cause regardless of which of the three constituencies you belong to. The Nzemas have made themselves a laughing stock in the eyes of fellow Ghanaians because of the chaos and disturbances they have occupied themselves with over the relocation of the GIP from Bonyere to Adoabo (Atoabo). Ghanaians do not see the rationale behind the chaos, demonstrations, and protests if the project will always be located in the same area of Nzemaland whether at Bonyere or at Adoabo. Those Nzemas who are misled or misguided by Awulae Annor Adjaye ought to know that the completion of the proposed project will not be a bona fide property for the Nzemas alone. It will ever be for Ghana and all Ghanaians alike regardless of their ethnic groups. Let this be clear to my fellow Nzemas!

It is quite absurd for the Paramount Chief of the Jomoro district, Awulae Annor Adjaye to plant seeds of chaos and confusion in an attempt to disrupt the relocation-he would even put a stop to this proposed project all together if he had the power to do so. From all indications, Awulae Annor Adjaye must stand accused of being the principal agitator who is misleading his youthful subjects to a course of collision; unless he desists from his evil machinations, there may be a day he will have to be tried in a court of law. He is playing on the intelligence of the youths from the Jomoro district to mislead and misguide them for a bad cause. His first priority is to deceive them to wage all these demonstrations and protests with the hope that he will succeed in having the project located in the Jomoro district so as to be able to have his pocket filled all the time. His actions stem from greed and selfishness; he knows that if the GIP is relocated to Adoabo, he stands to lose his vested interest.

Being the Paramount Chief of Jomoro, our Awulae certainly has a commanding power over his sub-chiefs ad his subjects as instilled in the socio-politico set up of chieftancy. This authority has given him the swollen headedness to misuse his power. Concerned Nzemas should urge him to apply the six tools of critical thinking to lead him through the path of Reason to avert the chaos, and disturbances that have besieged Nzemaland. The late Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey of Anomabo once said: “A man can have all the education in this world, but if he is without honesty, humility, integrity, and modesty, all his education will be valueless.”I hope our Awulae would heed these words of wisdom from the late renowned educationist to scrutinize himself. According to sources, our Awulae is a teacher by profession; if this is true, I’d like to find out when he did become an expert in any of the following professional fields-civil engineering, cost accounting, environmental engineering, quantity surveying, geodetic engineering, geological engineering, etc. for him to come up with his unqualified statements that Adoabo lacks the suitable environment for the Gas Infrastructure Project and that it would not be cost effective. Did he ever do any feasibility studies to support his statements? What was the source of his unqualified assessment? These unsubstantiated assertions form part of his vicious ploys!

Besides his greed and selfishness, the other side of his attitude of hypocrisy must be exposed to let his blinded followers know the type of leader he is. He adopted an attitude of indifference during the attempts by the NPP government to move the Osagyefo Barge from Efasu to Tema. He displayed the same attitude of indifference when the NPP government had pre-selected over 200 candidates to pursue various courses outside Ghana pertaining to the oil industry without the inclusion of a single Nzema. Visiting oil dignitaries from Kosmos and Tullow were donating millions of dollars to support the Otumfuo Education Trust Fund in the Ashanti region during the NPP administration. The Nzemas were left out-they did not deserve any of these donations although they are the ones who face the imminent danger of losing their lives due to chemical pollution of their clean coasts. They are the ones to be overcome by the loss of income and livelihood due to the restriction of fishing activities imposed on their fishermen. Why was our Awulae not vociferous about all these injustices? Why did our Awulae not organize press conferences in protest? His hypocritical attitude is that the NDC deserves showers of abomination, but showers of encomia are what the NPP should enjoy because he’s an activist for the latter. If he bemoans the historical bitter experiences of his own people, he ought to refrain from his excuse for bigotry as well as his hypocritical attitude. He needs to show the qualities of a good leader-honesty, humility, integrity, and modesty to reciprocate the honour that the Nzemas have bestowed upon him. This honour requires him to handle himself with grace, dignity, and respect. Please stop betraying the confidence the Nzemas have in you!

The youths of Ellembele, Evalue-Gwira, and Jomoro do not form separate entities-they are all bound together. Show concern and come out with programmes that would uplift the educational standards and aspirations of the Nzema youths instead of taking a course of division. Now is the opportune time to collaborate with the other two Paramount Chiefs to galvanize the Nzemas far and within. The formation of a think tank group to adopt strategies of how we can claim royalties from the GIP that would benefit especially our youths is what we need rather than to lead them to go astray. Do you ever anticipate the impending challenge our youths without skills will face? Or do you have the notion that because they are area residents there will be automatic employment for them? Your intuition should tell you that the location of the project should not be an issue; the issue proper is how to inspire the Nzema youths to become certified in technical skills for future employment with the GIP; without that, our youths are not going to reap any benefits from the would be project whether its location is in the Jomoro district or Ellembele. Of what use will the project be to the Nzemas if they lack the skills to supply the manpower the GIP will need? If the GIP won’t have the pool of manpower at its disposal to tap into, most definitely it will have to look elsewhere. The same youths who do not possess the necessary skills to become gainfully employed by the GIP in the future and who are being exploited by Awulae Annor Adjaye will be the first to complain of being discriminated against by the GIP and they will resort to the same irrational behavior –waves of chaos, disturbances, and protests.

It is rather ironical for Awulae to organize a useless stumbling block in the way of the relocation of the GIP to Adoabo when Benyinli is at a vantage point to gain the most in terms of economic prosperity and popularity in view of its proximity to the lake at Nzulezo. If he had the foresight, he would rather find means of having this lake developed into a first class centre of tourism in Nzemaland in anticipation of the future influx of tourists, expatriates, immigrants, and migrants. Plans for this venture to spring up could become a legacy from him to the Nzemas which of course could put him on record as one of the irreplaceable Nzema leaders.

These hidden agenda of greed and selfishness are his motives to be adopting the tactics of falsehood, unwholesome accusations, and name soiling against Sipah Yankey and Armah Kofi Buah. Can Awulae Annor Adjaye come up with names of any Nzema sons who have ever become more dedicated to the well being of Nzemaland than Armah Kofi Boah and Sipa Yankey? Their dedication to see to the development and progress of Nzemaland is unequalled. I would suggest to Awulae that he render an unequivocal apology to our two distinguished sons. Stop disguising yourself behind the Jomoro youths to embark on your path of lies, false accusations, and blackmailing, for, they won’t serve any useful purpose. Awulae, why don’t you “remove the fig in your own eyes first?” Do not become pre-occupied with your self-interest. Let the love of Nzemaland take precedence over your attitude of deceit, greed, hypocrisy, and selfishness; other than that, the purpose of development and progress of Nzemaland will be defeated by your actions.

A rumour is going the rounds that the GIP is likely to be moved to Shama as a result of the irrational behaviour of Awulae Annor Adjaye and his Jomoro youths. If this becomes a reality, is Awulae Annor Adjaye going to organize the same waves of protests? The gold mining operations by Adamus Company at Sanloma have been progressing steadily without a hitch; the GIP may soon be the second to follow suit-hopefully. These separate entities should give the Nzemas reasons of hope for the development and progress which would outweigh the anguish they had experienced. However, should the threat of sabotage and insecurity posed by Awulae Annor Adjaye and his youthful henchmen of Jomoro deprive us of this second opportunity, they’ll live to regret the fools of first order they will have made of themselves and Nzemas in general.

Awulae, “Do not become wise in your own eyes!” Let Reason reign over your greed, hypocrisy, selfishness, and shortsightedness for the betterment of Nzemaland! You can practise your apostasy,but the talents and energy of our youths are too precious to be wasted; they are our hope for the future!

Abu Koffi of Atlanta: KakuAka1 Maximus@hotmail.com